DTU administered foundations - for researchers, employees and PhD students
Below are some of the foundations administered by DTU, which can be applied for by teachers, researchers, and PhD students employed at DTU. Current calls from internal and external foundations can be found at Funding news
Research Projects and Equipment
The H.C. Ørsted foundation for technical-scientific research and experiments with a practical aim
Was established on the basis of a deed of gift dated 19 June 1919 from the Great Northern Telegraph Company (today GN Store Nord A/S) on the occasion of the company’s 50th anniversary.
The purpose of the H.C. Ørsted Foundation is to support investigations and research with a practical aim that cannot obtain the necessary funding elsewhere. Grants are typically awarded in the range of DKK 100,000–200,000. The foundation supports the purchase of equipment as well as project costs, but only in special cases salary expenses. Overhead costs are not funded.
The board usually reviews applications in May or June. Calls are published on DTU Inside in the spring here: Funding news
Director, Dr.techn. A.N. Neergaard and Wife’s Foundation
Established in 1979 based on the will of Dr.techn. Anders Nicolaj Neergaard and his wife Ingeborg Neergaard.
The purpose of the foundation is to promote Danish technical-scientific research for peaceful purposes. The board has prioritized support for research equipment rather than research stays abroad and normally awards two grants annually of DKK 50,000–100,000. The foundation supports younger researchers (ONLY PhD students, postdocs, and tenure-track researchers) and does not support students.
Grants from the foundation are awarded at a reception held primarily on the founders’ wedding anniversary, 13 November
The board typically reviews applications in late summer or early autumn. Calls are published on DTU Inside here: Funding news
Henning Valdemar Vang Hansen and Mrs. Marie Rix’s Foundation
Established in 2001 and primarily supports electrical engineering students (as part of the DTU scholarships administered by AUS). The call is published on student.dtu.dk during the autumn.
The foundation also supports, with up to 25% of its surplus, scientific investigations related to work for the Danish Cancer Society. The board independently solicits applications from relevant research environments for this purpose, and the foundation cannot be applied to directly.
The Technical University of Denmark’s Foundation for Technical Chemistry
Established in 1921 under the Polytechnic Institute, now the Technical University of Denmark. The foundation is administered by DTU Chemical Engineering.
The foundation aims to:
1. promote technical-scientific research in technical chemistry to the benefit of Danish industry,
2. promote advanced theoretical and practical education in technical chemistry, and
3. support the standing of scientific technical chemistry in Denmark through other measures.
Preference is given to applications where support is difficult to obtain elsewhere, e.g., through public funding. Please note that no funding is provided to MSc students.
Applications may be submitted throughout the year.
Applications should be sent to:
The Technical University of Denmark’s Foundation for Technical Chemistry,
Department of Chemical Engineering, DTU, Building 229, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby,
Chair: Professor Anne Ladegaard Skov, email: al@kt.dtu.dk
PhD Students
Kaj and Hermilla Ostenfeld’s Foundation
The foundation was established in 1988 based on the will of Kaj and Hermilla Ostenfeld. Kaj Ostenfeld traveled to the United States at the age of only 16 and later pursued a career at Ford Motor Company. Over the years, he met several talented Danish engineers in the US and wished to contribute to Denmark. In collaboration with his family in Denmark ("the family with the red roses"), they established the Kaj and Hermilla Ostenfeld’s Foundation.
The foundation supports technical–scientific studies for engineers, including PhD students (but not industrial PhDs), who wish to pursue further education at a recognized American university—primarily from the Technical University of Denmark. Funding is provided for a stay of up to one year.
The foundation also supports members of the Ostenfeld family ("the family with the red roses") who have obtained a university degree in the free world. Their studies do not need to be within engineering.
The board usually meets in the autumn, awarding typically 1–3 grants of DKK 25,000–50,000. Applicants should be aware that the foundation primarily covers actual additional expenses directly related to the study stay in the US, and that funding is only provided for stays commencing after the board meeting has taken place.
No support is given to diploma, bachelor, or master’s students.
Calls are published on DTU Inside: Funding news
Honorary Awards
Ulrik Brinch and Wife Marie Brinch’s Grant (cannot be applied for)
Established in 1968 based on the will of Mrs. Johanne Marie Jensigne Magdalene Brinch and in honor of her late husband, manufacturer Ulrik Brinch.
The purpose of the foundation is to award an honorary grant to a recognized, preferably younger Danish scientist within medicine (especially cancer), engineering (including theoretical physics), or agricultural science, to support continued scientific work. The honorary award is presented once annually at a reception held on Ulrik and Marie Brinch’s wedding anniversary, 9 March. The reception rotates between Rigshospitalet, KU Science, and DTU.
The honorary award is currently DKK 60,000, but depends on the foundation’s returns.
