With support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the eight Nordic Institutes for Advanced Studies are opening a new trans-Nordic fellowship programme, the NNF-IAS Fellowship Programme on Health and Sustainability. In the first call for applications, five fully-funded two-year fellowships are available in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, distributed among the four main partner institutes. Fellowships will start on 1 September 2027.
Interdisciplinary and Global reach
The NNF-IAS fellowships are open to talented, curiosity-driven researchers from any discipline, at a career stage between two and ten years after completion of their PhD. The programme has a global scope: it is open to researchers from all over the world, and a mobility requirement ensures that new international talents will be part of the programme, enriching Nordic research with diverse perspectives and cross-cultural experience.
Sub-topic: ‘Inequity in Health’ from any discipline
The five selected fellows will each pursue their own individual projects while also forming a collaborative theme group with a theme lead to work together across countries and disciplines to bring novel and transformative perspectives and solutions to the first sub-topic of “Inequity in Health”.
The call is open for research projects that seek to understand health disparities, inequities, and the wider interplay of health and environment. Potential projects can include but are not limited to: Structural and social determinants of health inequities from both Nordic and global perspectives; Health innovations and technologies; Equal opportunities, and Health challenges related to environmental developments, to mention a few.
A career-defining interdisciplinary experience
NNF-IAS fellows will be part of the interdisciplinary community of fellows at their Institute for Advanced Studies. They will benefit from conducting their research in an international and curiosity-driven environment that brings researchers together across disciplines and academic seniority, designed to spark unexpected collaborations and perspectives on research.
Nordic collaboration and structure of the fellowship
The research fellows will have their main affiliation with one of the four main partner Institutes for Advanced Studies based in Denmark (AIAS), Finland (HCAS), Norway (CAS), or Sweden (SCAS). Applicants are asked to prioritize their preferred hosting institute. The selected fellows will form a collaborative group spanning the four main partner institutes, under the leadership of a thematic lead, and integrated into an extended network encompassing all eight partner institutes. While pursuing their individual research projects, fellows will participate in regular meetings and engage in ongoing collaborative activities in the programme.
When do fellowships commence
- 1 September 2027, running for a two-year period, until July 2029.
Who can apply
The fellowship welcomes applications from researchers:
- Of any nationality and from any academic discipline with research profiles within the thematic scope of the call.
- Who have a career experience of 2 to 10 years after completion of the PhD (PhD training period will not be considered in the calculation of experience)
- Who comply with a mobility demand as applicants must not have resided or carried out their main work activity in the country of priority for more than 12 months in the two years immediately prior to the deadline of the call
- Who are excited about taking part in an interdisciplinary, cross-Nordic research endeavour.
- Who demonstrate mobility and are willing to reside in the country of the hosting institute for the duration of the fellowship.
NNF-IAS partner institutions
The programme includes eight partner institutions. The four main partners host NNF-IAS fellows and mobility stays, while the four associated partners host events and mobility stays.
Four main partners:
, AIAS, Denmark , CAS, Norway , HCAS, Finland , SCAS, Sweden
Four associated partners:
, DIAS, Denmark , Sweden , Finland , TIAS, Finland
Deadline for application
- 1 October 2026 at 13.00 EEST.
How to apply and contacts at the four main partners
Know more about the fellowships, the review and selection process and find detailed guidelines for the online application by visiting the
More information about the programme and theme leads can be found on the
Contact at AIAS
Helle Villekold, AIAS Programme Manager
E-mail:
Phone: +45 30 58 81 29
Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, AIAS
Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 6B
DK-8000 Aarhus C
Denmark
Contact at HCAS
Juhana Toivanen, Research Coordinator
E-mail:
Phone: +358 29 41 23 812