Apply for the LEO Foundation Awards. A boost to young talents.

The LEO Foundation Awards – worth USD 100,000 – recognize outstanding young scientists from around the world whose work represents an extraordinary contribution to skin research and has the potential to pave the way for new and improved treatments for skin diseases.

The award was born out of the aim of advancing the understanding and treatment of skin diseases and strengthening the pipeline of excellent dermatology researchers. It recognizes promising young talents and hopefully provides a boost to their future careers.

The award is well aligned with the Foundation’s goal of continually promoting and advancing skin research.

Since the first LEO Foundation Award in 2008, more than 35 scientists have received the award.

Award self-nomination deadlines

The award is applied for in open competition.

Three awards are made each year, one in each of the regions: Americas, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) and Asia-Pacific. Each award is worth USD 100,000.

Please find LEO Foundation Award self-nomination deadlines in the list below.

Grant		Opens	Deadline
	Serendipity Grants 2024	14 May 2024	25 Jun 2024	Not open
For novel and unexpected, also known as serendipitous, discoveries made by current LEO Foundation grantees. Grants of up to DKK 4 million are awarded for a five-year period. Application guidelines will be made available before next call opens. DEADLINE: 25 June 2024 (16:00 CEST) Online application
	LEO Foundation Dr Abildgaard Fellowships 2024	01 Feb 2024	17 Apr 2024	Closed
For talented, emerging research leaders with ambitions to establish or expand an independent research group at a Danish institution, and to pursue novel and important research questions within skin and skin diseases. Grants of DKK 12 million are awarded for a five-year period. DEADLINE: 17 April 2024 (16:00 CEST) Application guide Online application
	LEO Foundation Visiting Researchers 2024 – Round 1	27 Feb 2024	10 Apr 2024	Closed
To stimulate a cohesive and agile skin research ecosystem by supporting temporary embedment of skin researchers in a foreign research environment with the aim of fostering genuine international collaborations and strengthening the exchange of knowledge, ideas, methodology, and technology between Danish and international skin research communities. DEADLINE: 10 April 2024 (16:00 CEST) Application guide Online application
	LEO Foundation Visiting Researchers 2024 – Round 2	15 Aug 2024	02 Oct 2024	Not open
To stimulate a cohesive and agile skin research ecosystem by supporting temporary embedment of skin researchers in a foreign research environment with the aim of fostering genuine international collaborations and strengthening the exchange of knowledge, ideas, methodology, and technology between Danish and international skin research communities. DEADLINE: 2 October 2024 (16:00 CEST) Application guide Online application
	Research Networking Grants 2024 – Round 1	27 Feb 2024	10 Apr 2024	Closed
Through our Research Networking Grants, we seek to enable knowledge-sharing and facilitate networking and collaborations within the skin research community by providing researchers and students with opportunities to present and discuss the newest research within their field. DEADLINE: 10 April 2024 (16:00 CEST) Application guide Online application
	Research Networking Grants 2024 – Round 2	15 Aug 2024	02 Oct 2024	Not open
Through our Research Networking Grants, we seek to enable knowledge-sharing and facilitate networking and collaborations within the skin research community by providing researchers and students with opportunities to present and discuss the newest research within their field. DEADLINE: 2 October 2024 (16:00 CEST) Application guide Online application
	Research Grants in open competition 2024 – round 1	20 Nov 2023	08 Jan 2024	Closed
To support the best dermatology research projects worldwide. It is important that the applicant carefully reads the application guide before initiating the application process, as this document contains the complete call as well as detailed instructions for the application process. DEADLINE: 8 January 2024 (16:00 CET) Application guide Online application
	Research Grants in open competition 2024 – round 2	19 Feb 2024	02 Apr 2024	Closed
To support the best dermatology research projects worldwide. It is important that the applicant carefully reads the application guide before initiating the application process, as this document contains the complete call as well as detailed instructions for the application process. DEADLINE: 2 April 2024 (16:00 CEST) Application guide Online application
	Research Grants in open competition 2024 – round 3	01 Aug 2024	12 Sep 2024	Not open
To support the best dermatology research projects worldwide. It is important that the applicant carefully reads the application guide before initiating the application process, as this document contains the complete call as well as detailed instructions for the application process. DEADLINE: 12 September 2024 (16:00 CEST) Application guide Online application
	Education and Awareness Grants 2024 – round 1	27 Nov 2023	15 Jan 2024	Closed
To strengthen the pipeline of future researchers within the fields of medicine, chemistry, and pharmacy, and to raise awareness about science, including skin and skin diseases. It is important that the applicant carefully reads the application guide before initiating the application process, as this document contains the complete call as well as detailed instructions for the application process. DEADLINE: 15 January 2024 (16:00 CET) Application guide Apply by mail here
	Education and Awareness Grants 2024 – round 2	27 Feb 2024	09 Apr 2024	Closed
To strengthen the pipeline of future researchers within the fields of medicine, chemistry, and pharmacy, and to raise awareness about science, including skin and skin diseases. It is important that the applicant carefully reads the application guide before initiating the application process, as this document contains the complete call as well as detailed instructions for the application process. DEADLINE: 9 April 2024 (16:00 CEST) Application guide Apply by mail here
	Education and Awareness Grants 2024 – round 3	20 Aug 2024	01 Oct 2024	Not open
To strengthen the pipeline of future researchers within the fields of medicine, chemistry, and pharmacy, and to raise awareness about science, including skin and skin diseases. It is important that the applicant carefully reads the application guide before initiating the application process, as this document contains the complete call as well as detailed instructions for the application process. DEADLINE: 1 October 2024 (16:00 CEST) Application guide Apply by mail here
	LEO Foundation Award 2024 – Region Americas	21 Nov 2023	09 Jan 2024	Closed
The LEO Foundation Award was born out of the aim of advancing the understanding and treatment of skin diseases and strengthening the pipeline of excellent dermatology researchers. It recognizes promising young talents and hopefully provides a boost to their future careers. Three awards are made each year, one in each of the regions: Americas, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) and Asia-Pacific. Each award is worth USD 100,000. DEADLINE for self-nomination: 9 January 2024 (16:00 CET) Application guide Online application
	LEO Foundation Award 2024 – Region EMEA	20 Feb 2024	02 Apr 2024	Closed
The LEO Foundation Award was born out of the aim of advancing the understanding and treatment of skin diseases and strengthening the pipeline of excellent dermatology researchers. It recognizes promising young talents and hopefully provides a boost to their future careers. Three awards are made each year, one in each of the regions: Americas, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) and Asia-Pacific. Each award is worth USD 100,000. DEADLINE for self-nomination: 2 April 2024 (16:00 CEST) Application guide Online application
	LEO Foundation Award 2024 – Region Asia-Pacific	16 May 2024	27 Jun 2024	Not open
The LEO Foundation Award was born out of the aim of advancing the understanding and treatment of skin diseases and strengthening the pipeline of excellent dermatology researchers. It recognizes promising young talents and hopefully provides a boost to their future careers. Three awards are made each year, one in each of the regions: Americas, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) and Asia-Pacific. Each award is worth USD 100,000. DEADLINE for self-nomination: 27 June 2024 (16:00 CEST) Application guide Online application

Guidance

The applicant:

Is an active scientist within skin-related research.
Is able to demonstrate scientific merits in the form of at least 5 peer-reviewed first author or co-first author publications within skin-related research.
Has his/her primary workplace within the relevant region at the time of being selected as awardee.
Is between 30 and 40 years of age at the time of being selected as awardee. Natural and reasonable career breaks such as paternity/maternity leave, military service or the like may be deducted (see the Application guide concerning parental leave).

Please read the application guide thoroughly and complete your application accordingly.

Application guide

Award terms and conditions

Applicants can not:

Have commercial or cosmetic/aesthetic research as his/her primary focus.
Have personal or financial ties to LEO Pharma, including involvement in e.g. sponsored studies or clinical trials at PI level.
Be an earlier recipient of a LEO Foundation Award.
Be an earlier recipient of another prize or award (personal or for research) exceeding a value of USD 50,000. Regular research grants are exempt from this requirement.

Application process

The LEO Foundation will ensure an independent and unbiased evaluation process in which all applications will be evaluated based on the same criteria and towards the same scientific level.

It will normally take approx. three months from application deadline to award decision.

If you are selected as awardee, you become a LEO Foundation Alumni and you will be requested to participate and contribute at two events within three years following your receipt of the award.

The LEO Foundation will agree on events and contributions with all awardees.

Evaluation process

Once the call deadline has expired, the Foundation’s secretariat screens your application for formal requirements and if approved, sends it to an independent expert committee for evaluation. The evaluation process follows the path illustrated below.

The Foundation generally uses committees consisting of internationally recognized, independent experts to evaluate the applications for grants and awards that are submitted in open competition.

Global Review Panel

All panel members represent their respective society in region Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific.

American Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID):

Committee member	Titles
Aimee S. Payne	Professor, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (USA)
Luis A. Garza	Professor, The John Hopkins University, Baltimore (USA)
My Mahoney	Professor, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia (USA)

European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR):

Committee member	Titles
Andrea Szegedi	Professor, University of Debrecen, Debrecen (Hungary) // Review of Region Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific
Christoph Schlapbach	Professor, Inselspital, Bern (Switzerland) // Review of Region Americas and Asia-Pacific
Fernando Larcher Laguzzi	Professor, Charles III University of Madrid, Madrid (Spain) // Review of Region EMEA and Asia-Pacific
Kaisa Tasanen-Maatta	Professor, University of Oulu, Oulu (Finland) // Review of Region Americas and EMEA

Taiwanese Society for Investigative Dermatology (TSID) Korean Society for Investigative Dermatology (KSID) Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology (JSID):

Committee member	Titles
Chao-Chun Yang	Professor, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan (Taiwan)
Dong Hun Lee	Associate Professor, Seoul National University, Seoul (Republic of Korea)
Hiroyuki Murota	Professor, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki (Japan)