Detained researcher not a KI employee
It has recently been reported in the media that a researcher employed at Karolinska Institutet (KI) has been detained by the police for physically abusing his wife. This is not quite true, as the man in question is not employed at Karolinska Institutet but merely tied to the university through a 'declaration of association'.
The suspect was once a long-time employee of Karolinska Institutet but now works at another university. He does, however, still collaborate to a certain degree with his former research group.
"It is, of course, a very tragic story," says University Director Bengt Norrving. "But since the researcher in question is not an employee of Karolinska Institutet we are unable to consider legal action."
Karolinska Institutet has over 4,500 employees and organised collaborations with over 3,300 people through so-called 'declarations of association', which give access to some of the university's resources such as the library and email services. This is a common form of collaboration for researchers employed by health authorities, for example, or docents without formal employment at Karolinska Institutet.