It is the vision of the programme that the Nordic region is recognised as a world-leading hub for interdisciplinary excellence, where dynamic and collaborative research environments attract, empower and propel the most talented young researchers to pioneer transformative breakthroughs in health and sustainability with a global impact.

“The programme is ambitious. First, it is a collaborative research effort to explore innovative solutions to challenges within health and sustainability from interdisciplinary perspectives. Secondly, as fellows will be working in two‑year fellowships in parallel across Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, the aim is also to strengthen mobility, talent retention and networking in and across the Nordic countries,” says AIAS Director Andreas Roepstorff.

Strengthening Nordic collaboration with interdisciplinary perspectives

The programme builds on the interdisciplinary experience of the Nordic Institutes for Advanced Study, which host researchers from all academic disciplines and from around the world. By combining this broad interdisciplinary expertise with the goal of strengthening Nordic collaboration, the programme will enhance capacity building across the Nordic research environments that will reach beyond disciplinary and national boundaries.

Senior visiting experts, cutting-edge interdisciplinary activities and extensive network building activities within and across the institutes will ensure the continuity of the research collaboration between the fellows, the Nordic Institutes for Advanced Study and the wider Nordic research environments. 

Enhancing excellence

Camilla Serck-Hanssen from The Centre for Advanced Study, CAS, in Oslo adds:

“The Nordic region is already globally known for its research, innovation and societal commitment in the fields of health and sustainability, and with this new programme, we aim to further strengthen these fields as each IAS will also activate and collaborate with strong research groups at the local universities and stakeholders in each respective country.”

CAS, for example, will activate research groups across its Norwegian partner universities to collaborate with the incoming fellows and support fertilization of ideas across the countries.

Facts about the NNF-IAS Fellowship programme

The first call for fellowships in the NNF-IAS Fellowship Programme on Health and Sustainability will open for applications in the summer of 2026 with an application deadline expected in October 2026. The first five fellows will start their two-year fellowships on 1 September 2027. This first group of fellows will be working on the theme ‘Inequity in Health’ led by AIAS and Professor Christina C. Dahm from the Department of Public Health at Aarhus University, in Denmark.

The programme has eight partner institutions

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

Fellowships

• 5 two-year fellowships annually (a total of 20 fellows in four groups)
• Open to all nationalities and all disciplines
• Targeted researchers with a PhD and 2-10 years of postdoctoral experience
• Fellows are employed full-time at one of the four main IAS
• Fellowship includes salary, mobility funds and research/travel budget

Contact

Andreas Roepstorff, AIAS director & main applicant of the fellowship programme
E-mail: andreas.roepstorff@aias.au.dk
Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, AIAS
Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 6B
DK-8000 Aarhus C
Denmark