Record amount of research funding secured by the University of the Faroe Islands
In 2025, the University of the Faroe Islands secured a total of DKK 29.3 million in research funding from Faroese and international foundations and other funding sources. This represents an increase of 68% compared with 2024 and is the largest amount the University has ever secured for research in a single year.
New figures show that researchers at the University of the Faroe Islands are increasingly successful in securing funding for research projects from both domestic and international sources.
In 2024, the University secured DKK 17.4 million in research funding, but in 2025 this figure rose to DKK 29.3 million. This is an increase of DKK 11.9 million, or 68%, compared with the previous year.
The increase is primarily driven by funding from foundations outside the Faroe Islands, although funding awarded by Faroese foundations and other sources has also grown.
Research funding is not operational funding
When discussing university finances, it is important to distinguish between research funding secured for specific projects and the University's regular operating grant allocated through the Faroese national budget.
The DKK 29.3 million therefore does not represent an increase in the University's public operating grant. Rather, it is funding that researchers have secured independently for research projects from external sources.
Such funding is generally tied to specific projects and must be used for the purposes for which it was awarded. It cannot be used to cover the University's general operating costs, teaching or other activities.
Nor does this necessarily mean that the entire amount is paid out or spent within the same year. Research projects, like degree programmes, may extend over several years, with funding used in accordance with the progress of each project.
More academic staff with research obligations
The new figures also show that the number of academic staff at the University of the Faroe Islands has increased by 4%.
In 2025, the University had 183 academic staff members, compared with 176 in 2024. The increase is attributable to the group of academic staff with research obligations, while the number of academic staff without research obligations has declined.
Of the 183 academic staff members, 58 had research obligations, compared with 48 the previous year. These figures represent headcounts rather than full-time equivalents, as several staff members work part-time.
The increase is largely due to the growing number of PhD students at the University of the Faroe Islands whose positions are funded through external research grants. Between 2020 and 2025, the number of PhD students at the University increased by 68%.
Strengthening research in the Faroe Islands
The increase in research funding gives the University of the Faroe Islands greater opportunities to conduct research and recruit new staff. It also facilitates the development of new knowledge and participation in research collaborations with universities and research institutions abroad.
The ability of the University's researchers to secure funding from international foundations is also an important part of its strategic efforts to strengthen its international standing.
At the same time, the increase demonstrates that researchers at the University of the Faroe Islands are successfully securing funding for their projects in an increasingly competitive research funding environment.
Read more about research at the University of the Faroe Islands and explore the latest figures in Faroese HERE.
