Novo Nordisk Foundation Challenge Programme 2027 – Harnessing Novel Earth-Abundant Materials for Sustainable Technologies

  • Start Date:

  • Deadline:

  • Agency:
    Novo Nordisk Foundation

The Office of Grants and Research (OGR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), invites eligible research teams and institutions to apply for the Novo Nordisk Foundation Challenge Programme 2027 – Harnessing Novel Earth-Abundant Materials for Sustainable Technologies, a major large-scale funding initiative supporting transformative materials research.

Programme Overview
This programme supports ambitious, interdisciplinary research aimed at developing next-generation materials derived from Earth-abundant elements. The goal is to design sustainable alternatives that can match or exceed the performance of technologies currently dependent on scarce or critical raw materials, thereby strengthening long-term technological and environmental sustainability.

Key Details

  • Funder: Novo Nordisk Foundation

  • Funding Type: Challenge Programme Grant

  • Maximum Funding: Up to EUR 75,000,000

  • Application Deadline: 07 October 2026

Eligibility

  • Open to academic institutions, government bodies, and non-profit organisations

  • Eligible applicants include early-career to established researchers

  • Proposals must involve strong interdisciplinary and collaborative research teams

Funding Scope

The programme supports:

  • Development of novel Earth-abundant materials

  • Research into sustainable material design and synthesis

  • Technologies that reduce dependence on critical or rare resources

  • Advancement of high-performance materials for energy and technology applications

  • Large-scale, long-term collaborative research initiatives

Disciplines

  • Materials Sciences

  • Condensed Matter Physics

  • Energy Storage

  • Geochemistry

  • Mineralogy

  • Quantum Technologies

Strategic Focus Areas

  • Advancing sustainable materials innovation

  • Reducing reliance on critical and scarce resources

  • Supporting breakthrough technologies for energy and industrial applications

  • Strengthening interdisciplinary materials research ecosystems

How to Apply
Applicants should review the full guidelines and submit their applications via:
https://novonordiskfonden.dk/grant/challenge-programme-2027-harnessing-novel-earth-abundant-materials-for-sustainable-technologies/

Applicants are expected to present a highly ambitious, collaborative research programme, demonstrating clear scientific novelty, interdisciplinary strength, and potential for transformative impact in sustainable technologies.