The Layman’s Guide to the Danish World of Grants

The world of grants is comprehensive

It can be complicated to navigate as they have different demands, guidelines and deadlines, so no wonder if you are confused. Luckily, we are here to make things a little simpler. This guide is meant as a cheat sheet to how you better understand the Danish world of grants and choose the right programme(s) for you. 

Don't miss the perfect timing

You might be asking: What is the most important aspect of soft funding? Is it the quality of my idea? Is it how much funding I have had previously? Is it how competent my team is?
While all these are crucial elements, TIMING is the ultimate game-changer! Assessing your idea's development stage is vital to getting funding, and it is also important to know the application deadlines and payout timelines. 

Get familiar with TRL

In the world of R&D, you use the Technological Readiness Level (TRL) index developed by NASA to assess the readiness of a given solution. I recommend that any business looking to create a new solution/product familiarise themselves with this scale to more easily assess your timing and opportunities. This scale ranges from 1 to 9, with TRL 1 representing the initial stages of research, where basic principles are being explored, and TRL 9 indicating a fully developed, proven solution ready for deployment.

Innofounder (TRL-2 to TRL-4)

At the bottom of totem pole we find Innofounder, a scheme that supports founders in advancing early-stage R&D. At this stage, your idea is at an early stage, requiring significant development before the product, service or technology is fully designed and developed, and a viably business model is in place.

However, the idea should go beyond the mere idea stage, significant development efforts are still necessary to bring it closer to realisation. An Innofounder grant enables founders to work full-time on the project, focusing on key activities such as engaging in structured dialogues with potential customers to validate market needs and developing a functional prototype to demonstrate the solution's feasibility.

Innobooster (TRL-3 and above)

Innobooster is one of the most popular programmes in Denmark, and for good reason. It has broad applicability with its themes allowing for innovation in health tech, green innovation and technology. This is a great programme if you are in the earlier stages of development but still have a strong committed team, research validated idea and/or maybe even a prototype. It is worth noting that Innobooster comes in two forms:
1. The Small Innobooster, ideal for smaller projects with limited funding needs
2. The Large Innobooster, which caters to more substantial and ambitious projects requiring higher budgets.  

While Innobooster has become more competitive in 2024, this is still a grant that is recommended for SMEs just starting their funding journey with significant development activities ahead of them. 

Grand Solutions  (Any TRL)

Like Innobooster, Grand Solutions is a broad programme that allows for a wide range of themes, which in 2024 were green transition, life science and health, digitalization and tech innovation, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies (will most likely be updated in 2025). The key difference is the larger scale with higher funding and a more demanding application process (it is Grand Solutions, not Minor Solutions, after all).

Another key distinction is that Grand Solutions is a consortium grant, meaning that at least one other entity—such as a university, company, or public organization—must be involved in the project to foster collaboration and leverage cross-disciplinary expertise. Additionally, the program allows projects at any TRL, supporting both early-stage ideas and advanced, application-ready technologies, ensuring a broad innovation spectrum and encouraging projects at all stages of maturity to address societal challenges. However, it does require collaboration with another entity and a project idea that is substantial enough to justify the funding.

EUDP, MUDP, and GUDP (TRL-4 to TRL-8)  

If your project is in the mid-to-late stages of development with a focus on energy, environmental, or future food production solutions, and you are ready to focus on development and demonstration, then you should consider the UDPs. They consist of the Energiteknologisk, Grønt, and Miljøteknologisk Udviklings- og Demonstrationsprogram—better known by their Danish acronyms: EUDP, MUDP, and GUDP—all of which are focused on creating impact and value in Denmark through development and demonstration projects.

The EUDP programme focuses on supporting new energy technologies.

MUDP funds projects that support future environmental technology solutions and full-scale technology testing.

GUDP supports solutions that support green and economically sustainable solutions across the entire value chain of the food sector incl. farming, fishing and aquaculture.   

Tip of the Iceberg

The grants mentioned above are truly just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the opportunities available in the Danish grant landscape. Depending on your focus, you might consider the NCC grant, which funds companies developing cybersecurity solutions, or BETA.HEALTH if you’re working on a solution designed for hospital use.

And the possibilities do not stop there—the list goes on. Every year, new niche grants open with vastly different application requirements and varying deadlines that seek to support a very specific part of Danish business life and society. Therefore, it can be incredibly hard for a start-up to get an overview of these opportunities and get the timing right to apply in time. Luckily for you, my colleagues and I specialise in finding and showing you how to take advantage of these niche opportunities. 

Contact our Danish Business Unit

At Nordic Innovators, we recently created the Danish Business Unit—a dedicated team focused on maximising opportunities within Danish funding programmes. By centralising our expertise, we have built a deep understanding of all available Danish grants, ensuring we can match your project with the most suitable funding opportunities.

We are not just experts in writing strong, competitive applications — we are also experts in timing. With strict deadlines and limited funding pools, knowing when to apply is just as important as how.

So, don’t miss the boat—get in touch, and let’s make sure you secure the funding your project deserves!