Funding for Innovation

Here you will find an overview of great opportunities to apply for funding and other support.

If you have any questions or need guidance for applications, you are always welcome to contact our business developers.

Do you plan to apply for Innoexplorer?

In a collaborative effort, The Innovation Fund has asked selected institutions to filter and assess the incoming applications to ensure they meet the relevant application criteria. At Aarhus University, the business developers at Enterprise and Innovation have been tasked with filtering and approving potential applications.

Would you like to know more about the process? Read about internal assessment here!

Accelerace

Accelerace is one of the world's leading accelerators and can assist spin-out companies with mentoring, training, and investments.

Horizon Europe

Horizon Europe is the EU's largest Research and Innovation program to date, with over €90 billion in funding available over 7 years (2020-2027), in addition to the private investments these funds attract. It ensures more breakthroughs, discoveries, and world-firsts by taking good ideas from the laboratory to the market.

Mikrolegat

Targeted at PhD students, the Micro Grant provides small financial support for students in the very early stages of starting their own business.

Innobooster

The Innovation Fund invests through InnoBooster in development projects led by small and medium-sized enterprises with up to 250 employees (SMEs), entrepreneurs, or enterprising researchers with a CVR number.

InnoExplorer

InnoExplorer is intended for research with commercial or societal potential, where clarification or maturation is needed before it can reach the market. Note that applications cannot be submitted if a CVR number has been established.

The Innovation Fund, in collaboration with individual institutions, has asked them to filter and evaluate the incoming applications to ensure they meet the relevant application criteria. At Aarhus University, the Commercialization and IP team has been tasked with filtering and approving potential applications.

InnoFounder Experienced

The Innovation Fund's InnoFounder is a 12-month program aimed at accelerating the development of your entrepreneurial idea from the early stages to a point where you are ready to enter the market or attract investments. The program is open to all fields of study, as long as the idea is innovative and has the potential to create a sustainable business.

Grand Solutions

The Innovation Fund, through Grand Solutions, focuses on collaborative projects based on excellent research with a sharp focus on solutions of great value to Danish society. Building on society's and businesses' challenges and innovation needs, the fund aims, through Grand Solutions, to facilitate cross-disciplinary investments in knowledge institutions and companies - both private and public.

PHD

Business Researcher

An Industrial PhD is a three-year industry-focused research project and a PhD program carried out in collaboration between a company, an Industrial PhD candidate, and a university. An Industrial PhD student is employed with a salary in the private company and enrolled at the university. The student divides their working time between the company and the university and dedicates all their time to the Industrial PhD project.

The company and the university receive grants from the Innovation Fund to cover their expenses.

PostDoc

Business Researcher

An Industrial Postdoc program is a collaboration between an Industrial Postdoc, a company, and a public research institution to solve specific research tasks. An Industrial Postdoc is employed by the private company and collaborates with the research institution. The Industrial Postdoc is employed with a salary by the company during the project.

Both the company and the research institution provide a mentor for the Industrial Postdoc.

Lundbeckfonden Emerge

Lundbeck Foundation, through Lundbeck Foundation Emerge, focuses on early-stage investment and supports the commercialization of groundbreaking science within biotechnology through investment and active interaction

Lundbeckfonden

The Lundbeck Foundation's annual grants of approximately 500 million Danish kroner for Denmark-based health science research, primarily focusing on the brain, form the cornerstone of the foundation's vision to improve lives through new knowledge.

BII VentureLab

BII VentureLab is BII's newest program, focusing on assisting startups in the establishment phase and beyond. The program is for companies that have not yet finalized their team, still need to conduct important experiments, or have other fundamental needs. The program involves up to 4 million DKK in convertible loans.

Distinguished Innovator Grant

The purpose of the program is to provide researchers within Life Science the opportunity to explore the commercial potential of their ideas and inventions while remaining affiliated with the university.

Pioneer Innovator Grant

The program aims to accelerate the commercialization of inventions within health science. Its goal is to support the development of new treatment methods, medication, and more.

Deadlines for round 3

August 30, 2024 [latest]: Registration of application with the Commercialization and IP team
September 5: Pitch for AU InnoExplorer panel at The Kitchen
September 6: You receive the panel's preliminary decision regarding whether you can apply to the Innovation Fund. Additionally, you receive feedback on your project and pitch.
September 5 – September 23: Application is developed based on the feedback received from the panel. Additionally, any changes to your pitch are made. You will be assigned a business developer who can provide you with ongoing feedback on your application.
September 23: Final decision from your business developer. If approved, you must follow the process described below under the section: If you are approved by the AU InnoExplorer Panel.
September 25: Deadline for uploading application via e-grant at the Innovation Fund [To be done by the applicant]

Revised 01.05.2024

Michael Madsen