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Constructive Journalism Fellowship
BECOME ONE OF OUR NEW FELLOWS 2026-2027
Constructive Institute offers a number of fellowships for Danish media people funded by Danish foundations.
These fellowships are for Danish journalists, editors, and media professionals only.
International fellows are welcome to apply for their own individual fellowship at Constructive Institute provided they have access to a stipend/funding that will support them financially during the fellowship. Please contact Constructive Institute for more information.
The Danish fellowships are thematic, based on the respective areas of interest of the supporting foundation.
Applicants who are granted a fellowship at Constructive Institute are asked to describe a project to pursue as a fellow which aligns with the mission of a specific foundation. Applicants are welcome to propose more than one project and to apply for more than one of the available fellowships.
Constructive Institute independently selects the fellows to the fellowship program from the group of applicants. The selection process is carried out in cooperation with news editors in Denmark and abroad and with lecturers of journalism programmes in Denmark. Consequently, the selection process is independent of the foundations.
Below you will find details about the Danish fellowships in Danish.
The Fellowships
Novo Nordisk Foundation Fellowships (10 months)
Fellowship 1: Fellowship with a focus on coverage of health
A fellowship within health will focus on the growing challenges related to lifestyle-related diseases, health inequality, prevention of future pandemics, and technological developments in the healthcare sector. Through access to research environments in public health, medicine, and social sciences, a fellow will be able to explore how preventive measures can strengthen public health and which structural barriers maintain inequalities in the healthcare system.
The fellowship begins in the last week of August 2026 and finishes at the end of June 2027.
Fellowship 2: Focus on coverage of sustainability
Climate change and environmental sustainability are closely linked to both public health and societal development. A fellowship within sustainability will focus on how we as a society balance ecosystems, food systems, and climate policy to ensure a sustainable future. Fellows can work with researchers in environmental science, agricultural research, and climate modeling to explore how the reduction of greenhouse gases, green transition in the healthcare sector, and the connection between diet, population growth, and sustainable food production can play a central role in improving both human and planetary health. Together with partners, fellows will develop journalistic formats that engage the public in a more nuanced climate debate, where solutions and innovations are given greater prominence in the news stream.
The fellowship begins in the last week of August 2026 and finishes at the end of June 2027.
Fellowship 3: Focus on Life Science A fellowship within Life Science will explore how we can strengthen basic research, foster collaboration across scientific disciplines, and enhance the population’s – especially young people’s – interest in the natural sciences. Fellows will have access to laboratories and research environments, thereby gaining exposure to the latest medical research, biological innovation, and technological break throughs. Through contacts with leading researchers in biomedicine, bioinformatics, and engineering, fellows can learn to communicate complex research findings in a way that makes them understandable and relevant to the public. A particular focus may be on how research in Life Science can be translated into tangible societal solutions – for example, new treatments, personalized medicine, or technologies that can improve people’s quality of life.
The fellowship begins in the last week of August 2026 and finishes at the end of June 2027
Industriens Fond AI Fellowships (5 months)
How is AI being used in Danish companies and how could the media coverage of the use of AI be improved?
In the autumn semester of 2026 3 journalists and editors from Danish media will get the possibility of working with these questions in a so called AI Explorer Project.
The project will begin at the end of August 2026 and finish at the end of January 2027.
The AI Explorers will work together and gather information , knowledge and experiences that can be presented for both Danish companies and people in the media.
Louis Hansen Fonden Culture Fellowships (5 months)
2 spring semester fellowships about strengthening the media coverage of culture in Denmark.
The Louis Hansen Fonden fellowships lasts 5 months and is entitled Culture Explorer Program.
It runs from February 1st to June 30th 2027.
The Culture Explorer Program allows two journalists or editors from Danish media to explore how arts and culture is covered in the Danish media and how this coverage could be improved.
Together with an academic researcher from the Institute of Culture and Society at Aarhus University the two journalists or editors will have a task of looking into the following questions:
What is the state of the coverage of arts and culture in Danish media?
Is the media covering what the media users think should be covered?
Why are several newsrooms in Danish media cutting down on the coverage of arts and culture?
And what can be done to secure at stronger coverage in the future, supporting the role of culture in the democratic society?
The result of the research done at the Culture Explorer Program will be shared with the public, for instance at the Culture Meeting at Mors in August.
Apart from this particular task, the culture explorers will basically follow the same program as the fellows at Constructive Institute.
Aarhuus Stiftstidendes Fond Fellowships (5 months)
2 Autumn Semester Fellowships of 5 months for journalists, editors and other media people working in local and regional news rooms – for the support of local journalism and democracy.
The fellowships run from late August 2026 till late January 2027.
2 Spring Semester Fellowships of 5 months for journalists, editors and other media people working in local and regional news rooms – for the support of local journalism and democracy.
The fellowships run from the beginning of February 2027 till the end of June 2027.
Trygfonden Fellowships (10 months)
3 fellowships are funded by Trygfonden.
Fellowship 1 and fellowship 2: 2 fellowships will be focusing on trust. Why are the Scandinavian countries the nations where people trust each other the most? What are the risks of losing this trust and what role do the media play in this issue?
In a world where trust in politicians and the media is crumbling in several societies the Scandinavian countries still stand out with a high level of trust. But will international trends of mistrust spread to these countries as well? The fellows will dig into the historical and current attempts to explain why the Scandinavian countries are in a position that differs them from trends in other countries. They will examine to what extent the media plays any particular role and if so how media might strenghten trust for the benefit of the democratic society.
These fellowships run for 10 months beginning in the last week of August 2026 and finishing at the end of June 2027.
Fellowship 3: 1 fellowship will examine how to cover the development of local communities and local democracy. The fellow will focus on how local and regional media can contribute to supporting local communities in creating more engagement and involvement from citizens. Additionally, the project could involve local issues such as combating news deserts, studying local and hyperlocal journalism, and creating more user involvement in journalism.
This fellowship runs for 5 months beginning in the last week of August 2026 and finishing at the end of January 2027.
Her er de danske fellowships, som du kan søge på Constructive Institute 2026-2027.
Når du søger ind som fellow, er du velkommen til at søge et eller flere af de beskrevne fellowships.
Fellowships for 2026-2027 er støttet af TrygFonden, Aarhuus Stiftstidendes Fond og Industriens Fond, Novo Nordisk Fonden og Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansen Fonden
Fellows, som bliver optaget på Constructive Institutes fellowships, skal arbejde med et projekt, der er relateret til et af de fokusområder, som fondene spænder over. Derfor bedes ansøgere angive, i hvilket omfang deres projekt på fellowshippet kan spille sammen med et eller flere af fondenes fokusområder.
Det skal understreges, at det er Constructive Institute, som uafhængigt står for udvælgelsen af fellows blandt de indkomne ansøgninger. Fondene deltager således ikke i udvælgelsen af fellows, men har alene været med til at angive hvilke temaer de gerne vil støtte fellowships.
Hvilket eller hvilke du søger, afhænger af, hvad det er for et journalistisk projekt, som du gerne vil arbejde med under fellowshippet.
Du er som nævnt velkommen til at søge flere forskellige fellowships; du skal blot beskrive et projekt, du vil arbejde med, for hver enkelt fellowship, som du søger.
Du skal beskrive, hvilke spørgsmål du som fellow vil søge at finde svarene på inden for det emne, du vil sætte fokus på i det eller de fellowships, du søger. Og du skal beskrive, hvordan du forestiller dig at arbejde med projektet under fellowship programmet.
3 fellowships finansieret af TrygFonden
Fellowship 1 og 2 (10 måneder):
2 fellowships vil have fokus på tillid. Hvorfor er de skandinaviske lande blandt de nationer, hvor mennesker har størst tillid til hinanden? Hvilke risici er der for at miste denne tillid, og hvilken rolle spiller medierne i denne sammenhæng?
I en verden, hvor tilliden til politikere og medier svækkes i flere samfund, skiller de skandinaviske lande sig fortsat ud med et højt tillidsniveau. Men vil internationale tendenser med stigende mistillid også sprede sig til disse lande? Fellows vil undersøge både historiske og aktuelle forklaringer på, hvorfor de skandinaviske lande adskiller sig fra udviklingen i andre lande. De vil analysere, i hvilket omfang medierne spiller en særlig rolle, og hvordan medierne eventuelt kan styrke tilliden til gavn for det demokratiske samfund.
Disse fellowships varer 10 måneder og løber fra den sidste uge af august 2026 til udgangen af juni 2027.
Fellowship 3 (5 måneder):
1 fellow vil undersøge, hvordan udviklingen i lokalsamfund og lokaldemokrati kan dækkes journalistisk. Fokus vil være på, hvordan lokale og regionale medier kan bidrage til at støtte lokalsamfund i at skabe større engagement og involvering blandt borgerne. Projektet kan desuden omfatte lokale problemstillinger som bekæmpelse af nyhedsørkener, studier af lokal- og hyperlokaljournalistik samt øget brugerinddragelse i journalistikken.
Dette fellowship varer 5 måneder fra den sidste uge af august 2026 til udgangen af januar 2027.
3 fellowships støttet af Novo Nordisk Fonden (10 måneder)
Fellowship 1: Fellowship med fokus på sundhedsdækning
Et fellowship inden for sundhed vil fokusere på de voksende udfordringer relateret til livsstilssygdomme, ulighed i sundhed, forebyggelse af fremtidige pandemier samt teknologiske udviklinger i sundhedssektoren. Gennem adgang til forskningsmiljøer inden for folkesundhed, medicin og samfundsvidenskab vil en fellow kunne undersøge, hvordan forebyggende tiltag kan styrke folkesundheden, og hvilke strukturelle barrierer der opretholder uligheder i sundhedssystemet.
Fellowshippet begynder i den sidste uge af august 2026 og afsluttes ved udgangen af juni 2027.
Fellowship 2: Fokus på dækning af bæredygtighed
Klimaændringer og miljømæssig bæredygtighed er tæt forbundet med både folkesundhed og samfundsudvikling. Et fellowship inden for bæredygtighed vil fokusere på, hvordan vi som samfund balancerer økosystemer, fødevaresystemer og klimapolitik for at sikre en bæredygtig fremtid. Fellows kan arbejde sammen med forskere inden for miljøvidenskab, landbrugsforskning og klimamodellering for at undersøge, hvordan reduktion af drivhusgasser, den grønne omstilling i sundhedssektoren samt sammenhængen mellem kost, befolkningstilvækst og bæredygtig fødevareproduktion kan spille en central rolle i at forbedre både menneskers og planetens sundhed. Sammen med partnere vil fellows udvikle journalistiske formater, der engagerer offentligheden i en mere nuanceret klimadebat, hvor løsninger og innovationer får større synlighed i nyhedsstrømmen.
Fellowshippet begynder i den sidste uge af august 2026 og afsluttes ved udgangen af juni 2027.
Fellowship 3: Fokus på Life Science
Et fellowship inden for Life Science vil undersøge, hvordan vi kan styrke grundforskningen, fremme samarbejde på tværs af videnskabelige discipliner og øge befolkningens – især unges – interesse for naturvidenskab. Fellows vil få adgang til laboratorier og forskningsmiljøer og dermed indsigt i den nyeste medicinske forskning, biologisk innovation og teknologiske gennembrud. Gennem kontakt med førende forskere inden for biomedicin, bioinformatik og ingeniørvidenskab kan fellows lære at formidle komplekse forskningsresultater på en måde, der gør dem forståelige og relevante for offentligheden. Et særligt fokus kan være på, hvordan forskning inden for Life Science kan omsættes til konkrete samfundsløsninger – for eksempel nye behandlinger, personlig medicin eller teknologier, der kan forbedre menneskers livskvalitet.
Fellowshippet begynder i den sidste uge af august 2026 og afsluttes ved udgangen af juni 2027.
3 fellowships støttet af Industriens Fond (5 måneder)
Hvordan anvendes AI i danske virksomheder, og hvordan kan mediernes dækning af brugen af AI forbedres?
Ofte, når AI bliver beskrevet i medierne, er vinkling sat på spidsen: Enten er AI en stor risikofaktor på arbejdspladser og vil overtage job fra tusinder af medarbejdere. Eller også vil AI overtage det kedelige arbejde og give plads til nye, spændende opgaver for medarbejderne. Men hvordan ser virkeligheden ud netop nu, og hvordan kan medierne blive bedre til at dække medierne den faktiske udvikling?
I efterårssemesteret 2026 vil 3 journalister og redaktører fra danske medier få mulighed for at arbejde med disse spørgsmål i et såkaldt AI Explorer Project.
Projektet begynder i slutningen af august 2026 og afsluttes ved udgangen af januar 2027.
AI Explorers vil arbejde sammen og indsamle information, viden og erfaringer, som kan præsenteres for både danske virksomheder og personer i mediebranchen.
Ud over denne særlige opgave vil AI Explorers følge det samme program som fellows ved Constructive Institute.
Louis Hansen Fonden Culture Fellowships (5 måneder)
2 fellowships støttet af Louis Hansen Fonden
Louis Hansen Fonden-fellowships varer 5 måneder og kaldes Culture Explorer Program.
Programmet begynder fra den 1. februar og løber til den 30. juni 2027.
Culture Explorer Program giver to journalister eller redaktører fra danske medier mulighed for at undersøge, hvordan kunst og kultur dækkes i danske medier, og hvordan denne dækning kan forbedres.
Sammen med en forsker fra Institut for Kultur og Samfund ved Aarhus Universitet skal de to journalister eller redaktører arbejde med følgende spørgsmål:
- Hvordan ser dækningen af kunst og kultur ud i danske medier i dag?
- Dækker medierne det, som mediebrugerne mener bør dækkes?
- Hvorfor nedprioriterer flere redaktioner i danske medier dækningen af kunst og kultur?
- Og hvad kan der gøres for at sikre en stærkere dækning fremover, som understøtter kulturens rolle i det demokratiske samfund?
Resultatet af forskningen i Culture Explorer Program vil blive delt med offentligheden, for eksempel på Kulturmødet på Mors i august.
Ud over denne særlige opgave vil Culture Explorers følge det samme program som fellows ved Constructive Institute.
4 fellowships støttet af Aarhus Stiftstidendes Fond (5 måneder)
2 efterårssemester-fellowships af 5 måneders varighed for journalister, redaktører og andre medieansatte, der arbejder på lokale og regionale redaktioner – med henblik på at støtte lokaljournalistik og demokrati.
Disse fellowships løber fra slutningen af august 2026 til slutningen af januar 2027.
2 forårssemester-fellowships af 5 måneders varighed for journalister, redaktører og andre medieansatte, der arbejder på lokale og regionale redaktioner – med henblik på at støtte lokaljournalistik og demokrati.
Disse fellowships løber fra begyndelsen af februar 2027 til udgangen af juni 2027.
So far, journalists and editors from Denmark, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Kenya, Argentina, Norway, India and Finland have participated in the fellowship program. There are still available positions as a fellow providing the issue of funding is settled.
Do feel free to write to fellowship@constructiveinstitute.org if you have questions about this.
PLEASE READ BEFORE APPLYING
To apply, all applicants must send an email to fellowship@constructiveinstitute.org. (All applications must be submitted in English). Candidates must submit the following information as part of their application:
1. Letter of motivation.
The applicants are required to write a letter of motivation in which they describe why they would like to become a fellow at the Constructive Institute. Candidates should describe how they would like to spend 5 or 10 months in Aarhus, explaining what fields they plan to study and what is the driving question/problem that will define their fellowship year. The personal statement should not exceed two pages.
2. Employer’s agreement.
The applicant must attach a declaration from their current employer, stating that the employee can return to their current, or a similar job at their organisation once the fellowship has finished. One of the purposes of the programme is for the fellows to introduce the idea of constructive journalism at their news media once they return from the fellowship. The letter should be duly signed by the fellows supervisor / manager or by the department of Human Resources.
3. Letters of recommendation.
Two confidential letters of recommendation are required for the candidature, one of which must be from the applicant’s current or former employer. These letters should describe the applicant’s abilities and potential for professional growth and leadership.
4. Curriculum vitae.
All applicants are required to attach a detailed and the most up the date CV to their application.
5. Sample of work.
We ask all candidates to please include or link to two samples of your most recent published work.
Note that they do not need to be constructive journalism pieces.
Print and online journalists: please include a link to your work or include two articles in .pdf form in your application email.
Broadcast journalists: please include a link to your work or upload two video or audio files of up to 70 MB via a file transfer system (WeTransfer to fellowship@constructiveinstitute.org), indicating your full name and contact details.
*Important! All files should clearly indicate your full name
CONTACTS
Questions about the application process may be sent to fellowship@constructiveinstitute.org or call head of Fellowship Orla Borg on +45 40 10 46 89.
DATES AND DEADLINES
The deadline for applying for a fellowship is the 24th of April 2026.
The starting date of the fellowship will be on Monday 24th of August 2026.
Apply by sending your application to fellowship@constructiveinstitute.org
Be sure to include the following 5 elements:
1. Letter of motivation
2. Employer’s agreement
3. Letters of recommendation
4. Curriculum vitae
5. Sample of work
*Important! The email subject line must be: “Application: followed by your name”
Hear from former fellows
Check out our YouTube channel for more insights from our fellowship network.