Challenge Programme

Challenge Programme — AMR Diagnostics for LRTI

Supports diagnostic innovations for antimicrobial resistant respiratory infections in Danish consortia.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation's Challenge Programme 2027 — AMR Diagnostics for Lower Respiratory Tract Infections (LRTI) theme funds large research consortia to advance next-generation diagnostics for antimicrobial-resistant pathogens causing lower respiratory tract infections. Antimicrobial resistance in respiratory pathogens represents a critical and growing gap in clinical microbiology; the call seeks interdisciplinary consortia that can develop diagnostic solutions with genuine translational potential, moving beyond existing methods in sensitivity, speed, or pathogen specificity. The call is one of four themes in the Challenge Programme 2027, which carries a combined total budget of up to DKK 600 million across all themes.

For this LRTI diagnostics theme, the total budget available is up to DKK 150 million, distributed as grants of DKK 30–75 million per consortium over a fixed six-year project period. Consortia must include between two and four research groups. The main applicant must be an independent tenured or tenure-track researcher at a European institution (EU, Schengen area, or UK), devoting at least 75% of their time to the project. At least one applicant must be at least 75% employed and have an active research group at a Danish university, hospital, or non-profit research organisation. Co-applicant institutions may be based anywhere in the world. Industry partners may collaborate within the consortium but are not eligible to receive NNF funding directly.

The application process is two-stage: Stage 1 expressions of interest close on 7 October 2026 at 2:00 pm Copenhagen time, with shortlisting results in December 2026. Shortlisted consortia proceed to Stage 2, submitting a comprehensive application and participating in an online panel interview, with final funding decisions in June 2027. Each researcher may act as main applicant on only one Challenge Programme 2027 call, and a main applicant may not also be a co-applicant on a different Challenge 2027 call. All submissions go through the Foundation's NORMA system. Contact: challenge@novo.dk.