Seven out of eight awarded grants go to researchers at Karolinska Institutet in the Swedish Research Council's spring call for international postdocs in medicine and health. In total, 8 out of 44 applications were approved.
The purpose of the grant is to give researchers with a PhD from a Swedish university the opportunity to expand their network and expertise by working abroad under secure forms of employment. The grant is also intended to reward the quality and renewal of Swedish research.
The grant period is 18-36 months, starting in July 2026, and the grant amount is SEK 1,300,000 per year. An additional SEK 50,000 per year can be applied for for one or more accompanying family members.
The seven KI researchers awarded grants:
Frida Gorreja
Project: Next generation CAR macrophages for the treatment of paediatric brain tumours
Host country: Canada
Grant amount: SEK 4 million over three years
Oscar Horwath , researcher at the Department of Women's and Children's Health
Project: Does age-related denervation drive loss of ribosomal identity and development of sarcopenia?
Host country: Denmark
Grant amount: SEK 3,9 million over three years
Signe Isacson
Project: Mapping the epigenome of sperm and its importance for disease and health
Host country: Finland
Grant amount: SEK 4 million over three years
Efthalia Preka , researcher at the Department of Women's and Children's Health
Project: Identification of the earliest genetic changes in glioblastoma
Host country: USA
Grant amount: SEK 3,9 million over three years
Ioanna Smyrlaki , researcher at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics
Project: Decoding the Tspan-ADAM10 interface: Structural and spatial logic for substrate-selective neuroprotection in Alzheimer's disease
Host country: USA
Grant amount: SEK 4 million over three years
Bowen Tang , researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Project: Weighing two generations: A precision medical framework for the use of psychotropic drugs during pregnancy
Host country: USA
Grant amount: SEK 3,9 million over three years
Sara Torstensson , researcher at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
Project: The impact of metabolism and obesity on the function of NK cells in cancer
Host country: USA
Grant amount: SEK 3,9 million over three years
A total of 44 applications and almost SEK 32 million were granted for the period 2026-2029.
