Villum Young Investigator

Villum Young Investigator

Funds early-career scientists in Denmark to build independent teams, leadership, and long-running research programmes.

The Villum Young Investigator 2026 program, administered by the Villum Foundation in Denmark, offers grants of up to DKK 9 million over five years to early-career researchers in technical and natural sciences who are establishing their own independent research groups at Danish institutions. The per-grant amount includes an indirect-cost supplement of DKK 257,000 per full-time academic staff equivalent and DKK 200,000 reserved for the mandatory Villum Footsteps leadership programme. The 2026 call opened on 20 March 2026, with a submission deadline of 3 June 2026 at 14:00 CET. Final funding decisions are issued in December 2026, approximately eight months from submission.

To be eligible, researchers must be two to eight years past their PhD conferral date (not employment start date), hold a position as a postdoc, assistant professor, or associate professor with no more than two years of tenure, and devote at least 75 percent of their effort to research at a Danish institution. Health and veterinary research is excluded; prior recipients of an ERC Starting Grant or equivalent early-career award are ineligible. Applicants who have already applied twice to this programme are not permitted a third attempt. Grant funds cover salaries for postdoctoral researchers and PhD students, equipment, technical assistance, and customary project expenses. Permanently employed academic staff salaries at the assistant professor level and above, administrative support costs, and open-access publication costs are not fundable.

The application requires four separate PDFs: a completed application form, a CV using the provided template, a budget using the provided template, and a letter of support from the host department. Selection follows a two-step process — committee review followed by interviews in September through November 2026. Recipients join the Villum Fellow professional network and attend annual meetings. The programme is annually recurring, making it the primary Villum entry point for researchers who are building independent research careers but have not yet reached the ten-year seniority threshold required for the Villum Investigator grant.