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. 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 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 the individual Institute of Advanced Studies, and will benefit from conducting their research in an international and interdisciplinary environment. An 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 prioritise 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.
Deadline for applications
- 1 October 2026 at 12.00 (noon) CEST.
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
When do fellowships begin?
- 1 September 2027. They are running for a two-year period, until July 2029.
How to apply
Aarhus Institute for Advanced Study has set up a programme website, which also contains the full call and an extensive guide for applicants.
The full call and the guide for applicants on Aarhus Institute for Advanced Study's website
Contact
Questions to this call are best directed to the Institute for Advanced Study you are interested in. Contact information is available either in the guide for applicants or on the programme website.
NordIAS
NordIAS is a network of eight Institutes for Advanced Study in the Nordic region: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The aim of the NordIAS network is to increase collaboration and exchanges among the institutes, our fellows and staff. NordIAS announces other, shorter, fellowships too. Read more about various mobility initiatives on our website:
NordIAS fellow exchange programme | The Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Studies