My overview
Innoexplorer round 1 2026
Grants to mature entrepreneurship based on knowledge and research results from public Danish research and educational institutions and hospitals.
Who?
Employees at public research and educational institutions and hospitals who have achieved research results with commercial potential and have a goal of establishing a company based on the results.
What?
The investment can cover: Salary expenses, Fees for external and services, Other expenses for e.g. materials and equipment
How much?
Between DKK 500,000 – DKK 1,500,000 (including overhead). In 2026, Innoexplorer is partially thematized within the three policy areas “Green technology and Innovation”, “Life science, health and welfare technology” and “Critical and digital technologies”. In addition, there are also non-thematized Innoexplorer funds that are not earmarked for the three policy priority areas.
About the program
Innoexplorer is for employees at public research and educational institutions and hospitals who have achieved research results with commercial potential and have a goal of establishing a company based on the results.
The program invests in early stage entrepreneurial ideas so that their potential can be uncovered and matured to a stage where the idea is ready for the market or can attract additional public or private investment. The fact that the entrepreneurial idea is in an early stage means that it is still in a pre-commercial phase, but that it is based on knowledge and research results that are considered promising by the institution where the applicant is employed, and that are sufficiently mature to begin a process towards commercialization.
An Innoexplorer project can therefore neither finance further basic research nor the actual commercialization, such as test sales and sales or marketing activities.
The idea can come from any field of expertise, and there does not have to be a possibility of patent or other specific idea protection. However, it is important that the idea is innovative in a way that creates new solutions in the form of new behavior and/or new products, services, processes or technologies, and that the expected solution, when marketed, will be able to differentiate itself from other solutions that address the same need.
Between DKK 500,000 and DKK 1.5 million (including overhead) are invested in a project lasting up to 12 months. The investment can cover salary costs, fees for external and services, as well as materials and equipment.
The investment is paid to the institution where the main applicant is employed, and it is therefore a prerequisite that the institution is involved in the application process and has carried out quality assurance of the entrepreneurial idea.
In this regard, please be aware that there may be an internal process at the institution that precedes the Innoexplorer application deadline.
Important dates
January 2, 2026, 12:00 noon
E-grant opens for applications
January 30, 2026, 12:00 noon
Application deadline
Week 11-13
Panel meetings
Application
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You must complete and submit your application online via the electronic application system E-grant. Before you can create an application, the main applicant must register as a system user with a user name and password or using MitID.
You create a new application by finding the right programme under ‘Search options’ and pressing ‘Start application’. Please note that the list of search options is arranged alphabetically, and that the names of all Innovation Fund Denmark programmes begin with ‘IF’.
You may write your application in Danish or English.
You can find a guide to E-grant on the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s website.
The application must, as a rule, contain a statement of support signed by the person at the main applicant’s institution responsible for Innoexplorer projects. The statement of support (template), a list of persons responsible for the Innoexplorer programme and contact persons are available below.
Please be aware that there may be an internal process at the institution that precedes the Innoexplorer application deadline.
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In the application form in e-grant a short summary of the project is provided as well as a statement on and a brief account of how the project suits the chosen theme or the non-theme specific funds. You must also give various information, e.g. personal data on the main applicant and, where relevant, the team members as well as the CVR and P-numbers of the institution where the main applicant is employed.
The application also includes:
- A project description to be entered in e-grant. When completing the application form, you will be asked to related to Innoexplorer’s assessment criteria:
- Quality of the idea
- Impact
- Quality in execution
- Appendices:
- A maximum of 6 slides with information on the problem to be solved by the project’s idea, key research results on which the idea is based, etc.
- A signed budget.
- Statement of support from the institution.
- If relevant, a list of pertinent publications (max. 1 page).
Documents
- A project description to be entered in e-grant. When completing the application form, you will be asked to related to Innoexplorer’s assessment criteria:
Guidelines and templates
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Please note that the policy was updated in August 2019.
Documents
Contact
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Contact
Ditte Schmidt Jeppesen, Program Lead: +45 6190 5031 or E-mail: Innoexplorer@innofond.dk
Anne Sofie Bramsen Dahlmann, Relation Officer: +45 6190 5016 or E-mail: Innoexplorer@innofond.dk
Alexander Sienczak Knudsen, Innovation Officer: T: +45 6190 5081 or E-mail: Innoexplorer@innofond.dk
E-grant technical questions?
Contact e-grant support
T: +45 33 92 91 90
E-mail: Support.e-grant@ufm.dkWeekdays: 09.00-12.00
If you have submitted an application or have a grant from Innovation Fund Denmark, please contact us via your case in e-grant.
The program
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Innoexplorer is targeted at employees at public research and educational institutions and hospitals, that have achieved research results with commercial potential and aim to establish a business based on these results.
The idea may originate from any subject area and does not necessarily offer an opportunity for patent or similar protection. However, the idea must be innovative, i.e. offer new solutions in the form of new behaviour and/or new products, services, processes or technologies, and once marketed, the expected solution should distinguish itself from other solutions addressing the same need.
The main applicant must conduct research as part of their employment. It is a precondition for receiving funding via the Innoexplorer programme that the applicant or members of the team have played a key role in generating the knowledge and the results on which the project is based.
It is, as a rule, a precondition for receiving funding that the institution is involved in the application process and has assured the quality of the entrepreneurial idea. This ensures that the knowledge or results on which the project is based are of a high quality, have significant commercial potential and are consistent with the objective of the Innoexplorer programme.
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Innoexplorer invests in projects with a commercial purpose, where starting a business based on the entrepreneurial idea is considered a natural continuation of the effort made in the project, either immediately following the completion of the Innoexplorer project or further down the road towards creating a viable product or service.
Common to all Innoexplorer investments is that the applicant must be able to substantiate that starting a business – e.g. a start-up, spin-out, non-for-profit or social enterprise – is indeed their main objective with regard to the entrepreneurial idea.
Through the Innoexplorer program, investments are made in early entrepreneurial ideas. For an idea to be at an early stage we intend that it is still at a pre-commercial stage, but is based on knowledge or research results, which, according to the institution with which the applicant is employed, are promising and sufficiently mature for launching a process towards commercialisation.
Innoexplorer projects can fall within one or more of the three themes below. If the project does not fall within a theme, an application can be made for non-theme specific funds:
- Green technology and innovation
- Life science, health and welfare technology
- Digitisation, technology and innovation
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Innoexplorer invests between DKK 500,000 and 1.5 million in each project (incl. overhead).
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The investment can cover:
- Wages for employees at the institution
- Fees for external actors/services
- Expenses for materials and equipment.
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Innoexplorer projects can last up to 12 months from start to finish
Assessment of application
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If the application meets the formal requirements, Innovation Fund Denmark invites the applicant to present the project to the Innoexplorer Panel Committee.
The Panel Committee’s assessment is based on the 3 assessment criteria and whether the project falls within the group of project types funded by the programme.
Panel meetings are held on one of a series of fixed dates announced for each call on this website. The Innovation Fund Denmark expects to inform all applicants of whether they have been invited to present their project at a panel meeting, and on which date, no later than two weeks before the meeting. The time of the presentation cannot be changed.
At the panel meeting, you must give a short presentation of your entrepreneurship idea. You can choose to hold your presentation in Danish or English. The presentation will be followed by a short Q&A session, where the panel will ask questions to determine to which extent the application meets the assessment criteria.
You are welcome to invite the contact person at your institution or other resource persons to the presentation.
Each project is subjected to an individual assessment. Based on the Panel Committee’s pre-assessment and the panel meeting, the Committee will after the panel meeting recommend the application for approval or rejection.
The Panel Committee’s recommendations are submitted to the Innovation Fund Denmark secretariat, and the secretariat management will make the final decision.
Please note that the assessment process is the same for all submitted applications. Reapplications or sequential applications are therefore treated as new applications.
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A panel will be appointed for each individual panel meeting comprising a chairperson or deputy chairperson and three-four panelmembers. All members of the Committee are subject to confidentiality obligations and requirements regarding legal capacity.
An overview of the Innoexplorer Panel Committee is available on this website.
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Your application is assessed on the basis of the following three assessment criteria:
- Quality of the idea
- Impact
- Quality of execution
A final assessment is made on the basis of the three assessment criteria, which are weighed equally in the assessment.
You can read more about the individual assessment criteria in the Innoexplorer guidelines.
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Once all the submitted applications have been assessed and a final decision has been made, all applicants will receive an answer to their application in writing through e-grant. When a decision is available in e-grant, the main applicant will be informed via email.
You are welcome to ask for a short feedback conversation both when your application has been approved or rejected. In this case, an Innovation Fund Denmark employee will offer to clarify the Panel Committee’s assessment of your application. You are welcome to invite your contact person at the institution to the feedback.
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Innovation Fund Denmark aims to answer applications within 9-10 weeks.
From approval to start-up of project
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If your application is granted, the main applicant will receive a grant letter in E-grant. The letter must be signed and accepted within four weeks.
Once you have done so, the main applicant will be a grant holder and able to access the Innoexplorer investment via E-grant under ‘Grant’
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The project cannot begin until the approval has been accepted electronically via E-grant. The project must begin on the project start date provided in the application and no later than four months after you have received the grant letter.
During the project
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The Innoexplorer investment will be disbursed to the institution by which the main applicant is employed. 85 % of the grant will be disbursed as one payment at the start of the project period.
The remaining 15 % will be disbursed after the project end date and Innovation Fund Denmark has approved the accounts and final report
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No. You are only required to submit accounts and a final report at the end of the Innoexplorer project period.
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The applicant and institution are obliged to pass all significant information onto Innovation Fund Denmark.
In order to get the Fund’s approval of the continued process, you must immediately inform the Fund if there are changes to the basis for the investment or if the project does not progress as planned. This includes significant changes to the project period or project partners, the topic, activities, objectives and milestones etc. as well as any interruption of the project.
Following a concrete assessment, Innovation Fund Denmark and the applicant may agree on adjustments to the ongoing project, e.g. activities, project partners, budget distribution, or if you wish to terminate the project before the end date, e.g. because you wish to start a business or have received funding from another source.
Requests for changes must be approved by Innovation Fund Denmark prior to their implementation. Approval of changes presupposes that the changes have been substantiated.
If you wish to make changes to the project that affect the budget, you must submit a request via E-grant. In the request, you must substantiate the change and provide a revised budget. The revised budget must be completed in the Excel template available at this website
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The project ends automatically at the stated project end date. You will receive notification via e-grant when it is time to submit the final material.
At the end of the project, the following steps must be taken in e-grant:
- You must complete a questionnaire with a view to evaluate the Innoexplorer project.
- You must produce a technical and/or scientific final report.
- You must submit the final accounts.
These documents must be submitted no later than one month after the end of the project period. In addition, Innovation Fund Denmark may choose to invite you to an evaluation meeting to learn more about the project.
Once the Fund has approved this material, it will disburse the last 15 % of the investment.