News archive

Apply for SASUF+ mobility funding for a long-term research stay at a South African partner university. Open to eligible KI doctoral students and early career researchers.

Researchers from six countries gathered in Stockholm in September for the fifth annual workshop organised by the Social Inequalities in Ageing (SIA) Network. The event brought together junior and senior researchers to discuss ongoing studies, strengthen research collaborations and exchange perspectives on ageing and health.

Throughout her career, Märit Halmin has been committed to fair and equitable healthcare, especially in crises, conflicts and low-resource settings where you often have to work with limited resources. Now her work is now being honoured with the Swedish Society of Medicine’s Hippocrates Prize. Meanwhile she wants to continue championing issues related to prioritisation and decision-making when resources are scares.

Rodiah Rodiah, a former student at the Master's Programme in Public Health Science, gives us an insight into TB prevention behind prison walls in Indonesia, examining the challenges, collaborations and practical strategies needed to improve care in high-risk correctional settings.

Meet Mia Brandelius, KI’s new Erasmus Institutional Coordinator. With long experience in international education, she shares her passion for mobility, her best advice for students considering exchange, and what she looks forward to this year.

A declaration published in The Lancet on the International Day of Peace calls for stronger protection of the right to health during conflicts and greater use of health as a tool for peace and conflict resolution. Stefan Swartling Peterson at Karolinska Institutet is part of the writing team behind the 2026 World Health Summit Academic Alliance Declaration.

Bacterial meningitis can cause severe brain damage even when patients receive antibiotic treatment promptly. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now developed tiny biological vesicles that, in animal studies, were able to capture bacterial toxins, protect neurons, reduce inflammation and delay the progression of the disease. The findings are published in the scientific journal Journal of Extracellular Vesicles.

We’re happy to invite you to this upcoming event with Minnesota Trade Office and Mayo Clinic among others. Meet with colleagues across the KI-Mayo community for an inspiring opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and explore new collaboration possibilities.

Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) have signed a memorandum of understanding to further develop their collaboration in vaccine research and education. The agreement establishes a framework for promoting scientific exchange, joint research and educational initiatives with a focus on global health.

Karolinska Institutet’s international recruitment drive for 21 Assistant Professors has once again attracted a great deal of global interest. A total of 2,035 applications from 1,171 unique applicants have been received from 81 countries. The results remain at a very high level following last year’s record outcome and confirm KI’s strong appeal amongst the world’s most promising young researchers.

If you missed the Centre for Health Crises’ seminar on management and preparedness for Ebola outbreaks, it is now available to watch online. The seminar combined experiences and lessons from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in DR Congo with insights into Sweden's preparedness to receive Ebola patients. Most importantly, it explored what these two perspectives can learn from each other.

With the support of a Minor Field Studies (MFS) grant, master's student in Public health Nabilah Amalina Rozi travelled to Indonesia to explore how young people perceive mental health and the support they need. Her study highlights the importance of involving youth in conversations and decisions that affect their lives.

Three projects have been awarded funding as part of the collaboration between the Stockholm Trio and the University of Tokyo. One of the projects is led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet, and all three involve participation from KI.

Karolinska Institutet researchers can join a new AI-powered platform to connect with collaborators in Sweden and 20 African countries, explore shared research interests, and prepare for upcoming SASUF-NRF Seed Grant opportunities.

Master’s students can apply for a SASUF+ stipend of SEK 30,000 to support thesis-related fieldwork or data collection in South Africa. The programme strengthens research collaboration between Sweden and South Africa. Apply by 15 October 2026.

SASUF+ invites researchers at partner universities to apply for seed grants supporting new multilateral collaborations between Sweden, South Africa, and 19 other African countries. Projects run March 2027–July 2028. Apply by 3 November 2026.

Karolinska Institutet (KI) consolidates its position as one of the world's 50 highest-ranked universities in the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai ranking. This year, KI is strengthening its ranking to 41 (from 50, 2025).

Welcome to the annual KI-SDU joint symposia on Translational medicine, Neuroscience and Material Science.

At the beginning of July, Maja Fjaestad took part as a representative of the Centre for Health Crises at KI in the European Commission’s Implementation Dialogue on health crisis preparedness. It was a high-level meeting led by Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, who is responsible for crisis preparedness. The meeting focused on how the EU can better prepare for future health crises and aims to compile recommendations for the European Commission.

Juan Pablo Lopez, Assistant Professor at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, has been selected as a 2026 FENS-Kavli Scholar, a distinction awarded to a small group of outstanding early- to mid-career neuroscientists across Europe.

Matthias Löhr, Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology – CLINTEC, has been awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Association of Pancreatology (IAP) for his long-standing and significant contributions to pancreatic research and clinical development.

KI’s Internationalisation Board is pleased to announce the availability of a limited number of competitive planning grants to support collaboration with University College London (UCL).

Karolinska Institutet is leading the HELIX project, which has received SEK 10 million from the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT) to build a long-term, scalable joint platform between Sweden and Brazil in life science and health.

On 1 June, the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH) and the KI-Africa Student Network co-organised their first joint event — a summer afterwork at Karolinska Institutet. Under the theme "Connect for Sustainable Health," the evening brought together students, researchers, and colleagues from across KI for networking, knowledge exchange, and cross-cultural connection, inspired by the Sweden–Uganda partnership at the heart of CESH.

Pär Nordlund is an internationally prominent researcher who successfully combines excellence in basic research with tangible societal impact. By translating groundbreaking discoveries into successful companies, he has contributed to accelerating the development of new medicines and strengthening the link between academia and industry. He is now awarded the 2026 Prize for Innovation and Utilisation.

Early intervention targeting a key stress protein could protect against lasting behavioural and brain changes linked to childhood adversity, according to a study in Advanced Science led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry.

The Swedish government is introducing new migration rules for doctoral students and researchers. The rules will take effect on 11 June 2026.

At the end of May, KI’s President approved local guidelines for responsible internationalisation.

Join the NeurotechEU Doctoral Network - A European network empowering the next generation of interdisciplinary researchers.

On 21 May 2026, a delegation from Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing visited the Aging Research Center (ARC) at Karolinska Institutet. The visit, hosted by ARC and the Transdisciplinary Research Center for Personalized Dementia Prevention & Care (TraCeDem), focused on the interaction between research, policy, and care practice within the Swedish health and social care system.

The step from working on Gotland to working in Afghanistan may seem a long one, but for anaesthetist Dr Anders Mattsson, it could soon become a reality. If it happens, it will not be his first time working on missions abroad. It is a way of working that he feels facilitates a two-way exchange of expertise, a philosophy that is entirely in line with the Centre for Health Crises’ and, not least, the idea behind the course ‘Anesthesia and critical care with limited resources’.

Humanitarianism is often seen as an implicit good. The dedication to preserve, protect and support human life, dignity, and the reduction of suffering. But its implicit goodness can also stand in the way of further analysis and debate about what it contributes to in practice. That is why Centre for Health Crises at Karolinska Institutet organised just such an evening of discussion.

More than 60 colleagues gathered at Karolinska Institutet’s annual internationalisation mingle, where the 2026 Prize for Internationalisation in Teaching and Learning was also presented in person to the awardees.

From 11–13 May, Karolinska Institutet hosted two major meetings within the European university alliance NeurotechEU. Hundreds of participants from across Europe gathered in Stockholm to discuss the future of education, research and innovation in neuroscience and neurotechnology.

Academic freedom is under increasing pressure worldwide. The SAR Sweden network and the CASI project invite you to a webinar.

Karolinska Institutet has been invited by STINT (The Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education) to nominate three candidates to participate in the exchange programme for teaching staff called Teaching Sabbatical.

The Swedish government has decided to introduce changes to the current migration legislation that will affect students holding a residence permit for studies. These changes are scheduled to take effect on 11 June 2026.

The virtual SASUF+ AIMday event, 26-27 May is approaching. The regular registration period has closed but there are around twenty challenges, several within the theme of Sustainable Health, for which it is still possible for late registration.

Each March, the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS) welcomes students from Tokyo Metropolitan University (TMU) for a two-week academic exchange. This year, we hosted eight second-year students from four-year programmes: three from occupational therapy, one from physiotherapy, one from radiology, and three from nursing.

For a week, a conference room at the old Långholmen prison in Stockholm and the lawn outside were transformed into the fictional country of Marconia, when Sweden’s new emergency medical team initative met to conduct a training exercise. The week-long exercise was planned and carried out by the research group Global Disaster Medicine Karolinska Institutet (KI), which is a designated centre of expertise in the field by the National Board of Health and Welfare.

“What We Saw in Gaza” was the title of a seminar organised on 21 April by the Centre for Health Crises and the research group Global Disaster Medicine – Health Needs and Response. Researchers and healthcare professionals who had recently been working in humanitarian healthcare in Gaza, shared their experiences and answered the many questions posed by the engaged audience. The closing words – never to accept that a situation like this becomes normalised – echoed through the hall.

Ahmadreza Djalali has been imprisoned in Iran for ten years, facing the threat of execution. The case of this KI researcher highlights a growing threat to academic freedom – even in Western countries such as Sweden.

Rachel Fisher, together with Louisa Cheung and Jurga Laurencikiene, has been awarded the Prize for Internationalisation in Teaching and Learning 2026, a joint national award from the medical faculties in Sweden, for the international education initiative BalticSeaBioMed.

Through KI’s participation in the South Africa Sweden University Forum (SASUF+), researchers and doctoral students at KI can take part in the virtual AIMday event.

A new film presenting Karolinska Institutet has now become a reality. The film showcases both the breadth and excellence of KI’s education and research and can be used in seminars and conferences, as well as in other contexts where staff and students want to give an overall presentation of KI.

Through the South Africa–Sweden University Forum, SASUF+, researchers at SASUF partner universities can now apply for funding to develop new or strengthen existing research collaborations between Sweden and South Africa.

Through South Africa Sweden University Forum, SASUF+, researchers at SASUF partner universities can now apply for funding to organise a local Academic Industry Meeting Day (AIMday). 

For the first time, the course Sustainable Health and Development was offered to master’s students within the Master’s Programme in Global Health at Karolinska Institutet. While the course has previously been delivered to undergraduate and doctoral students, it now offers new opportunities for interdisciplinary learning at the master’s level and for international collaboration.

On 15 April, Karolinska Institutet will host an open seminar on threats to academic freedom, with a special focus on imprisoned researcher Ahmadreza Djalali.

A group of senior leaders from Flemish organisations working with older people (In4Care) visited the Aging Research Center (ARC) at Karolinska Institutet on 25 March 2026. The visit, hosted by the Transdisciplinary Research Center for Personalized Dementia Prevention & Care (TraCeDem), focused on how research, policy and care practice interact within the Swedish system.