Villum Infrastructure: DKK 52 million for cutting-edge research equipment
Villum Foundation has awarded its first grants for research infrastructure through the new programme; Villum Infrastructure. With a total of DKK 52.1 million for three projects at the University of Copenhagen and Aalborg University, the investment will provide state-of-the-art equipment to strengthen leading research environments.
The grants cover not only the equipment itself but also funding for networking activities, technical maintenance, and staffing – ensuring the infrastructure attracts new collaborations, operates optimally, and remains accessible for years to come.
A catalyst for talent and collaboration
“Villum Infrastructure was created to give the strongest research environments access to equipment that can elevate them to the highest international level. It’s not just about enabling individual research groups to perform better. The new equipment is also key to attracting talent and building stronger collaborations with both national and international partners,” says Thomas Bjørnholm, Chief Scientific Officer at Villum Foundation.
Through this programme, Villum Foundation invests in infrastructure that can pave the way for groundbreaking discoveries. The first three grants span widely – from bioimaging over AI to advanced materials research.
Three projects receive grants
University of Copenhagen will receive DKK 18 million to establish Multimodal & Modular Microscopy, a platform for custom-built microscopes that will make it possible to zoom in on living organisms with even greater precision.
Aalborg University will receive DKK 15 million for Advanced AI Infrastructure for Green Energy Transition. This is an AI centre based on the latest technology to help solve one of society’s greatest challenges: the green transition of the energy system.
Finally, University of Copenhagen will receive DKK 19 million for Advanced Characterization Lab for Energy and Quantum Materials; a laboratory with advanced instruments to map the structure and properties of materials – crucial for developing future energy materials.
The 3 projects
Bioimaging has provided unprecedented insights in biology with progress based on new innovations in microscopy. Multimodal & Modular Microscopy (M3) presents a platform for custom-built microscopes. M3 combines expertise from cell biology, physics/optics and data science/machine learning to design and implement novel microscopes and image processing. M3 will build on cross-disciplinary expertise, address many outstanding questions in cell biology and deliver microscopes with capabilities beyond the reach of commercial microscopes. M3 will thus produce unique infrastructure substantially surpassing state-of-the-art in microscopy, propelling Denmark to the global forefront in bioimaging.
Grant: DKK 18 million
This infrastructure will uniquely position Aalborg University (AAU) to tackle one of society’s greatest challenges: accelerating the green energy transition. Integrating vast amounts of EVs and renewable energy at scale involves unprecedented complexity that cannot ensure the stability of the power grid without state-of-the-art technology. This ambitious vision demands interdisciplinary collaboration combining AAU Energy’s expertise in renewable energy systems and power electronics, AAU Computer Science’s strengths in AI and formal methods, and AAU Electronic Systems’ knowledge in wireless communication and cyber-physical systems. The unique collaboration and state-of-the-art infrastructure will enable Denmark to lead globally in addressing the sustainable energy transition.
Grant: DKK 15 million
The establishment of this laboratory for advanced materials characterization will include a combination of instruments that will make it possible to characterize atomic structure, electronic structure, and the physical properties of solid state materials and thus map the relations between synthesis, structure, and properties, which is critical for materials development. The state-of-the-art laboratory will significantly enhance the experimental capabilities for materials research at University of Copenhagen and make it possible to establish a world-leading environment.
Grant: DKK 19 million
Villum Infrastructure is open to researchers permanently employed at a department with a current Villum Investigator or a current Villum Young Investigator. One application may be submitted per department from a university that is eligible to apply in that year. The next call will open in January 2026 with an application deadline in April 2026.
Read more about the criteria here:Villum Infrastructure | Villum Fonden
