They welcome applications for research projects that improve the understanding of skin biology, as well as the underlying medicinal, biological, chemical, or pharmacological mechanisms of dermatological diseases and their symptoms. They also welcome applications that address clinical issues among people who are at risk of developing, or have developed, a skin disease, including how it impacts their quality of life, and the societal costs involved.

Research Areas

• Primary and Secondary Research Areas:
  • Autoimmune skin diseases and connective tissue diseases
  • Eczemas and urticarial
  • Psoriasis and related diseases
  • Skin infections and infestations
  • Genetic skin diseases
  • Diseases of skin appendages (or specific cutaneous structures)
  • Rare diseases
  • Other skin diseases
  • Basic dermatological research

Funding Information

• The budget must be submitted in Danish kroner (DKK).
• The typical amount applied for a research grant is DKK 2-4 million for a period of 1-3 years.

Eligible Expenses

• The following types of expenses are covered:
  • Salary and mandatory benefits for employees including main applicant (mandatory salary justification for existing full-time employees, cf. note below).
  • Running costs/operating expenses incl bench fees
  • Equipment
  • Publication costs
  • Travel and conference expenses
  • Tuition fees for PhD students
  • Administrative costs up to 5%

Ineligible Projects

• The Foundation does not support: Projects on skin cancer (e.g., melanoma, CTCL, BCC and SCC), at present. However, research using skin cancer models may be permitted if the models are used as tools to investigate other aspects of skin biology or skin diseases.
• Research projects involving commercial companies.
• Research projects involving drug testing for commercial purposes.
• Research into aesthetic/cosmetic dermatology, i.e., the subspeciality in dermatology where the aims are to improve the appearance of the skin by attempting to correct or delay skin aging, attenuating physical defects, or to simply improve the person’s appearance. Treatment of moderate to severe late sequels of dermatological disease is not considered cosmetic dermatology.

Eligibility Criteria

• Any researcher who has obtained at least a PhD degree or equivalent academic qualifications may apply.
• The applicant must be the Principal Investigator of the proposed project.
• The applicant must be affiliated with a university, hospital, or other non-profit organization.
• The LEO Foundation welcomes applicants from anywhere in the world.

Evaluation Criteria

• The LEO Foundation Scientific Evaluation Committee reviews your application according to the following criteria:
  • Significance and impact
  • Innovation and novelty
  • Strategy and approach
  • Lead investigator(s) and team
  • Environment and resources
  • Overall focus and project plan

Application Requirements

• Please include the mandatory attachments listed below (PDF format). Other uploaded materials will be disregarded in the evaluation. NB: documents uploaded to the main applicant’s profile are not automatically transferred to the application):
  • Short CV (max two pages) for main applicant incl. educational and career information as well as total number of scientific peer-reviewed publications. Preferably also including an h-index and total number of citations (Scopus).
  • One-page specification of the main applicant’s 10 most important publications (with direct links and relevant author(s) underlined). If less than 10 then list all.
  • A high-level overview of current external funding for the main applicant incl. funder, title, and amount.
  • If your application is a resubmission: Please upload a cover letter describing all relevant changes compared to the first application, for the benefit of their Scientific Evaluation Committee.
• Other attachments (use PDF or JPG/PNG format):
  • Project illustrations: You may upload up to 4 illustrations to support your project description. Use the upload field for PDF files or the Image Upload Field for JPG or PNG formats.

For more information, visit Leo Foundation.