Expression of interest
The Danish Dairy Research Foundation usually issues a call for 'Expressions of interest' once a year. The next deadline is Thursday 26 November 2026.
Call
The annual call from the Danish Dairy Research Foundation is now live!
The next deadline is Thursday 26 November 2026 at 12:00 noon. Click here for the latest ENGLISH description of application procedures, focus areas and the application forms - ENGLISH part 1, ENGLISH part 2, and ENGLISH PART 3.
The board of directors reviews the submitted expressions of interest, and the applicants will be notified of the result in February 2027.
Research projects
The interdisciplinary research activities are carried out through committed collaboration between the Danish Dairy Research Foundation, universities, hospitals, accredited technological service providers and, wherever possible, relevant dairy industry partners as well as other industries. International collaboration is encouraged, and the Danish Dairy Research Foundation plays an important role in maintaining international networks and partnerships.
Each year, the Danish Dairy Research Foundation initiates research projects with total funding of approximately DKK 12-18 million. This funding is provided partly through the Foundation's own resources and partly through applications to the Danish Milk Levy Fund and the Danish Dairy Rationalisation Fund.
A typical project receives funding of DKK 1-3 million and runs for between one and five years. Projects are always leveraged with funding from external public and private foundations and grant schemes, as well as contributions from participating companies and/or research institutions. The current priority areas and selection criteria will be outlined in the call for expressions of interest. It is important that projects are of a high scientific standard, have clearly defined objectives and demonstrate relevance to the dairy sector.
Project guide
The DDRF has prepared a project guide, which provides answers on how to best run a DDRF-project. The most recent guide can be found below:
Projects prioritized under DDRF in the previous round
In order to give an idea of the kind of projects that the DDRF board has supported earlier, a list of the scientifically prioritized projects can be found below.
In January 2026 the DDRF board evaluated 27 expressions of interest, and the following projects were prioritized:
Rasmus Bro, Department of Food Science, Universitet of Copenhagen: Advanced Data Analysis for LC-MS Proteomics in Dairy Matrices (ProteoDairy)
This project will develop a vendor-agnostic, open-source data analysis platform (ProteoDairySuite) capable of handling large proteomics data sets from diverse instruments and experimental conditions thereby supporting data-driven quality assurance, traceability, and sustainability in Danish dairies.
Lisbeth Truelstrup Hansen, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark: Models to predict growth and toxin production of Bacillus in dairy processes running at temperatures above 40 °C (HotBacillus)
The aim is to provide risk management tools to manage food safety and spoilage issues in processes running at temperatures above 40 °C in the dairy industry.
Jakob Starup Linde, Department of Endocrinology, Aarhus University Hospital: Optimal timing of meals and bone health in women with osteopenia
This project investigates whether administration of a meal before bedtime, can improve bone mineral density and bone turnover and potentially prevent the development of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with osteopenia.
Dorthe Dalstrup Pauls, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital: Dairy, appetite, and growth in preschoolers (DairyGROW)
In this study, the researchers will collaborate with kindergartens to explore how a higher vs lower intake of dairy protein affects growth, appetite, food reward, and food preferences in children aged 3-6 years.
Esben Søndergaard, Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital & Medical/Steno Aarhus Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University: Galactose – fuel without fluctuation
The aim is to investigate whether exercise also can increase galactose uptake in muscles when galactose is taken orally, both in healthy individuals and in patients with type 1 diabetes.
Serafim Bakalis, Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen: Instant Quality (IQ) Powders – Through Linking Powder Structure to Performance
The project will support development of instant powders by obtaining an overall mechanistic understanding of phenomena occurring during reconstitution to eliminate product defects such as lumping, slow hydration and poor dispersion.
