LEO Foundation: international research grants of DKK 2 to 4 million for dermatology research, deadline 23 November

The Danish LEO Foundation has launched its international Research Grants competition to fund dermatology research projects. The grant scheme is designed to support high-quality scientific work investigating skin diseases, their underlying mechanisms, and their broader clinical impacts.

Grants awarded under this international call range from DKK 2,000,000 to DKK 4,000,000 per project. The application window opens on 1 October 2026, and all submissions must be finalized by 23 November 2026 at 16:00 CET.

What is funded

The foundation supports research projects that explore the medicinal, biological, chemical, or pharmacological mechanisms behind dermatological conditions and their symptoms. Proposals must focus on delivering high-caliber scientific insight into skin biology and disease.

Funding is also available for clinical research addressing individuals who are living with or at risk of developing a skin disease. Eligible projects may examine direct clinical issues, evaluate impacts on patient quality of life, or analyze related societal healthcare costs.

Who can apply

The call is open to researchers based at higher education institutions and research organizations globally. Unlike the foundation’s European-specific tracks, this international track accepts applications from researchers worldwide.

Applications submitted by other foundations, associations, or patient organizations are not accepted. In addition, the scheme does not support projects that involve commercial companies or drug testing for commercial purposes.

Conditions and restrictions

The foundation enforces strict boundaries on research topics and cost eligibility. Projects focused on skin cancer are not supported under any circumstances, and retrospective funding for expenses incurred before grant approval is prohibited.

Institutional overhead and administration costs must not exceed 5% of the total budget. Furthermore, grant funds cannot be allocated to graduate students below the PhD level, academic fees other than PhD tuition, passive conference attendance, or domestic meetings and courses.

How to apply

Proposals must be prepared according to the donor’s official application guide and submitted through the online application portal. Applications that are submitted outside the online system or fail to meet mandatory requirements will be rejected during initial administrative screening.

Eligible proposals proceed to an external peer review conducted by the Foundation’s Scientific Evaluation Committee, an international panel of independent experts. Following this scientific evaluation, the LEO Foundation Board determines final funding awards and notifies applicants.

Practical tip. Review your project scope against the donor’s explicit exclusion list before drafting the full proposal, ensuring your topic excludes skin cancer and that institutional overhead strictly adheres to the 5% ceiling. Addressing these negative criteria early prevents immediate elimination during the administrative screening stage.

Applications are submitted on the donor’s page: leo-foundation.org.