How do you become successful as a researcher at DIKU?

For faculty positions (tenure track assistant, associate, full professor), DIKU provides a starting package including initial funds for hiring staff and for initial equipment and travel. Furthermore, the scientific section you belong to will be able to support future travel in case you don’t have an active research grant.

The particulars of the starting package will be discussed in your meetings with the head of department after you receive an offer of employment.

In addition, our local research support staff will proactively help you apply for starting package-type grants from private and public foundations.

There are good opportunities available to apply for funding in order to move to the University of Copenhagen and establish oneself in Denmark. There are potential application options for both the private and public-sector Danish foundations. They include:

Danish National Research Foundation - DG chair

• Target group: Professors.
• Mobility requirement: Applicants must be recruited from abroad and must not have been employees for more than 6 months at the application time.
• Academic delimitation: All scientific areas.
• Grant: 5-10 million DKK over three years.
• Application deadlines: March, August, November.
• Processing time: One month.
• Internal process at UCPH: Applicants must be prioritized internally at UCPH, because the university may only submit one application for each round.

Novo Nordisk Foundation – RECRUIT

• Target group: Tenure-Track Assistant Professors, Associate Professors and Professors.
• Mobility requirement: The candidate must not have been employed or conducted research at a Danish university for more than 12 months out of the last 48 months.
• Academic delimitation: Natural and Technical Science Research and Interdisciplinarity; Biotechnology and Sustainability (specified in the call).
• Grant: 20 million DKK for tenure-track assistant professors during seven years; 35 million DKK for associate professors during seven years; 50 million DKK for professors during seven years.
• Application deadline: March
• Processing time: Answer in September, project start within a year.
• Internal process at UCPH: The University of Copenhagen must submit applications for a maximum of 200 million DKK and there will therefore be an internal prioritization.

VILLUM Investigator

• Target group: The call is targeted researchers who for ten years or longer have demonstrated international, groundbreaking research of the highest scientific quality.
• Mobility requirement: In order to apply for 40 million DKK, at the application time, the applicant must have been employed outside of Denmark for at least four out of the latest five years.
• Academic delimitation: Natural science and technical sciences.
• Grant: 40 million DKK over six years.
• Application deadline: September every second year (even years).
• Processing time: About seven months.
• Internal process at UCPH: To be agreed and approved by the Head of Department.

Novo Nordisk Foundation - start packages

• Target group: Tenure-Track Assistant Professors, Associate Professors and Professors.
• Mobility requirement: Applicants must be recruited from abroad or from other institutions in Denmark and must not have their main employment at the host institution for more than 12 months within the last three years. If the applicant moves from another Danish university, it must be because of a promotion, i.e. from associate professor to professor.
• Academic delimitation: Biomedicine, biotechnology as well as natural science and technical sciences.
• Grant: 4 million DKK for tenure-track assistant professors during four years, 6 million DKK for associate professors during four years, 8 million DKK for professors during four years.
• Application deadlines: Deadlines on a quarterly basis (January, April, July, November 2024).
• Processing time: One month.
• Internal process at UCPH: The application must be approved by the department and submitted by the associate dean for research. The department has an experienced research-support unit that offers mentoring and assistance when applying for funding.

DIKU's Research Support and Finance Section is a well-established and experienced support unit, assisting DIKU's researchers in scouting for and distributing funding calls, compiling applications and managing grants.

As a researcher, you will be provided with an overview of annual funding opportunities. The competent administrators in the research support section ensure that DIKU's researchers have the necessary administrative assistance with meeting application deadlines, budgeting requirements and alignment of the field of research with the grant holder’s strategic areas of focus.

Building up your research program and recruiting PhD students and postdocs are important to have a successful research career. However, to be successful in organizing research in a group compared to by yourself, you need skills and expertise in leading research. To support this development, the University of Copenhagen and the SCIENCE faculty have different programs supporting researchers in their development.

These include:

• UCPH Forward
• Leading Research
• UCPH Research Project Management and Leadership

Each year, we encourage researchers to join these opportunities not only to improve your skills in leading research, but also to build your network across the university.

Computer science researchers with different interdisciplinary interests have huge opportunities in creating research projects which span across different disciplinary interests and across the university as well as across the SCIENCE faculty. To support new engagements DIKU facilitates different events and initiatives for researchers to develop bottom-up collaboration with other excellent researchers in other places.

Examples include:

• Initiatives facilitating collaboration between DIKU researchers with an interest in healthcare with researchers and clinical staff at Rigshospitalet (the largest research-based hospital in Denmark)
• Initiatives facilitating collaboration between DIKU researchers with an interest in the green transition with researchers at the Department of Plant and Environmental Science
• Green Solutions Centre
• E-SCIENCE Centre
• Data Science Lab
• The Pioneer Centre for AI

These initiatives are organized and supported by the research support section and the Deputy Head of Department for Research.

DIKU strives to offer the best possible conditions for tenure track assistant professors to become integrated at the department and thrive, both personally and professionally. The department has established a tenure track network, consisting of all tenure track assistant professors at DIKU.

The network meets twice a year to network and hear about relevant topics such as:

• Smaller research grant opportunities for upcoming researchers
• Expectations to your teaching and how to utilize teaching evaluations
• How to get started on tenure track plan and dossier
• Departmental citizenship: how and why
• Visit from notable researchers at KU, sharing tips and tricks. The tenure track Network is chaired by the DIKU Deputy Head of Department for Research and organized with help from DIKU HR.

DIKU is home to 100+ PhD students, who work closely with their supervisors and are located within one of DIKU research sections. To foster engagement and a sense of community between the PhD students in the various sections, DIKU organizes several PhD lunches each year with different topics. The PhD lunches offer our PhD students the chance to connect with each other across various fields, supporting academic and personal growth.

The PhD lunches take place six times a year and themes include:

• What is excellence in research environments
• Research stays abroad experiences
• Well-being as a PhD students – rules of parental leave, sick leave etc.
• Finalising your PhD – submitting, plagiarism control and defence
• Pathways to industry

The PhD lunches are chaired by the DIKU Deputy Head of Department for Research and organized with DIKU’s PhD forum and PhD administrators.

DIKU has a dedicated Section for Business Collaboration and Innovation, that can help you establish contact with industry collaborators. Moreover, they organize and structure events, workshop, and networks supporting DIKU researchers in getting involved with industrial partners for potential collaborative research projects.

Furthermore, the section coordinates the DIKU Business Club; a membership club, which organizes career fairs, matchmaking events, and provides companies with further services and employer branding advantages.

The Pioneer Centre for AI performs and supports world-class artificial intelligence research focusing on societal challenges, people and design. In addition to the disciplines within artificial intelligence, such as machine learning and deep learning, P1 researchers also work on the ethical aspects of AI and how to design technologies built on artificial intelligence in such a way that they are accepted and understood by those who need them.

DIKU hosts the centre, with close cooperation from the four partner universities: Aalborg University, University of Aarhus, the Technical University of Denmark, and the IT University of Copenhagen.

Read more about the Pioneer Centre for AI here

Inclusive DIKU is the overall term for several projects dedicated to promoting equality, inclusion and diversity at our department. It comprises multiple projects, including study environment, study start, interaction between students and teachers, work environment, accessibility, and a Code of Conduct. All these projects are focused on creating an inclusive and diverse study and work environment at DIKU.

We continue to extend Inclusive DIKU initiatives towards the experience of needed effort articulated by faculty, students, and staff as well as pro-active initiatives lead by DIKU executive management.

Learn more about Inclusive DIKU here.

CS4ALL is DIKU's community focused on women and other gender minorities in computer science. Our mission is that everyone feels included and comfortable at DIKU - and thus has the best conditions and opportunities to achieve success within IT. It is important for all genders to be visible and supported at DIKU - and not least in the digital world in general. In CS4ALL, we contribute to this through our mailing lists, events and by driving political change at the university. Producing a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment can only be done if everybody helps and joins, and thus all faculty, students, and staff at DIKU are encouraged to join the CS4all initiatives.

There are two types of events:

• Local networking events for historic under-represented groups at DIKU
• Open CS4all events with talks to spark conversations where everybody is welcome

Read more about CS4ALL here.

FemTech.dk was created in 2016 as a practice-based research programme that aims to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in computer science, at DIKU, and in society. This is achieved through research, workshops, and events. Many of the initiatives which have been implemented for diversity at DIKU is based upon research produced in Femtech.dk - all academic publications can be found at femtech.dk - including the open access book: Diversity in Computer Science, published by Springer.

Read more about FemTech.dk here

DIKU has multiple academic programmes for Bachelor, Master’s, and PhD education as well as lifelong learning. We have interdisciplinary programmes with the faculty of Humanities (Communication & IT) and faculty of Health (Healthcare &IT).

When you become the course organizer you are given the opportunity and responsibility of research-based teaching, including course planning, course content, and the exam, usually in collaboration with at least one fellow researcher.

DIKU has a dedicated administrative section that supports your teaching activities. They will help you with all practicalities, deadlines and other course-related matters.

Read more about teaching at the department here.

Excellence in teaching is important for DIKU, and we encourage faculty to continuously develop their teaching skills and practices. There is a dedicated programme supporting the developing of teaching skills of assistant professors (the University’s teacher training programme). We also support the continuous development of teaching skills among our associate and full professors.

The University of Copenhagen provides valuable opportunities for you to enhance your teaching skills. We offer a variety of teaching-related courses and workshops. Find more information here

At the department level we organize bi-annual teaching days (half a day), where we focus on specific aspects of teaching. Examples of topic for teaching days includes:

• How to organize inclusive teaching (considering accessibility and neurodiversity)
• Software Infrastructures for teaching at scale
• How to boost pedagogical competences
• How to orchestrate peer review in the class room
• Generation Z and retention initiatives

All employees at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) must have English-language skills that match the level of English that is necessary to perform their job and to participate in work- related activities.

UCPH also has a language policy for international employees. It is expected that after three- six years, Associate Professors and Professors can contribute to teaching, grading and supervising students in Danish. In general, international employees are encouraged to take Danish language courses to enhance their integration at the workplace and Danish society. As part of the language policy, the Department of Computer Science (DIKU) offers Danish language courses at different levels. Courses are free of charge for DIKU employees.

At DIKU we teach both in Danish and English depending on the programme and class. All official information, events, and meetings at DIKU are in English.

The University’s International Staff Mobility office (ISM) provides support and assistance to all international researchers on issues related to moving to and settling in Denmark.

For more information about ISM’s work and support, please visit our website

ISM has a dual career/spouse network called “International Dual Career Network Copenhagen” (IDCN) that supports international employees’ spouses and partners. As a member of IDCN you can meet interesting people, get information about working and living in Denmark, and be actively involved in networking.

Read more about the International Dual Career Network Copenhagen here

The university is situated in Copenhagen, which is consistently rated among the world's top 10 most livable cities. Located in Denmark, ranked in the top three happiest countries globally, Copenhagen boasts a vibrant culture, rich in music, theater, and community organizations. Family life is supported by a generous parental leave for both parents and subsidised daycare.

Read more about Copenhagen here:

The official guide to Copenhagen | VisitCopenhagen

Latest news and press releases from Copenhagen

Reports and Insights | Wonderful Copenhagen

Denmark protects the economic, social, and physical well-being of its workers, which includes public health care, elder care, and other generous benefits. Work-life balance is ranked high, and all employees get six weeks of paid annual vacation. A standard work week in Denmark is 37 hours.

As a researcher employed at the University of Copenhagen, you automatically fall under the Collective Agreement for Academics in the State (Danish). Your basic salary, number of holidays, pension and much more is determined by this agreement.

The Danish labour market is characterised by strong trade unions and collective agreements. It means that the general terms of employment are not regulated by the Government but by collective agreements made by the trade unions and employer associations.

Find more information about the Wage Policy at UCPH here and learn more about salary components, wage negotiations, pension and working hours on ISM’s website.