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How to apply for IP Grants

Fernanda Rabenschlag
Fernanda Rabenschlag
  • Updated

1. Purpose of this guide

This guide explains how authorized university Technology Transfer Offices, or similar entities, can apply for, administer, report on, and close an IP Funding Grant in NORMA.

We award IP Funding Grants to Danish and European Universities to support the creation of Intellectual Property Rights arising from projects supported by NNF. You can read more about IP Funding Grants under “Terms and Conditions for IP Funding Grants”. 

2. Who can apply

Only authorized personnel from a Technology Transfer Office, or a comparable entity at a Danish or European university, may apply for IP funding in NORMA.

An IP Funding Grant can only be applied for when:

  1. A patent application has already been filed.
  2. Danish universities to cover 50% of the external cost associated with patenting in a project supported by a NNF grant awarded to a Danish university as of 1 January 2023
  3. Mission-driven centres, including reNEW (UCPH), NQCP or CORC, to cover 50% of the external cost associated with patenting under a grant awarded to these centres
  4. European universities to cover 50% of the external cost associated with patenting in a project supported by a NNF grant awarded to a European university as of 1 January 2026
  5. The mission driven centres ReNEW (MCRI and LUMC) to cover 50% of the external cost associated with Priority establishing patent applications filed as of January 2026

3. Responsibilities before applying

Before submitting an application, the Technology Transfer Office or similar entity must verify that the invention covered by the patent application was conceived during the project period funded by a Novo Nordisk Foundation grant.

The Technology Transfer Office is accountable for ensuring that this requirement is met before applying for IP funding.

4. Applying for the IP Funding Grant in NORMA

To apply:

  1. Contact the Novo Nordisk Foundation to request user access to the TTO officer representing the organisation.
  2. Once access is granted, log in to NORMA: Novo Nordisk Foundation
  3. You will have access to the TTO Portal

4. Select the '+' sign to initiate a new application

5, Fill out the form with the requested details about the application:

 

 

6. Confirm that the patent application is linked to an eligible Novo Nordisk Foundation grant or a specific agreement.

7. Submit the IP Funding Grant application based on the filed priority patent application.

 

Please note that if you select a Grant with Grant start date less than 6 months ago from the patent application, you will be requested to provide additional information about the process. This will allow NNF understand the trimeframe and help qualifying whether the grant should be awarded or not.

6. Contribute to a work-in-progress application

Some organisations have multiple TTO officers who collaborate in applications. Therefore when you login, you will be able to see in your Portan, not only the applications owned by you, but also the ones initiated by the TTO officers from the same organisation. 

In case you want to collaborate and contribute to an application, please select the respective application and click the button "Contribute to application". This will trigger an email notification to the original application owner for security and visibility reasons.

7. The 25-month process

At 25 months after the priority date of the patent application, the Applicant will be invited to:

  1. Upload required documents.
  2. Provide reporting on activities and finances. Including:
    • International Report on Patentability
    • Patent Application
    • Financial report
    • Recommendation on whether to continue or abandon the patent application

To submit the documentation, please log in the Norma Portal and select the respective IP Funding application. You can find it under Pending Review, and you will see the fields available to request the relevant information:

 

Once documentation is provided, please click "Submit for Review".

This report must be submitted no later than 14 days after the 25-month point following the patent application filing date.

3. Attend a 25-month meeting.

During the 25-month meeting, NNF Head of IP will assess whether it is advisable to proceed and continue IP funding.

After the TTO officer has reported on the activities, the Foundation has three months to decide whether funding should continue. 

If the Grant Recipient wants to discontinue IP funding, this must also be reported in NORMA together with a closing report describing the status of the application. 

 

8. Grant extension

If the decision is made to extend the grant, after 12 months, a notification will be sent to the TTO officer, reminding that the grant is still in progress. At this stage the TTO officer must log in in Norma, select the respective grant and confirm the extension for additional 12 months, or whether the grant should be terminated. 

 

9. Grant closer

If the decision is made to stop IP funding at the 25-month point, or at any point after extension the grant will be terminated.

When requesting to close the grant, the TTO officer will be requested to report again the new financials information. 

If there are unspent funds, this will automatically trigger a refund request. An email will be sent to the TTO officer with the details for refund payment.

Once the refund is confirmed by NNF Accounting the grant will closed.

 

 

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