The New Carlsberg Foundation grants postdoctoral fellowships for projects on art research in the broadest sense which is relevant to the exhibition venue where the project is based. This includes traditional art historical or art theoretical research associated with collections, but may also extend to other issues connected to the institution’s activities in society in general: strategy, curating, marketing, communication and education.
The foundation does not support projects that are characterised as artistic research (understood here to correspond to the Danish concept ‘kunstnerisk udviklingsvirksomhed’, KUV).

The research must take place under the auspices of a collaboration between a research institution and an exhibition venue. In this context, ‘exhibition venue’ means art museums, including museums of design and applied arts, as well as art centres/kunsthalle organisations and other venues for the exhibition of art, etc. In special cases, museums of cultural history may also be included in the scope of the research, provided that the project has art as its main focus. Several institutions may participate jointly.

The place of employment must be either a Danish university or a state-recognised museum (which, according to Danish museum legislation, is required to carry out substantial research).

Application deadline

The grant is announced once a year. Specific dates are provided here.

Who can apply?

The fellowships are applied for by individual candidates, who must have obtained a PhD degree or possess equivalent qualifications.
For applicants whose PhD thesis has not yet been approved by the time of the application deadline, their PhD project supervisor’s statement must be attached to the application. The postdoctoral fellowship can only commence once the PhD degree has been awarded.
Applicants without a PhD degree must attach documentation demonstrating that their research qualifications correspond to the level of a PhD degree.

Application process

Applications for postdoc fellowships undergo an academic assessment by a committee with expertise within the field of art research. The committee makes recommendations to the foundation’s board, which then makes the final decision based on the assessments made.

Applicants will not have access to the assessments or other details pertaining to this internal procedure.

Criteria

The project must:

  • intersect, in an original way, with key existing research in the field.
  • be of relevance to the field of art research, which includes considerations of relevance to society in general.
  • meet academic standards in terms of theory and method.
  • be relevant to the professional and strategic profile of the relevant art institution
  • be anchored in the relevant university’s research areas and research environment.
  • contribute to other national and international research environments.

The application must contain:

  • A project proposal of no more than three standard pages, each of 2,400 characters including spaces. The proposal must address the above-mentioned criteria and account for the applicant’s qualifications and ability to complete the project at a high academic level.
  • Confirmation of agreements regarding the applicant’s affiliation with both the relevant exhibition venue and research institution.
  • Academic CV of no more than one standard page.
  • Timeline.
  • A maximum of two pages with illustrations.
  • A bibliography (maximum one page).
  • Budget.
  • An account of any co-financing or other funding already applied for/granted (if applicable).

Applications that do not comply with these formal requirements will be rejected forthwith. Please note that a standard page is 2,400 characters with spaces.

Financing

  • The New Carlsberg Foundation co-finances the remuneration of the postdoctoral fellow based on their salary grade with up to DKK 2 million over three years.
  • In addition, the New Carlsberg Foundation will support the fellow’s activity expenses with a DKK 100,000 grant. The funds are put at the fellow’s disposal via the institution employing the fellow and can be used for conference trips, stays abroad, literature and materials, holding workshops, and the like.
  • The fellowship furthermore includes an administration/overhead grant of DKK 450,000, distributed as DKK 100,000 per year to the institution employing the fellow and DKK 50,000 per year to the institution co-operating on the project.
  • In the event that the total project costs exceed the grant provided by The New Carlsberg Foundation, the institutions involved are expected to secure the outstanding funding.
  • The New Carlsberg Foundation will cover documented additional expenses in connection with the fellow’s subsequent maternity/paternity leave or illness.
  • In the final phase of the project, it is possible to apply for funding for dissemination of the project in the form of, for example, a seminar, publication or exhibition. Applications for such funds must be submitted through The New Carlsberg Foundation’s usual application system and are thus assessed on an equal footing with other applications.

Reporting

When the project is completed, the applicant must submit accounts and a report on the project and its results, comprising no more than two standard pages.