DFF Thematic Research 2026 — Danish Realm and Arctic Research Themes
Enriched government · Found: 2026-03-14 21:30
Independent Research Fund Denmark opens thematic research calls in 2026, including Arctic Research and Research on the Danish Realm themes — both with deadlines in early September 2026 and up to DKK 5 million per project. NGOs are explicitly invited as consortium partners for the Danish Realm theme.
Source: https://dff.dk/en/apply-for-funding/see-what-you-can-apply-for/current-funding-opportunities/
Funding Details
- Funder
- Independent Research Fund Denmark (Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond / DFF)
- Funding Goal
- Support independent and thematic research in Denmark, including Arctic Research and Research on the Danish Realm themes that explicitly welcome NGO participation as consortium partners
- Funding Amount
- Up to DKK 5 million (approx. EUR 670,000) per project excl. overhead (up to 670.000 €)
- Deadline
- 2026-09-01 (Fixed)
- How to Apply
- Apply via DFF e-grant portal (p16-eksternapi.e-grant.dk). All projects require a project description and a theme-specific appendix. Contact: DFF-opslag@ufm.dk, +45 72 31 82 00. Calls expected to be published no earlier than end of March 2026.
- Target Region
- Denmark and the Danish Realm (Denmark, Greenland, Faroe Islands); Arctic theme extends to broader Arctic research
- Contact
- DFF-opslag@ufm.dk, tel: +45 72 31 82 00 (weekdays 09:00-12:00)
- Official Page
- https://dff.dk/en/about-the-fund/news-and-press/all-news/news-uk/2026/januar/what-can-you-apply-for-in-2026/
- Last Checked
- 2026-03-14 21:30
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF) distributes approximately DKK 2.2 billion annually in research funding across independent and thematically earmarked calls. In 2026, the fund is publishing five calls for proposals, including a combined call for independent research and multiple thematic research calls tied to politically defined priorities for 2026-2029. The thematic calls are offered under the DFF-Thematic Research instrument introduced in 2025, with each project required to have a named PI and Co-PI, and to include a theme-specific appendix describing how the project addresses the theme requirements. Two themes are particularly relevant for organisations working on Arctic and Greenland-related environmental research: the Arctic Research theme (multiannual priority), which requires collaboration across at least two countries of the Danish Realm and involvement of local Arctic communities; and the Research on the Danish Realm theme, which requires collaboration between different actors across the Realm — explicitly including NGOs alongside researchers, institutions, and authorities. Both themes have expected application deadlines in early September 2026 and offer up to DKK 5 million excluding overhead. The Green Research thematic call (also a multiannual priority for 2026-2029) targets curiosity-driven research contributing to the green transition. It requires interdisciplinarity across ERC scientific domains (applicant and Co-PI must come from different main scientific areas) and capacity building through at least one PhD student or postdoctoral researcher. This theme could fund research on plastic waste recycling systems, circular economy, or marine litter if led by a Danish university researcher with an NGO as a practice partner. All DFF calls require that the principal applicant holds a position at a Danish research institution (university, hospital, research institute) covered by specified Danish ministries. NGOs cannot be the primary applicant but can participate as consortium partners, particularly for the Danish Realm and thematic calls. The fund allocates its budget through competitive peer review.
Historical Context
DFF was restructured in 2025 with a new thematic research framework replacing individual council calls. The 2026 calls were delayed from the original March 16 publication date due to legislative amendments that entered into force on January 1, 2026. Thematic calls are recurring annually (or as multiannual priorities for 4-year windows 2026-2029).
Why it was added
grant-scan-list6-2026-03-14