Villum Synergy

Technical and natural sciences

For strengthening interdisciplinary, data-driven research.

Villum Foundation wishes to strengthen interdisciplinary research in Denmark with an initiative focusing on the interdisciplinary field of data-driven science. An amount of DKK 60 million is allocated to this call.

The point of departure for the Villum Synergy programme lies in the research opportunities at the interface between computer science and other disciplines.

Digitalisation, artificial intelligence and big data call for interdisciplinary collaborations that combine expertise in computer science with other fields, including the technical and natural sciences, the humanities and the social sciences.

The projects must involve two Principal Investigators (PIs), both of whom are permanent employees at Danish universities:

One PI should be from the fields of computer science, statistics or applied mathematics.
The other PI should be from an application area, which can be broadly chosen (excluding health science).

As an applicant, you can only be a PI on one application.

The programme is announced every year in open competition.

You can apply for grants ranging from DKK 4.5 million for initiation projects to kick-start new collaborations, or grants of DKK 9-14 million for well-established collaborations that could benefit from a larger grant.

Indirect costs are covered through a project supplement calculated from the number of project-funded full-time academic staff equivalents in certain staff categories. Find the agreement here. Find the agreement here.

Initiation projects can run for up to three years. Full projects can run for three to five years

Typically, the period from application deadline to grant approval will be 6-8 months

Applications that meet the conditions are assessed based on scientific excellence and in addition the committee assesses the synergy potential of the project The applications are assessed by a scientific committee and granted by the board of The Villum Foundation on the basis of their recommendation.

Large projects are assessed in a two stage process. Applications that go to the second round will be sent for external peer review, followed by an interview with the scientific committee.