Soft funding

Get an overview of the available soft funding opportunities

Looking to get your development costs financed without your ownership shares being diluted?

Soft funding ensures financial de-risking and gives you time and money to work on your idea.

On this page, you’ll find an overview of relevant soft funding opportunities.

Soft funding opportunities at various levels

Technology Readiness Level (TRL)	Examples of soft funds
LEVEL 0-1: Idea	Novo Nordisk Pioneer Innovator Grant Novo Nordisk Distinguished Innovator Grant EIC Pathfinder BII Venture Lab (konvertibelt lån) ODIN Plant2Food IBIS Open Innovation in Science
LEVEL 2-3: Research	BETA.HEALTH Innoexplorer SPARK Denmark Lundbeck Frontier grants ERC Proof of concept
LEVEL 4-5: Prototype	Eurostars Spin-outs Denmark ESA BIC Norlys Vækstpulje Innofounder EIC Transisition
LEVEL 6-7: Validation	Axel Muusfeldts Fond GUDP MUDP EUDP EIC Accelerator Vissing Fonden
LEVEL 8-9: Production	EIFO Christian Nielsens Fond

Find your Technology Readiness Level (TRL)

Soft Funding Connect

At Soft Funding Connect, a range of national and EU-based soft funding programmes visit Kitchen to present their funding opportunities and meet researchers interested in developing research-based projects with innovation potential.

At the event, you can attend short presentations from each funding organisation. Afterwards, you will have the opportunity to take part in informal 1:1 meetings, where you can speak directly with the organisations most relevant to your project or idea.

Find upcoming Soft Funding Connect events

Grants for collaboration and consortium-based projects

Our grants for students and researchers

Kitchen offers a range of grants that you can apply for as a student or researcher at Aarhus University.

AU Launch

AU Launch is a grant for startup or spinout projects based on academia from Aarhus University to help them demonstrate the commercial potential of their research or idea.

AU Connect

As a researcher at Aarhus University, you can apply for AU Connect funding to expand or develop concrete collaborations with private and public sector organisations.

The Vissing Foundation

Startup and spinout projects from Aarhus University working on new technologies and solutions within green energy and climate can apply for funding from the Vissing Foundation through Kitchen.

Innoexplorer

Innoexplorer is a programme under Innovation Fund Denmark that supports research-based projects with commercial potential. In order to apply, you must be approved by the business developers at Kitchen, who help assess and qualify your project before it is submitted to the fund.

Spin-outs Denmark

Spin-outs Denmark is a one-year programme that supports and invests in entrepreneurial junior researchers who want to turn research into impact and establish companies based on research results. The programme is organised by all Danish universities and funded by the Villum Foundation.

SPARK Denmark

SPARK Denmark is a mentoring programme that supports academic inventions in life science with professional mentorship from industry experts, education within innovation, and financial support. SPARK Denmark is a collaboration between AU, DTU, AAU, SDU and KU and is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.