The Danish Advanced Research Academy (DARA) is pleased to announce its Summer 2025 Call for “Open” PhD Fellowships.
With its Open Fellowships, DARA aims to support exceptional candidates in pursuing curiosity-driven research within the technical, natural, and medical sciences.
Whether examining fundamental scientific questions, probing creative hypotheses, developing novel methodologies, or translating insights into societal benefit, an eligible project should embody a visionary and transformative premise with the capacity to spark new directions in research.
The fully funded Open Fellowships cover salary, tuition fees, and project supplement. Beyond financial support, DARA provides a dynamic setting that nurtures scientific development. Awardees will join an academy of PhD fellows drawn from Danish research institutions and from a wealth of scientific disciplines, offering relevant educational and networking activities with the ambition of cultivating a community eager to advance scientific progress.
Scientific Scope
The DARA Open Fellowships Call embraces all proposals within natural, medical, and technical sciences, committed to advancing scientific knowledge in fields that are central to improving public health and promoting sustainability.
There are no predefined thematic preferences in the Open Fellowships Call.
Eligible scientific areas include fundamental and applied research across:
– bioscience & biomedicine – ranging from molecular biology, genetics, and cell biology to translational research areas such as disease diagnostics, nutritional sciences, therapeutics, and clinical innovations.
– natural and technical sciences – e.g. physics, chemistry, and mathematics, as well as technical sciences like engineering, mechanical sciences, robotics, and nano-technology.
– data and computer sciences – spanning theoretical computer science, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, as well as broader digital technologies such as cybersecurity, software engineering, and human-computer interaction.
– biotechnology – covering areas such as biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, and bioprocess engineering as well as sustainable and bio-based methods in agriculture and industrial production.
Applicants may pursue either mono- or interdisciplinary projects. In keeping with DARA’s mission, proposals should exhibit transformative potential, whether by opening new scientific frontiers, refining existing paradigms, or leading to tangible benefits for people and society.
Eligibility
The DARA Open PhD Fellowships are open to all qualified candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, nationality, or religion, in keeping with DARA’s commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive research community and to attract global talent.
Eligibility criteria:
• Applicants must be qualified for admission to a PhD program in Denmark under either the 5+3 model or the 4+4 model. Recent graduates as well as current students are eligible, provided they meet the admission criteria of their enrolling university.
• Candidates must have an agreement with a principal supervisor, holding a position of associate professor, professor, or equivalent at a research institu-tion in the Danish Kingdom, including Greenland and Faroe Islands. It is possible to include co-supervisors from the same or other institutions (including international ones).
• Principal supervisor can at any point only have one active PhD fellowship covered by DARA. This limitation does not apply to co-supervisors.
Funding and Fellowship Benefits
The DARA Open PhD Fellowship Summer 2025 Call will award 9 fully funded fellowships covering the complete costs of a PhD program in Denmark. Each fellowship includes:
• Salary: Up to 1,575,000 DKK to cover the PhD fellow’s salary for the entire duration of the PhD appointment (according to standard Danish PhD employment terms). Specific terms depend on the fellow’s host institution and enrolled PhD model.
• Project Supplement: Each fellowship includes a project supplement of 750,000 DKK, aligned with the standard agreement between Danish universities and leading private foundations in Denmark.
• Tuition Fee: Up to 240,000 DKK to cover PhD enrollment fees at the host institution, in line with the Danish PhD financing structure.
