The Danish Heart Foundation and Novo Nordisk Foundation are excited to announce a new open call for research proposals aimed at closing the knowledge gaps in cardiovascular health for women. This initiative is designed to tackle sex-specific differences in cardiovascular disease, paving the way for equal prevention, treatment, and outcomes for men and women.
With this initiative, researchers are invited to explore factors through the entire value chain of the life science ecosystem that contribute to improved cardiovascular health in women – from biological mechanisms and diagnosis to treatment and prevention.
Funding Overview
- Three grants of up to DKK 2.5 million each will be awarded.
- Minimum funding per project: DKK 2.0 million.
- Grant period: Up to three years.
More details on the research themes and submission guidelines will be available on this site by the start of February 2025. The call for Letters of Intent opens on February 6, 2025.
Research themes
Applicants are encouraged to align their proposals with one or more of the following themes:
- Cardiovascular disease in women with a focus on clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment.
- Basic, physiological, and mechanistic perspectives of cardiovascular health in women.
- Future directions for prevention of cardiovascular disease in women.
Frequently asked questions
Who can apply?
- The main applicant must have documented research competence (obtained PhD degree or higher) and have a strong research track record.
- The main applicant must be affiliated with a Danish research institution or hospital.
What expenses are eligible?
Applicants may apply for funding for the following types of expenses:
- Salary of the main applicant: Funding the cost of an existing position, such as a professorship, during the grant period. Budgets disproportionately weighed towards these salaries will be viewed unfavorably.
- VIP and TAP salaries: This includes scientists/researchers, research assistants, postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, project coordinators, and employees paid hourly, such as transcribers, pre-graduate scholars, and statisticians.
- Operating expenses and utilities.
- Equipment required for the project: Limited to a maximum of 20% of the total budget.
- Travel expenses: This includes accommodation and registration fees for international scientific conferences directly relevant to the project, up to DKK 20,000 per project year.
- Collaboration activities.
- Advisory board and Patient and Public Involvement activities: Expenses such as travel costs.
- Publication costs: Including fees for scientific articles in Open Access journals, posters, and other knowledge dissemination related to the project.
What expenses are not covered?
Funding does not include:
- IT equipment, computers, and commonly available software: However, funding may be applied for IT equipment specific and relevant to the research project, such as specialized software or tablets for involving patients/citizens in the project.
- Administrative fees or other types of "overheads" at state, regional, or municipal institutions, including PhD fees and publication fees. However, funding for fees for scientific Open Access journals is allowed.
- Conference participants invited or funded by the pharmaceutical or medico industry.
- Certain medical doctor supplemental salaries: The following supplemental salaries are not funded: supplemental salary for being enrolled in the PhD study, PhD clinical assistant salary, supplemental salary related to specific functions, supplemental salary for being a PhD supervisor, decentralized- and disadvantage supplementary salary.
- Commercial activities.
Application process and deadlines
The application process consists of two steps:
- Submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) by March 21, 2025, at 2:00 PM.
- If your LOI is approved, you will be invited to submit a full application by June 20, 2025, at 2:00 PM.
The call for LOIs will open on February 6, 2025. Responses to applications will be provided by the end of 2025, with funds available starting in January 2026. LOIs and applications are submitted through the Danish Heart Foundation’s online grant management system SmartSimple. As main applicant, you may submit multiple LOIs but only one full application.
Read more about the application proces by clicking the link below.
Assessment criteria
All LOIs undergo an administrative review to ensure they meet the basic criteria of the call. If approved, applicants are invited to submit a full application. The applications are then evaluated by the Danish Heart Foundation’s external committees.
More details about the assessment process and criteria can be found by clicking the link below.
Terms and Guidelines for Grant Recipients
If your application is approved for funding, your grant will be administered by either the Danish Heart Foundation or the Novo Nordisk Foundation, which will handle fund disbursement and project follow-up.
The frequency and method of project follow-up may vary between the two funding organizations. Detailed funding terms will be specified in a grant agreement with one of the funding organizations.
For terms and guidelines from the Danish Heart Foundation, click the link below. More information about the Novo Nordisk Foundation click here.
