Semper Ardens Accelerate

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Three- to five-year grants for newly appointed tenured associate professors to consolidate an independent research group or research environment.

Deadline

01.10.2025 - 16:00

Frequency

Yearly

Opens

30.06.2025

Amount

Maximum DKK 7 million

For applicants

CALL CLOSED Call opens: 30 June 2025 Deadline: 1 October 2025, 16:00

Purpose

The purpose of Semper Ardens Accelerate is to provide three to five-years of funding for the consolidation of the applicant’s independent research group or research environment.

Who?

The applicant must be a tenured associate professor, appointed for a maximum of two years at the date of the application deadline. 

The applicant must be employed at a level equivalent to at least 80 % effort at one or more Danish research institutions throughout the grant period.

Any periods of leave will be accepted as extensions of this time limit (parental leave, family care leave, illness, military service, etc.).

The foundation expects the applicant to dedicate at least 50 % of their research time to the project. While part of the work may be performed at collaborating Danish or international institutions, the majority of the work must be carried out in Denmark.

For this reason, it is not deemed possible to hold similar “career” grants if the applicant at the time of the application deadline is in the first half of the grant period. 

If the applicant holds a career grant from another source and is in the second half of the grant period, the applicant must provide an account of the time commitment for the different projects in the project description.

What?

The total amount applied for must not exceed DKK 7 million.

This type of grant is given as a framework grant and may be used to cover expenses that are relevant and necessary for completing the activity.

The following running costs may be applied for: 

  • Consumables 
  • Equipment 
  • Travel, research stays, inviting researchers, conferences, research leadership courses or similar.

In addition to covering such expenses, grant recipients will also be invited to participate in a research leadership course, free of charge, to ensure they have the best possible framework for leading their research group. Furthermore, they will be invited to participate in networking events with other similar grant holders. 

The following salary costs may be applied for:

  • Salaries for postdoctoral fellows
  • Salaries and tuition fees for PhD students (enrolment of the PhD students at a Danish PhD graduate school is required)
  • Salary for a research assistant for a limited time period
  • Salaries for student assistants 

It is not possible to apply for salary costs for assistant professors.

Requirements

Application requirements

The application must be submitted through the CF-Grant application system.

The application must be written in English.

Applications that do not meet the specified formal requirements will not be considered for assessment and will be rejected on administrative grounds.

The submission of documents other than those specified below will also result in rejection on administrative grounds.

The selection of the wrong type of grant in CF-Grant will likewise result in rejection on administrative grounds.

The documents must be uploaded in PDF format.
 
Required documents to be attached to the application form:

  • Project description
  • Budget
  • Curriculum vitae
  • List of publications 
  • Description of the research group and its organisation and national/ international networks
  • Declaration from the host institution

Project description

The project description must be written using Times New Roman, font size 12, margins on the left, right, top and bottom of at least 2 cm and line spacing of 1.5. 

The project description must not exceed three A4 pages (including figures, tables etc., but excluding references). Any references or bibliography must be added in direct continuation of the project description.

The project description must clearly state the overarching goal and describe the potential impact of the project.

The use of unconventional technical abbreviations must be kept to a minimum.

Budget

An itemised budget for the amount applied for must be uploaded using the Carlsberg Foundation budget template and must be finalised before upload.

Project supplement (indirect project costs) for applicants from Danish universities:

  • Humanities and social sciences; DKK 200,000 per full-time equivalent (FTE) per year for PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and research assistants, funded by the grant.
  • Natural sciences: DKK 250,000 per full-time equivalent (FTE) per year for PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and research assistants, funded by the grant.

The project supplement can only be applied for applicants from Danish universities.

The project supplement will automatically be added in the budget template. 

For more information on what the project supplement covers, and thus what cannot be applied for, see the full agreement on the following website: 

Link to agreement at Danish Universities

Curriculum vitae

The CV of the applicant must not exceed two A4 pages. Please do not include photo, home address, family information, CPR no., date of birth, or gender.

The exact date on which the applicant took up their position as a tenured associate professor, irrespective of the country, must be stated in the CV.

List of publications

The list of publications must first contain a brief summary of the bibliometry of the applicant including links to relevant bibliometric profiles (Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, etc.). 

In addition, the applicant must include a list of the ten peer-reviewed publications most relevant to the application and representative of their research career, accompanied by a few sentences explaining the relevance of each publication. 

The list of publications must not exceed two A4 pages in total. 

Description of the research group and its organisation and national/ international networks

A description of the research group and its organisation must be uploaded, including its prospective composition, diversity and gender balance. 

The description must include the specific and concrete steps that will be taken during recruiting processes and throughout the grant period to ensure diversity and gender balance. Relevant national and international research networks, and their potential role in the project, should also be described.

The description must not exceed one A4 page.

Declaration from the host institution

A declaration from the host institution confirming the minimum of 80 % employment as tenured associate professor, as well as its willingness to host the project, must be uploaded.

The declaration must also include the date on which the applicant took up their position as a tenured associate professor.

Popularised scientific description

Applicants are also required to submit a popularised scientific description in the CF-Grant application system.

The description must address What, Why and How (up to 400 characters each). This description will be published on the foundation’s website should the application be successful.

Assessment & process

Assessment criteria Semper Ardens

Processing procedures Semper Ardens

Budget

Download budget template

Budget

0.54mb

FAQ

Please note: The foundation reserves the right to make adjustments to the guidelines and guidelines.

The Carlsberg Foundation cannot offer individual guidance on projects or elements of projects before the application deadline.

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Succes rate

2024

14%

Succes rate

2023

15%