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PREPARE – Grants for educational developments at universities 2026

Novo Nordisk Foundation

The purpose of PREPARE is to enhance and expand methods for training students’ creative and critical skills through science or engineering research activities at universities within the Danish Realm.  

PREPARE focuses on disciplines within natural, technical and health science educations that align with the strategic key themes of the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) Strategy and goals – Novo Nordisk Fonden. The grants will provide science and/or engineering teachers with the resources they need to implement new educational ideas and allow them to better PREPARE students to solve complex societal problems.

Areas of support

The grants support the following categories of educational developments at universities: 
Digital development of educations, Research infrastructure development for educations  and Upgrade content of educations (see section 1.2 in Guidelines).

Assessment criteria

Assessment criteria put weight on quality and novelty of the project, impact, execution and evaluation, environment and collaboration, and competence of the applicant/co-applicants (see section 1.6 in Guidelines).

Application process

The application process consists of two phases. Phase I: Selection at university level starts when the call opens and is managed by the main applicant university. Phase II: External peer-reviews and evaluation in NNF begins after the submission deadline, where the NNF manages the external peer-reviews and evaluation.

Phase I:

Selection of projects benefiting one university

The applicant university is responsible for organising a process for selecting projects based on suggestions from teaching committees and teaching faculty and coordinating across all faculties providing educations falling under the purpose. The total amount of funding requested by the submitted projects benefiting the university should be within the following quota:

Selection for joint projects (projects with co-applicants)

In addition to the projects within the university quota, it is also possible for two or more universities to jointly propose up to 5 projects that will benefit all the collaborating universities). The total budget for all joint projects (projects with co-applicants) proposed by each main applicant university cannot exceed DKK 15 million.

Applications will be selected based on quality and total budget available.

It is the responsibility of each applicant/co-applicant university to ensure that the number of applications and the total budget applied for by the submission deadline adheres to the guidelines and budget quota.

Notice that all applications must have a letter of support from the pro-dean for education or an educational leader at a similar or higher level (responsible for the educational programs at the university) for each applicant or co-applicant.

Please note that questions regarding the process of submission should be directed to the applicant/co-applicant university’s pro-dean for education or educational leader at similar or higher level, responsible for educational programmes at the respective university.

Phase II:

External peer-reviews and evaluation in NNF

The NNF will conduct an evaluation of the applications based on international external peer-review, using experts in the relevant fields. The evaluation criteria are described in section 1.6.

Once all applications have been assessed, applicants will be notified about the grant decisions. Notification e-mails will be sent from norma-noreply@novo.dk to the e-mail address used when creating a profile in NORMA.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

🔬 1. Strong Alignment with Foundation Strategic Areas (Top Predictor)

NNF funding is highly aligned with its core priorities:

Biomedical & life sciences (major focus)
Cardiometabolic diseases (diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular)
Biotechnology & biosustainability
Global health & sustainability

👉 Projects outside these domains have very low success probability

🎯 2. Clear Scientific Excellence & Innovation

Successful proposals demonstrate:

High-impact, cutting-edge science
Novel hypotheses or technologies
Potential to advance fundamental understanding

👉 NNF is highly competitive and expects top-tier scientific quality

🌍 3. Demonstrated Societal & Health Impact (Critical Predictor)

Strong emphasis on:
- Improving human health
- Addressing global challenges (e.g., climate, health inequity)
Large grants require “impact upfront” planning and alignment

👉 Impact is explicitly built into evaluation frameworks

🔄 4. Translational & Innovation Potential

Preference for:
- Translational research (bench → application)
- Biotechnology innovation
- Solutions that can scale or be implemented

👉 Increasing focus on innovation ecosystems and real-world application

🤝 5. Strong Institutional & Collaborative Environment

High success rates are associated with:

Leading research institutions
International collaborations
Multi-disciplinary teams

👉 NNF frequently funds:

Research centres
Large collaborative programs

👩‍🔬 6. Investigator Excellence & Leadership Potential

Strong publication record
Proven research leadership (for large grants)
For early-career:
- Clear independence trajectory

👉 NNF funds both:

Elite senior scientists
Emerging “future leaders”

🧪 7. Feasible, Well-Structured Research Plan

Clearly defined:
- Objectives
- Methodology
- Milestones
Realistic timelines

👉 Large grants require highly structured project planning

📊 8. Ability to Build Research Capacity or Ecosystems

NNF strongly values:

Creation of:
- Research centres
- Infrastructure
- Innovation hubs
Long-term impact beyond a single project

👉 Funding often goes to ecosystem-building initiatives

🌐 9. Global & Strategic Relevance

Increasing support for:
- International collaborations
- LMIC-focused health initiatives
Expansion beyond Denmark

👉 Reflects global health and sustainability priorities

📑 10. Strong Proposal Communication

Clear articulation of:
- Innovation
- Impact
- Strategic relevance
Studies show effective “promotional framing” improves success rates

👉 Communication style influences reviewer perception

📊 Summary: Key Predictors (Ranked)

Highest impact factors:

Strategic alignment (life sciences, health, sustainability)
Scientific excellence & innovation
Societal/health impact

Moderate predictors:
4. Translational potential
5. Investigator strength
6. Collaboration & institutional quality

Supporting factors:
7. Feasibility & planning
8. Ecosystem-building potential
9. Proposal clarity

💡 Insider Insight

Compared to other funders:

Novo Nordisk Foundation is:
👉 science-driven like ERC/AACR
👉 but also impact- and innovation-focused like industry funders

👉 Key evaluation question:
“Will this research create significant scientific breakthroughs AND long-term societal impact?”

Specialties

Others

Eligibility Requirements

PREPARE projects must be applied for by employees engaged in educational developments at universities and employed at the level of assistant-, associate- or full professor and with a permanent or tenure-track contract, or alternatively with a secured employment contract for the duration of the project. For the latter case, a statement regarding employment must be added to the mandatory support letter from the university.

Fields of teaching within the scope of PREPARE:
All areas of natural, technical and health science educations that align with the NNF 2030 strategic key themes (Strategy and goals – Novo Nordisk Fonden) are eligible to be applied for. Applicants are welcome to contact the Foundation to confirm if a proposed teaching development falls within the scope of PREPARE (see contact information page 2 in Guidelines).

The primary target group of the proposed activities are bachelor and master students within natural, technical and health science educations at universities in the Danish Realm.

General eligibility criteria:

The application must include a letter of support from the pro-dean for education or an educational leader at similar or higher level, responsible for educational programmes at the university, for each applicant or co-applicant.
Applications must include an expected change model (see section 1.5 in Guidelines).
Applicants/Co-applicants must be employed by a university in the Danish Realm.
The institution where the teaching is anchored must be a university/universities in the Danish Realm with relevant teaching activities in natural, technical or health science disciplines.

In addition to the specific eligibility rules listed, please check also the more general rules here:
Rules for Grant Eligibility and Assessment – Novo Nordisk Fonden

Eligible Countries:

Denmark

Faroe Islands

Greenland

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Novo Nordisk Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Tuborg Havnevej 19 2900 Hellerup

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