With support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the eight Nordic Institutes for Advanced Studies open 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. These Fellowships start on 1 September 2027.
Interdisciplinary and Global Reach
The NNF-IAS Fellowships are open to talented, curiosity-driven researchers from any research discipline, at a career stage between two to ten years after completion of their PhD. The programme has a global scope: it is open for 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 host Institute for Advanced Studies. They will benefit from conducting their research in an international and interdisciplinary 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:
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, AIAS, Denmark
- Centre for Advanced Study, CAS, Norway
- Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, HCAS, Finland
- Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, SCAS, Sweden
Four associated partners:
- Danish Institute for Advanced Study, DIAS, Denmark
- Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Study, Sweden
- Tampere Institute for Advanced Study, Finland
- Turku Institute for Advanced Studies, TIAS, Finland
Deadline for application
- 1 October 2026 at 12.00 (noon) CEST.
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:
https://aias.au.dk/nnf-ias-fellowships
About the programme and the theme leads, please visit:
https://aias.au.dk/nnf-ias-programme
Contact at AIAS
Helle Villekold, AIAS Programme Manager
E-mail: helle@aias.au.dk
Phone: +45 30 58 81 29
Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, AIAS
Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 6B
DK-8000 Aarhus C
Denmark
Contact at Tampere IAS
Marjukka Virkajärvi, Tampere IAS Programme Manager
E-mail: marjukka.virkajarvi@tuni.fi
Phone: +358 50 318 6697
Tampere Institute for Advanced Study, Tampere IAS
Kalevantie 4
FI-33100 Tampere
Finland