Core Groups 2025

Independent basic research within humanities and social science

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Strong project in strong institutions

The purpose of the Core Group Programme is to support independent, original basic research at an excellent level within the humanities and closely related fields of social sciences (anthropology, political science, sociology and psychology). With this programme, we wish to strengthen the growth layer of research (emerging research groups with budding ideas) to enhance the future of humanities and social science.

The Core Group Programme offers a medium-sized funding form (between individual project and research centre) that can serve as a ‘stepping stone’ both in relation to the participants’ further career opportunities and the potential for larger and/or international grants.

The project must provide synergy with the departments’ realisation of their research plans and objectives – and thereby also benefitting education.

With the Core Group Programme, we wish to incorporate the research environments’ own ‘silent’ knowledge of research trends, needs and promising new ideas/initiatives/researchers through close dialogue with the heads of department.

Status

Open

Full budget of the call

DKK 42m

Maximum application amount

DKK 6.0m

Application

- Open for submissions

1 August 2024

Application

- Deadline for submissions

5 February 2025 14:00

Unsolicited applications cannot be submitted under the programme, but by invitation only from VELUX FONDEN via the head of department. This year invitations have been sent to the heads of following departments:

Department of Political Science, Aarhus University
Danish School of Education (DPU), Aarhus University
Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University
IT-University
Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen
Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen
Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen
Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen
Department of Communication and Arts’, Roskilde University
Department of People and Technology, Roskilde University
Department of Design, Media and Educational Science, University of Southern Denmark
Department of Culture and Language, University of Southern Denmark
Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark
Department of Communication and Psychology, Aalborg University
Department of Politics and Society, Aalborg University
Department of Culture and Learning, Aalborg Universitet

A core group is a closely collaborating research team typically consisting of one or two tenured researchers as project managers, possibly along with a number of other senior researchers (tenured) and 2-3 postdocs and/or PhD students.

A core group can consist of researchers from the same department or researchers from across departments and universities.

It is a requirement that all postdoc position be filled by open call. The foundation generally encourages to fill both postdoc and PhD positions through open calls whenever possible.

Please also note the assessment criteria below.

By end of June 2024 invitations are sent to the heads of department. The departments select which projects to submit to the foundation.

Deadline for submission of applications is February 5th 2025 at 2:00 PM. The applicants selected by the departments must submit their applications via the foundation’s application portal. Following this, the foundation holds meeting with the heads of department regarding the institutional context of the projects.

From March to June 2025, the applications will undergo international review. Based on the external reviews, the secretariat will make a recommendation to the foundation’s board, who will make the final decision on grants and rejections.

All applicants will receive a response by the end of October 2025. All applicants will subsequently be offered the possibility of receiving the reviews in order to further develop their project.

The international reviewers will be asked to assess the following:

Project idea, relevance, quality and innovative contents.
The correlation between – and the necessity of – the individual sub-projects in relation to the overall project.
The project manager’s and other participants’ qualifications and requirements for a successful completion of the project within the project period.
Collaboration relations and position in national and international research.
Budget and finances, including whether the project could be successfully implemented in a reduced form if the foundation should wish not to grant the full amount applied for.
The strengths and weaknesses of the project.
Any special circumstances.

In the final selection the following also applies:

Emphasis is placed on the ‘stepping stone potential’ concerning the further career opportunities and research development of the project leader(s) as well as the possibility of establishing a strong research environment.

Additionally, it is important that the project reflects the department's research strategy and academic priorities and thus it’s ability to contribute to the department with positive effects on research and education.

In the final prioritization between the best reviewed projects, the foundation will consider diversity.