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Funding callMedicine and clinical research · Denmark

Clinical Emerging Investigator

The Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Clinical Emerging Investigator grant supports early-career clinical researchers who are establishing an independent research group, with grants of DKK 8–12.5 million over five years. This guide covers suitable research areas, eligibility and readiness checks, what assessment panels typically value and how to shape a competitive application.

Pubrica InsightsEditorial team, reviewed by a subject specialist
Next deadline
20 January 2027
Last checked
10 November 2026
Funder
Novo Nordisk Foundation
Sources
1
Apply through the official call

Key dates

Application deadline
20 January 2027
Details last checked
10 November 2026
Apply through the official call

About the call

Funder
Novo Nordisk Foundation
Country
Denmark
Scheme type
Fellowship
Funding
DKK 8–12.5 million per grant over five years (up to DKK 50 million in total)
Eligibility
Early-career clinical researchers establishing an independent research group; up to four grants will be awarded.
Scope
Medicine and clinical research

Topics consistent with the call

  • Patient-oriented clinical studies addressing important unmet medical needs
  • Translational research linking laboratory findings to clinical diagnosis or treatment
  • Clinical cohorts and registries used to investigate disease mechanisms
  • Investigator-initiated trials testing new or repurposed interventions
  • Biomarker discovery and validation for prognosis or treatment response
  • Precision medicine approaches for stratifying patients in clinical practice

Based on the published scope; the official page sets out the full themes and requirements.

Is your work a fit? Check before you apply

  1. Confirm that your career stage and clinical background meet the eligibility criteria in the call documents.
  2. Check that you are ready to lead an independent research group with a clear five-year plan.
  3. Ensure the host institution and clinical environment can support the proposed research.
  4. Verify that the requested budget falls within the DKK 8–12.5 million range stated for the scheme.
  5. Prepare a complete, institutionally approved application well before the 20 January 2027 deadline.

Why This Funding Call Matters

Clinical researchers often find the move from postdoctoral or junior clinical work to independent group leadership the hardest step in their careers, because protected research time and stable funding are scarce alongside clinical duties. A five-year grant of this scale allows an emerging investigator to recruit a team, build a coherent research programme and generate evidence that can change patient care. With only up to four grants available, the scheme rewards applicants who can present a focused, ambitious and realistic programme rooted in clinical questions.

Who Should Apply

Academic backgrounds

  • Clinical medicine and medical specialties
  • Translational medicine
  • Clinical epidemiology
  • Surgery and perioperative medicine
  • Clinical pharmacology

Institutions and sectors

  • University hospitals
  • Universities with medical faculties
  • Regional hospital research units
  • Clinical research centres

What Reviewers Typically Value

  1. A clearly defined clinical problem whose solution would benefit patients.
  2. A research programme that is ambitious yet feasible within five years.
  3. Evidence that the applicant is emerging as an independent research leader.
  4. Methods that integrate clinical data, patient samples or trials with rigorous analysis.

Ideas You Could Develop

Biomarker-guided treatment selectionA programme combining a clinical cohort and a pragmatic trial to test whether a candidate biomarker can guide treatment choice in a common chronic disease.
Mechanisms of treatment resistanceA translational project using patient samples and clinical follow-up to explain why a subgroup of patients does not respond to standard therapy.
Early detection in high-risk patientsA prospective study developing and validating a risk tool for early detection of a serious complication in hospitalised patients.

Your Plan to the Deadline

A suggested schedule working back from 20 January 2027. Adjust it to the stage your work has reached.

  1. By 25 Nov 2026

    Read the call documents; confirm eligibility, budget limits, assessment criteria and institutional requirements.

  2. By 9 Dec 2026

    Agree the research question, aims, team and partners; contact your research office.

  3. By 23 Dec 2026

    Draft the case for support, methods, impact and budget.

  4. By 6 Jan 2027

    Obtain internal review, letters of support and institutional sign-off.

  5. By 15 Jan 2027

    Final checks against the funder’s guidance and formatting rules.

  6. By 20 Jan 2027

    Submit through the funder’s system before the deadline.

What you gain

  • Funding for the research, team and resources it needs.
  • Recognition from a competitive, peer-reviewed process.
  • Reviewer feedback that strengthens future applications.
  • A track record for larger grants and fellowships.

What happens after you apply

  1. Eligibility check: the funder confirms the application meets the call rules.
  2. Peer review: external reviewers assess the proposal against the published criteria.
  3. Panel: a committee ranks proposals; some schemes include an interview.
  4. Decision: outcomes are released on the funder’s timetable.
  5. Award: successful applicants agree terms and reporting requirements before starting.

What the Funder Are Looking For

The scheme looks for early-career clinical researchers who are ready to establish an independent research group and lead a sustained programme of clinically relevant research. Strong applications typically show a convincing clinical question, a credible plan for building a team over five years, a supportive host environment and a track record that signals growing independence. Applicants should confirm detailed eligibility, assessment criteria and budget rules in the Novo Nordisk Foundation call documents.

Read the official pageThis guide summarises the opportunity. Confirm deadlines, eligibility and requirements on the official page before you plan your work, and record the date you checked it.Open the official page

Expert help

How Pubrica Can Help

Pubrica’s subject specialists can help you prepare a competitive proposal, planned back from the deadline. You remain the author of your work.

Grant writingProposal writing structured to the funder’s guidance and assessment criteria. Literature review and gap analysisThe evidence base and the gap your proposal addresses. Study designStudy design and methods that reviewers can assess. Statistical analysis planSample size and analysis plans for the proposal. Data management planData management and sharing plans to funder requirements. Proposal editingEditing of the full proposal for clarity and consistency.
Go to the official page

FAQs

Questions Researchers Ask

The next published deadline is 20 January 2027. Dates can change, so confirm them on the official page before you plan your work.

The scheme is aimed at clinical researchers, so clinical work alongside research is likely to be expected, but the rules on protected research time and salary may be specific. Check the call documents on the Novo Nordisk Foundation website and contact the Foundation if your situation is unusual.

Early-career clinical researchers establishing an independent research group; up to four grants will be awarded. Confirm the full eligibility rules in the call documents.

Yes. Pubrica’s specialists can review, write, edit and format your proposal. You remain the author and the person responsible for the submission.

Sources

  1. Novo Nordisk Foundation. (2026). Clinical Emerging Investigator. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://novonordiskfonden.dk/en/grant/clinical-emerging-investigator/

How to cite this page

Pubrica Insights. (2026). Clinical Emerging Investigator. Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/calls-and-conferences/clinical-emerging-investigator/

  • Clinical research
  • Early career
  • Research leadership
  • Denmark
  • Novo Nordisk Foundation

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Clinical Emerging InvestigatorNext deadline 20 January 2027

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