Research at Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet accounts for the single largest share of all academic medical research conducted in Sweden. The research spans the entire biomedical field – from basic experimental research to clinical studies in collaboration with the health care system. Pioneering research is conducted here in, for example, cancer, neuroscience, immunology, epidemiology, nursing and global health.
Resources in brief
Research at our departments
Karolinska Institutet has 21 departments divided into three departmental or campus groups. These departments are central to the academic environment at our university, with responsibilities encompassing scientific strategy, finance, and administration.
SciLifeLab
SciLifeLab is a collaboration between multiple Swedish universities, and a national research infrastructure. One of the core missions of SciLifeLab is to provide technologies facilitating the large-scale analysis of biological processes at the molecular level.
KI Research Incubator
Karolinska Institutet aims to be a pioneering university. As part of this ambition, we have established the KI Research Incubator (KIRI), an energising platform dedicated to empowering emerging researchers and to foster a culture of innovation and cross-disciplinary partnerships.
News & events
KI praises Professor Jennifer Cleland's educational research
Extended partnership with the Swedish Armed Forces in environmental physiology
Six ERC Starting Grants awarded to KI researchers
Developing Brains Conference 2024
KI professor Thomas Helleday receives the Anders Jahre Award
Health Literacy for researchers and doctoral students
Professor Jan Ellenberg appointed director for SciLifeLab
SFO-V funds promising researchers in Health Care Science
KI joins CoARA for the advancement of research assessment
Clinical research scores high quality rating for societal and patient benefit
Meet our researchers
Inger Kull: “Young people with allergies are missed in healthcare”
When Inger Kull was a new nurse in the early 1980s, researchers were looking for risk factors. Today she is a professor and prefers to talk about health factors. Thirty years of research on the Bamse-children have provided answers to many questions, but not the most difficult: Why do children develop allergies?
How can we get more people to eat climate-smart?
In a new study, Patricia Eustachio Colombo and her colleagues have developed suggestions for healthy and climate-friendly dietary patterns. Now it's just a matter of getting us to adopt them.
AI researcher Max Gordon: "AI can do the boring things"
The 2023 AI Swede of the Year feels no need to be at the center of research. Yet that is exactly where he is. The orthopaedic surgeon and researcher Max Gordon was an early adopter of artificial intelligence. Now everyone else wants to know how to do it.
Ylva Trolle Lagerros: Hunger can be an ever-present sensation
The abundance of unhealthy food in society means that obesity doctor and researcher Ylva Trolle Lagerros is working against certain headwinds. But the arrival of new medications have made her job more enjoyable. In parallel, she has developed apps that provide patients with support.
In depth articles and features
How old are you - really?
You might be 50 years old, but your body could be as fresh as a 40-year-old’s ‒ or vice versa. Biological ageing has its own pace and rhythm. How we live our lives, what we experience, and the quality of medical treatment we receive all influence how quickly we wear out.
Challenge the sway - Curious about balance
To maintain balance, several factors must align. The inner ears and eyes need to send accurate signals to the brain. Good motor skills and sense of touch, especially in the feet, along with a healthy brain, are necessary. It is not surprising that balance disorders can occur, but how should they be treated?
Aiming for Mars — curious about space medicine
After half a century in near-Earth orbit, humans are heading further out in space. First to the moon again. Then on to Mars! For this to go well, more research is needed on how space stresses the human body.
How screen habits affects children's health
Screen time is often associated with poor health in young people, but it is more complicated than that, say researchers. We are affected, but differently and not just negatively. What we do on our phones – and what we do when we are not using them – also plays a role in our well-being.
Cleaning – not to be swept under the rug
In the healthcare setting, keeping things clean can be vital to prevent the spread of dangerous bacteria. But in a household, what’s best for your health – to live pretty dirty or to be a clean freak? Read our interviews with the researchers who have a pure interest in cleaning.
Nicotine in a new guise
Breast cancer — what is causing it?
Long live the liver!
Sentenced to care — punishment or opportunity?
More on research at KI
Animal research
Animal research is strictly regulated and comes under both Swedish and EU legislation on animal welfare.
Collaboration worldwide
International collaborations are crucial for KI to fulfill our mission and strive towards better health for all.
Doctoral education
World-class research and specialised research environments create a breeding ground for PhD studies at KI.
New doctoral theses
Each year, around 350 doctoral students at KI will present their thesis to their peers in science.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
In his will, Alfred Nobel appointed Karolinska Institutet to award the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Top publications list
Current articles to which our researchers have contributed and that have been published in selected top-ranked journals.
University Library
Find papers, advice about bibliometrics and publishing strategy, academic writing workshops, and much more.
Working at KI
KI's vision is to be one of the leading medical universities in the world. Our committed and competent employees make this possible.