Four innovation projects at KI in the field of life science receive funding from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and SciLifeLab's Proof-of-Concept program. The grants aim to strengthen the path from academic research to innovation and commercial application in life science.
"The Proof of Concept grant provides researchers with powerful support to take the next step toward practical application of their research results," says Sara Mazur, executive director of Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation in a press release. "The funding helps to enable early-stage innovation from academic research that can lead to societal benefits."
A total of eleven innovation projects have been awarded grants in the 2025 call for proposals, four of which are led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet. The call for proposals spans several different fields within life science. It covers everything from innovations in environmental science, sustainability, diagnostics, and drug development to research tools, e-health, and industrial biotechnology, making it a powerful tool for accelerating Swedish innovation in the field.
An expert panel appointed by SciLifeLab and Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation evaluates and prioritizes the applications. Decisions on grants are made by the board of Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
Researchers who have previously been awarded grants from the Wallenberg Foundations, as well as those who are part of SciLifeLab, the Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine, or the SciLifeLab & Wallenberg National Program for Data-Driven Life Science (DDLS), are eligible to apply.
The projects that have been awarded grants are characterized by three important conditions: a strong scientific basis, high innovation potential, and being at the right stage to take the next step.
Support for commercial maturity
The projects that have been awarded funding will receive between one and four million Swedish kronor each over a project period of up to two years. In addition to funding, project managers will receive support from the Wallenberg Launch Pad (WALP) team to develop their innovations to commercial maturity.
Knut and Alice Wallenberg announce Proof of Concept grants in three areas: life science, materials science, and AI, quantum technology, or ICT.
Since 2017, a total of 139 Proof-of-Concept grants have been awarded.
KI researchers awarded Proof of Concept grants in the 2025 call for proposals
Gonçalo Castelo-Branco , professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics
Project: Cost-effective, Sensitive DNA Methylation Profiling for Single-Cell and Spatial Epigenomics
Ana Teixeira , senior researcher at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
Project: Large-scale, high resolution, single-cell mapping of membrane protein nanodomains
Vincent Pelechano , professor at the Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology
Project: Revolutionising Antimicrobial Sensitivity Testing with Molecular Phenotypic Readouts
Qiang Pan-Hammarström , professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics
Project: Development of secretory IgA antibodies for antiviral therapy
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation was established in 1917. The Foundation's aim is to benefit Sweden by supporting Swedish basic research and education, primarily in medicine, technology and the natural sciences. This is achieved by awarding grants to excellent researchers, projects and strategic programs.
Almost SEK 42 billion in grants has been awarded since the Foundation was established. In 2025 the yearly grants to excellent basic research and education in Sweden was in total SEK 2.5 billion, making the Foundation the largest private funder of scientific research in Sweden, and one of the largest in Europe.
Source: Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
