About the KI Research Incubator (KIRI)
KI aims to be a pioneering university. As part of this ambition, the Committee for Research has created the KI Research Incubator (KIRI), a dynamic environment strengthening innovative research with a focus on interdisciplinary breakthroughs.
Background
According to KI's Strategy 2030, the university should approach 2030 as a groundbreaking, engaged and global university. Junior researchers must be given excellent opportunities to develop their talents and achieve their goals. This is a prerequisite for creative thinking and cutting-edge research.
In 2020, the Committee for Research commissioned a working group to identify the best actions to stimulate curiosity and groundbreaking research. The working group concluded that to enable junior researchers to think in new ways and to break new ground, a new research environment needs to be established. The basis of such an environment should be to bring together researchers from different scientific fields and disciplines with the ambition to drive innovation collaboratively. The expected result is ground-breaking discoveries that can address the major medical and health needs of the future. In concert with these findings the Committee for Research now launches the KI Research Incubator (KIRI) - a new environment for collaboration, interdisciplinarity and interaction.
Establishing a KI Research Incubator (KIRI)
With the launch of KIRI, KI is creating a virtual research environment where a new generation of researchers can collaborate and develop joint interdisciplinary research projects.
KIRI will be built by inviting junior researchers, who meet the set criteria, to apply to the research incubator. This will lead to a gradually increasing number of members during the first years. When applying for membership, great importance is attached to motivation and interest in interdisciplinary work. The ambition is for KIRI to be primarily member-driven, with members themselves taking an active role in contributing to content and development.
Target group and membership
The core of the research incubator is its members - KIRI-Fellows. The target group for membership consists mainly of junior researchers at the beginning of their careers. The researchers eligible for membership are determined by the Steering Group of the initiative through an annual call for applications. The call invites applications from interested researchers who meet the criteria. In the admission process, great importance is attached to the motivation to work in an interdisciplinary manner.
Funding of interdisciplinary research projects
To provide KIRI-Fellows with new opportunities to collaborate in interdisciplinary research projects, funding opportunities for a limited number of collaborative projects have been announced.
The application period is now closed and the projects have been evaluated by the KIRI steering group. The award will cover the costs of a joint postdoctoral fellowship between two KIRI-Fellows for 2 years. This is expected to support new and innovative collaborations of interdisciplinary nature.
Contact
E-mail: KIRI@ki.se
Marcela Franco
Coordinator
Steering Group
The Steering Group appointed by the Committee for Research:
- Konstantinos Meletis, Chairperson
- Christian Giske, Deputy chairperson
- Jenny Mjösberg, Faculty representative
- Camilla Svensson, Faculty representative
- Georgios Sotiriou, KIRI-fellow, Junior faculty