Swedish reserach councils, foundations and other organisations supporting KI
Much of the research at KI is funded through competitive grants from Swedish research councils, numerous private foundations, and non-profit fundraising organisations in Sweden. Listed below are some of the organisations that, in addition to the Wallenberg and Erling-Persson foundations, annually contribute significant amounts to KI’s research.
For these non-profit collecting organisations, many private individuals are the most important contributors. The list below presents some of the organisations that annually contribute with large sums to KI researchers, of which the Swedish Cancer Society occupies the leading position
Research councils
The Swedish Research Council
The Swedish Research Council is Sweden's largest governmental research funding organisation and supports research of the highest quality in all scientific fields. The Swedish Research Council is also the largest external grant funder of research at Karolinska Institutet. Funding is provided through open competitive grants in several areas.
Forte
Forte, the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, is a government research funding organisation. Each year, Forte allocates around SEK 800 million to both basic and needs-driven research. This includes everything from individual project grants to initiatives to build world-class research environments.
Formas
Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, funds research at Karolinska Institutet in areas that promote sustainability in society. This includes research linked to the environment, climate, resource management, and sustainable societies, but also research on human health and well-being in relation to the environment. At KI, Formas can, for example, fund projects in public health, environmental medicine, and how climate change affects health and welfare.
Foundations
Ragnar Söderberg's Foundation (in Swedish)
The Ragnar Söderberg Foundation is a private research funding organisation that supports research in medicine through five-year grants for academically younger researchers (PhDs awarded within 4-6 years of the call) with innovative ideas and high scientific competence. The aim is to provide long-term funding to enable future research leaders to start their own research group and become independent.
The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research
The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research is an independent actor within the public research funding system, which has contributed significant funding to research at Karolinska Institutet. The funding is targeted at young researchers, infrastructures and interdisciplinary collaborations, and supports projects in areas such as systems biology, biomarkers and infection biology.
Swedish Foundation's Starting Grant
The Swedish Foundation's Starting Grant is a research grant initiated by several Swedish private foundations to support promising researchers who ranked high in ERC Starting Grant calls, but missed out due to limited funding. The aim of the grant is to give early-stage researchers a stable foundation to develop their research and create long-term research projects in medicine and other fields.
Torsten Söderberg's Foundation
The Torsten Söderberg Foundation was established in 1960 with the aim of promoting scientific research and scientific teaching or study activities of national significance, with priority given to the fields of economics, medicine and law. Since 2012, the Foundation has awarded a grant for the Torsten Söderberg Academy Professorship in Medicine.
Organisations
The Swedish Cancer Society
The Swedish Cancer Society is one of the largest funders of cancer research in Sweden and works closely with Karolinska Institutet. The Swedish Cancer Society supports pioneering research in the field of cancer. At Karolinska Institutet, funds are used to run innovative projects, develop new treatment methods and increase understanding of different types of cancer. The goal is to contribute to progress in diagnostics, treatment and ultimately reduce the number of deaths from cancer.
The Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund
The Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund is a leading player in funding childhood cancer research in Sweden and has a strong commitment to supporting studies and research positions at Karolinska Institutet. At Karolinska Institutet, the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund supports both basic and clinical research, including genetic studies, immunotherapy and treatment methods aimed at giving children a better chance of survival and living a life free from serious side effects.
The Swedish Brain Foundation
The Swedish Brain Foundation funds important research at Karolinska Institutet focusing on understanding and treating diseases that affect the brain and nervous system. With support from the foundation, researchers are investigating areas such as neurobiology, genetics and brain recovery after injury, as well as new treatment methods and improved diagnostics for diseases such as MS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, stroke and ALS.
The Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
Since 1904, the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation has supported research into cardiovascular and lung disease in a number of ways. This includes generous grants to researchers at Karolinska Institutet. Funded projects at KI investigate, among other things, the harmful effect of red blood cells on vascular function in diabetes, the prevention of cardiovascular disease and treatment options for bone artery disease.
Swedish Society for Medical Research
Since 1919, the Swedish Society for Medical Research (SSMR) has given thousands of researchers the opportunity to conduct scientific studies. SSMR is open to researchers in all fields of medicine and supports both basic and applied research. The organisation funds postdoctoral fellows and outstanding researchers for the opportunity to create research groups and strengthen their position as independent researchers.
The Swedish Society of Medicine
En av Svenska Läkaresällskapet (SLS) huvudsakliga uppgifter är att främja vetenskaplig utveckling och sprida medicinsk kunskap. SLS finansierar medicinsk forskning till läkare genom olika typer av anslag och delar varje år ut omkring 30 miljoner kronor till forskning. Anslagen sträcker sig över flera medicinska discipliner, inklusive hjärt-kärlsjukdomar, cancer, infektionssjukdomar, allmänmedicin och folkhälsa.