The New Carlsberg Foundation grants PhD fellowships for projects on art research in the broadest sense which is relevant to the endeavours of the museum or exhibition venue behind the application. This includes traditional art historical or art theoretical research associated with collections, but may also extend to other issues relevant to the museum or exhibition venue and its activities in society in general: strategy, curation, marketing, communication and education. The foundation does not support projects that are characterized as artistic research.

The place of employment can be either a Danish university or a museum with a substantial art research commitment.

Who can apply?

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.

Application deadline

The grant is announced once a year. 

For deadlines and response times please refer to this page.

Application process

  • Applications for PhD 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.

If the New Carlsberg Foundation grants a preliminary commitment:
The exhibition venue must inform the Foundation which employment model is preferred for the candidate. Two models are available, both designed in accordance with the Danish universities’ executive order on academic appointments:

  1. Model 1: Appointment through an open call 
    The fellowship is advertised jointly by the exhibition venue and the university. Once the fellow has been appointed, a budget for salary costs, based on the fellow’s salary scale, must be submitted. The Foundation then issues its final grant commitment to the exhibition venue.
     
  2. Model 2: Appointment of a named candidate 
    The exhibition venue submits to the Foundation the name and CV of a suitable candidate (maximum one page) together with a budget for salary costs based on the candidate’s salary scale.
    The candidate then prepares an application to the university, which is subject to academic assessment. If the assessment is positive, the final appointment is carried out. If the assessment is negative, the exhibition venue may subsequently choose to proceed under Model 1, i.e. appointment through an open call.
    Once the fellow has been appointed, a budget for salary costs based on the fellow’s salary scale must be submitted to the Foundation. The Foundation then issues its final grant commitment to the exhibition venue.

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 two standard pages of 2,400 characters with spaces each. Please note that the candidate’s name must NOT be stated in the project description. The description should address and reflect the above-mentioned criteria.
  • A preliminary agreement with a Danish university regarding relevant research training and possible employment.
  • Time schedule
  • A maximum of two pages with illustrations.
  • A bibliography (maximum one page).
  • 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 PhD fellow based on their salary grade with up to DKK 2 million.
  • 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 grant also includes a fixed amount covering related costs of DKK 750,000, comprising DKK 300,000 (DKK 100,000 per year) to the university to cover “uddannelsestaxameter”/tuition fee, and 300,000 (DKK 100.000 per year) to be paid to the institution employing the fellow and DKK 150,000 (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 by the fellow on the project and its findings, comprising no more than two standard pages.

Further inquiries

For additional information, please contact: Senior research consultant, Emil Leth Meilvang, elm@ncf.dk, (+45) 22 13 29 78.