The Consul Johannes Fogh-Nielsen’s and Mrs Ella Fogh-Nielsen’s Legacy will award DKK 100,000 (subject to change) for the continuation of excellent research efforts by PhD students enrolled at Health, Aarhus University.

The grant is awarded for research purposes and is intended to support projects implementing new studies based on published research results achieved during the PhD studies.

How to apply

Applications can only be submitted when the call is open. The next call opens September 2026

The following conditions must be met in order for the application to be considered: 

• The grant must not previously have been applied for
• The grant is only available to PhD students in the final stage of their PhD studies (this is specified in the call when it opens)
• The applicant must be enrolled as a PhD student at Health on the date of application (enrolment terminates on the date you submit your dissertation)
• The applicant must participate in the relevant PhD Day and have submitted an abstract for the day

Applications should be submited to graduateschoolhealth@au.dk

How to present at the competition

Three candidates are selected on the basis of the applications, and they are to present their project in a ten-minute lecture (in English) on the PhD Day. The presentation is followed by five minutes for questions.

The Fogh-Nielsen presentation excludes that the candidates participate in the PhD Day with an oral presentation or as a co-chair.

If you are not selected for the Fogh-Nielsen competition, you can participate in the PhD Day with an oral presentation or as a co-chair (if you are still enrolled at the time the PhD Day takes place)

Award of the grant

An appraisal of the presentation and the subsequent discussion will be included in the overall assessment. The grant is expected to be divided into three parts and will be awarded on the basis of the final assessment, which will be announced during the PhD Day evening party.

The Fogh Nielsen board and assessment committee

The board consists of:

• Lawyer Jon Johnsen
• Clinical professor Ida Vogel
• Professor Ditte Demontis

The board selects the three finalists for the prize competition among the applications from the PhD students. 

The assessment committee consists of three senior researchers from Health, Aarhus University and it is appointed by the board for this single event. 

At the competition, the assessment committee will ask questions to the finalists. After the competition, the board and the assessment committee evaluates the three finalists in private. The assessment committee recommends the winner of the prize competition and the sharing of the research grant sum to the board. The board makes the final decision according to the fund rules of Consul Johannes Fogh-Nielsen’s and Mrs. Ella Fogh-Nielsen’s Legacy.

Conflict of interest

The board and the assessment committee is subject to the special rules on disqualification as described in Part 2 of the Danish Public Administration Act (Forvaltningsloven).

This means that a member of the board does not take part in the assessment of an application, act as chair at the competition or participate in the subsequent deliberation if he/she is the main supervisor or co-supervisor of or closely related to an applicant.

The three senior researchers in the assesment committee need to be unbiased and be able to participate in both the competition and the delibiration. Therefore, a senior research cannot be part of the assessment committee if there is a conflict of interest. If this is the case, the board will have to find another member.