DFF-International Postdoctoral Grant

DFF-International Postdoctoral Grant

Supports Danish postdoctoral talent with grants for international placements and cross-border scientific collaboration.

The DFF-International Postdoctoral Grant is Independent Research Fund Denmark's mobility instrument for early-career researchers who completed their PhD within the past three years. The autumn 2026 call (E26) closes on 5 November 2026 at 12:00 noon Danish time. Awards of up to DKK 1,550,000 excluding institutional overhead fund two-year international research stays, making this one of the smaller but more focused instruments in the DFF portfolio.

A mandatory mobility requirement distinguishes this grant from all other DFF instruments: at least 12 consecutive months must be spent physically at a non-Danish research institution, and the researcher must take up residence in the foreign country during that period. Up to six months may be spent at a Danish institution at the outset of the project, and up to 12 months at a Danish institution at the project's close. Applicants must hold a PhD from a Danish institution, or have submitted their PhD thesis within 12 months of the deadline with supporting documentation from their supervisor. Applicants who have already spent 12 or more months at the intended foreign host within the three years prior to the deadline are not eligible.

All applications must be submitted via a Danish host institution and are reviewed in English by the relevant DFF Research Council. The instrument is technology- and discipline-neutral — eligible fields span natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and health sciences. Researchers who have been post-PhD for longer than three years should consider Sapere Aude Research Leader (3–8 year window, October deadline) or DFF-Research Project1 (spring deadline). The November deadline makes this the last DFF call in the 2026 annual cycle.