Exploratory Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme

Exploratory Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme

Supports high-risk interdisciplinary research ideas before strong early-stage data exists.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation's Exploratory Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme funds early-stage, untested, high-risk/high-gain research ideas that genuinely require collaboration across disciplines and cannot be advanced within a single field. Research must align with NNF's three strategic focus areas — Biomedical Sciences, Biotechnology, and Natural and Technical Sciences — and carry clear potential for impact in either human health or sustainability. Social sciences and humanities may contribute to a project but cannot be its primary driver. Applicants who already hold preliminary data are explicitly redirected to the full Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme; this call is reserved for ideas at the frontier where no data yet exists.

Each award covers up to DKK 6.8 million over a project period of up to three years. The total annual budget for the 2026 call is DKK 68 million, implying roughly ten grants per cycle. The call opened 12 March 2026 and closes 3 September 2026 at 2:00 pm Copenhagen time; results are announced at the end of December 2026 and the programme is expected to recur in March 2027. Eligible host institutions are Danish — for-profit companies are excluded; universities and non-commercial research organisations must be registered and operating in Denmark. Applications are submitted through the NNF Norma portal.

The programme is administered by NNF's Committee on Interdisciplinary Research. To maximise competitiveness, applicants should demonstrate genuine disciplinary synthesis (not merely multi-author collaboration), articulate why the idea is too nascent for the full programme, and clearly map the research to one of NNF's focus areas. The absence of preliminary data is a feature, not a weakness, at this stage. Contact persons are Camilla Banke Birk (cbk@novo.dk) and Cecilia Lövkvist (clv@novo.dk).