Carlsberg Foundation to mark 150th anniversary with DKK 150 million for interdisciplinary research centres

Carlsberg’s founder J.C. Jacobsen established the Carlsberg Foundation on 25 September 1876 - 149 years ago today. The brewer was passionate about the rapid scientific progress made in his time and set up the foundation so that science and the Danish nation could benefit from part of the brewery’s means well into the future.

Jacobsen’s foresight and bold vision have made it possible for the Carlsberg Foundation to fund basic research originating from the curiosity and initiative of researchers themselves across the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities for nearly 150 years.

We are delighted to celebrate this with extraordinary funding of DKK 150 million for six-year Carlsberg Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Centres to promote interdisciplinarity and collaboration in Danish basic research. The selected centres will be announced in the autumn 2026.

The Carlsberg Foundation’s CEO, Professor Lasse Horne Kjældgaard, says:

"The Carlsberg Foundation’s long-standing commitment to independent basic research has never been more important than it is today. We are confronted with global challenges that demand holistic thinking and collaboration across disciplines and institutions—including efforts to bridge the divide between basic research and the world beyond academia.

Danish research, distinguished by its curiosity, originality, and excellence in execution, consistently ranks among the best in the world. With this extraordinary investment in interdisciplinary research centres, our aim is to consolidate that position and inspire Danish research institutions to embrace an even broader, longer-term, and more integrated perspective.” 

About the Carlsberg Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Centres

The Carlsberg Foundation will grant up to four Carlsberg Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Centres, each of a maximum of DKK 50 million. Each centre is to provide a framework for outstanding basic research and ground-breaking collaboration between and across at least two of the three research areas supported by the Carlsberg Foundation: the natural sciences, the social sciences and the humanities.

The centres must address complex questions and challenges that can be explored and advanced across faculties and, ideally, universities. The Carlsberg Foundation will prioritise applications for centres that best demonstrate opportunities and potential for interdisciplinary collaboration while outlining concrete projects and describe the long-term sustainability of their research efforts.

Applications are invited from teams of two to three tenured researchers (associate professors, senior researchers or full professors). Applicants must represent at least two of the three research areas supported by the Carlsberg Foundation: the natural sciences, the social sciences and the humanities.

Webinar on the Carlsberg Foundation

Interdisciplinary Research Centres
If you consider applying for funding for a Carlsberg Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Centre you can learn more about the application process, assessment criteria, etc.at a webinar which will be held on Wednesday, 22 October 2025 from 11.00 to 11.30 a.m. We will go through the text of the call and guidelines, and answer questions from participants. 

Carlsberg Foundation to celebrate 150th anniversary in 2026

On 25 September 1876, brewer J.C. Jacobsen established the Carlsberg Foundation. In his own words, the foundation was to serve ‘the benefit of science and the honour of Denmark’.

With the establishment of the foundation, he made it possible for a part of the brewery’s means to benefit science in the form of grants to Danish research.

J.C. Jacobsen himself deeply valued the flourishing scientific progress of his time and created the foundation with the clear ambition of securing a strong and enduring role for science in society well into the future.

Throughout 2026, the Carlsberg Foundation will celebrate 150 years of science for Denmark — a tribute to both independent basic research and the contribution of the Danish enterprise foundation model to the development of society.

The year will bring everything from books and events to extraordinary funding for interdisciplinary research centres and a conference on the enterprise foundation model. Stay up-to-date on our anniversary activities via our website, our social media channels and our newsletter.