News archive

How can we reduce the climate impact of consumption – from the food we eat to how we travel, live and shop? This question was at the heart of AIMday Sustainable Consumption, held on 3 December at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and organised by the University Alliance Stockholm Trio.

The Cell, the National Museum of Science and Technology's branch in Hagastaden, invites KI staff to the last events of the year. Discover the connection between biology, geometry and creativity in a workshop with KI student Samayeen Rahman on 9 December, or listen to Teresa Wennberg, a pioneer in digital art, on 11 December.

A Karolinska Institutet (KI) delegation led by KI Vice President Martin Bergö visited Hong Kong and mainland China in November to deepen academic partnerships and connection with KI alumni and to participate in a joint KI-SDU symposium.

The Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Shandong University (SDU) held their Joint Symposium in Jinan, China, on November 17–18, 2025, on the theme of cross-disciplinary medical research.

The Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) hosted their annual joint symposium in Stockholm on October 21–22, 2025, bringing together leading experts to strengthen high-level research collaboration.

The World Health Summit Academic Alliance connects 28 top institutions worldwide to advance evidence-based global health. Join the conversation and subscribe to the newsletter.

Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University and Region Stockholm intend to establish a new centre for medical radiation science in Stockholm. By combining the universities' cutting-edge expertise in key research areas with healthcare sector expertise, it is a gathering of forces to develop the cancer treatment of the future.

The InFuturum meeting in Stockholm gathers together Sweden’s seven ALF regions for a discussion on the future of education, research and care with a focus on common challenges, from health data to changing global trends.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Columbia University and the University of San Francisco, have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism by which dopamine, a key brain chemical vital for movement and motivation, can affect brain activity indirectly, by boosting serotonin. The study was recently published in Sciences Advances.

The Aging Research Center (ARC) was established in the year 2000, at a time when geriatric research was still in its infancy and little was known about dementia-related diseases. This happened during a period when politicians and decision-makers began to take an interest in the growing ageing population and the challenges that were becoming apparent in healthcare and social care as a result.

Leaders and experts from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital met in Stockholm on 7 November to discuss cooperation in the fields of prevention, AI and advanced therapies. The parties have been in formal collaboration since 2023.

In a significant step for European collaboration in neuroscience and technological innovation, the Medical University of Innsbruck (MUI) has officially joined The European University of Brain and Technology – NeurotechEU.

A new form of CAR T-cell therapy has recently made headlines after a patient in a clinical trial became cancer-free in record time. The treatment was produced at Karolinska ATMP Center, a collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital. Production takes place at the affiliated manufacturing unit, Vecura.

A new memorandum of understanding has been signed by Karolinska ATMP Center and the ATMP Center Uppsala to deepen their collaboration in the rapidly growing field of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), which includes cell- and gene-based medicines. The aim is to enhance joint capacity and competitiveness in the Stockholm–Uppsala region.

On 14–15 October 2025, Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Makerere University in Uganda celebrated 25 years of partnership advancing global health, research, and education. The milestone also marks the 5th anniversary of the jointly established Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH) — a platform for promoting sustainable health and equitable global partnerships.

The Aging Research Centre (ARC), one of Sweden’s leading research centres looking into the health and living conditions of older people is celebrating its 25th anniversary. With its multidisciplinary research and broad-based collaborations, the ARC contributes to a deeper understanding of ageing and how society can promote a more favourable environment for a dignified and healthy old age.

Would you like to expand your research network and gain new experience at another top institution in Europe?

On Wednesday 8 October, The Swedish Armed Forces and Karolinska Institutet signed a declaration of intent to strengthen and broaden their collaboration in research and education in the field of defence-related medicine. The two organisations have a long history of collaboration in commissioned medical research, and in light of a changing global security situation and the expanding concept of total defence, they are now taking the next step.

KI–Brazil Collaborative Grants. Application period is open!

On 1 October, researchers, decision-makers and representatives from industry and international organisations gathered at KI for the high-level meeting Vaccines for All: Health. Security. Growth. Benjamin Dousa, Sweden's Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, participated in the important meeting, organised by Karolinska Institutet and the Stockholm School of Economics in collabotation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Karolinska Institutet, KTH and Stockholm University (SU) are launching a new investment fund through their respective holding companies for early-stage deep tech ventures. The fund, Trio Impact Invest, is co-financed by the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket), the European Regional Development Fund and private investors, and will address a critical financing gap for research-intensive ventures based in Sweden.

Knut Steffensen heads up the newly opened Karolinska ATMP Centre, which has been established to convert research on cell and gene therapy into actual treatments. Equipped with experience from both academia and the pharmaceutical industry, he wants to combine the best of both worlds.

On 26 September, around 2500 high school students from the Stockholm area visited the science festival Researchers' Night (Forskarfredag) at Albanova. Many researchers from KI participated in the programme, including the Science fair and the Researchers' Grand Prix. The event is a collaboration between KI, KTH, Stockholm University, the City of Stockholm and Vetenskapens hus. The initiative is part of the EU's Researchers' Night celebrating science across Europe.

Are you studying medicine, biomedicine, or life sciences at KI and interested in the ethical, legal, and social dimensions of AI and big data?

The first revolution in quantum technology paved the way for mobile telephony and GPS navigation. With its extreme computational capacity, the technique is now of interest to the field of life science and could prove the key to such advances as smarter drug development and optimised therapies to treat cancer and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. By virtue of its involvement in the Swedish Quantum Life Science Centre, KI is a driver of the country’s research in the field.

KI, together with Stockholm University and KTH, offers two awards of 30,000 SEK each for lab visits or joint projects to strengthen research collaboration with the University of Tokyo in Japan.

Apply for KI collaboration awards for doctoral students in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, University College London (UCL), Imperial College London or King’s College London, 2025/2026.

Dr M. Madan Babu, this year's Ulf von Euler lecturer, wants to understand how cells control and regulate their various functions. Through his research, he aims to reveal why certain diseases arise when the regulation in cells does not function as it should. Dr Babu works at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, USA.

Social Affairs and Public Health Minister Jakob Forssmed recently visited Karolinska Institutet to attend an international seminar arranged to mark the launch of “A call to action for adolescents mental health and wellbeing”, the second report from the Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing.

Thirty Nordic ageing and health researchers will gather in Stockholm on 11–12 September 2025 for the SIA joint senior and junior workshop. Hosted by the Aging Research Center (ARC) at Karolinska Institutet, this event brings together established and early-career experts to foster discussion and collaboration on social inequalities in ageing.

Once again, the Aging Research Center (ARC) at Karolinska Institutet (KI) will host the course titled "Societal and Life-course Perspectives on Inequalities in Aging" this fall semester. The course is arranged in partnership with the Swedish National Graduate School on Ageing and Health (SWEAH, Lund University) and brings together students from various universities throughout Sweden.

The Nordic Health Crises University Network (HealthCrisNet) gathered for its first-ever meeting in Reykjavík, Iceland, from 27–29 August 2025. Established earlier this year with funding from NordForsk, the network brings together universities from across the Nordic region to strengthen preparedness and resilience in the face of health crises.

On 26 September, the Science festival Researchers' Night (ForskarFredag) and the competition Researchers' Grand Prix, will be organised by Vetenskapens hus, KI, Stockholm University and KTH. The audience at Albanova consists mainly of upper secondary school students from Stockholm schools, but the event is open to anyone interested in research.

Researchers from across the Asia-Pacific region met in Jinan, China, on 7–8 June 2025 at the World-Wide FINGERS Network meeting, to share new ideas on how to help prevent dementia and memory loss. Over 50 researchers and students from Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Sweden, and China took part in the event.

The Karolinska ATMP Center — a collaboration between Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Karolinska University Hospital — and St. Erik Eye Hospital have signed a letter of intent to strengthen their partnership in research, development, and clinical trials of cell- and gene-based medicines, known as Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs). The goal is to accelerate the transition from research to clinical application, particularly for retinal diseases that currently lack effective treatments.

When older people have more than one chronic disease at the same time, this is called multimorbidity – a rapidly growing challenge for the healthcare sector as the population ages. In spite of this, multimorbidity has long been ignored in global public health research. A new report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) now turns the spotlight on the problem.

Are you interested in conducting research in Canada? Is your research area within Developmental Health? Are you a postdoctoral researcher or a PhD student soon to defend your thesis?  If so, this might be of interest to you.

This autumn, Karolinska Institutet presents a series of webinars and workshops aimed at deepening researchers and staff members’ understanding of risk management in international collaborations. All sessions are held in English and led by experts in the field.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the 2nd Mats Sundin Postdoctoral Fellowship in Human Developmental Health.

Akademiska Hus and KI have long cooperated on issues concerning sustainability on campus, a partnership that has now been deepened by the signing of a new sustainability agreement. The agreement contains a cooperation model with regular follow-ups and opportunities for staff and students to become involved, creating more favourable conditions for lasting, systematic sustainability efforts.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the 2nd Mats Sundin Postdoctoral Fellowship in Human Developmental Health.

On Thursday afternoon, paediatrician and professor of global paediatric health Tobias Alfvén was asked if Karolinska Institutet could receive a visit from Vietnam's prime minister less than a day later. The answer was yes and the meeting resulted in concrete actions for the future.

Dr. Marcos Rojas, a former exchange student and now a research manager at Stanford Chariot Lab, recently revisited Karolinska Institutet and met with Anna Svenningson at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health. We took the opportunity to ask him how his exchange year almost a decade ago influenced his career and personal development.

NordForsk has recently granted funding to five new research projects aimed at developing sustainable health and care systems for older people in the Nordic region.

The Lancet has announced a new commission aimed at reorienting frailty in clinical practice, public health, and policy. Davide Liborio Vetrano is one of two experts from Karolinska Institutet, who are involved in this important initiative.

The rapid transformation we are now seeing in the healthcare sector brings a growing need for municipally provided health promoting and preventative activities, and, consequently, for research and education. On 3 June, KI signed collaboration agreements with Solna City and Upplands-Bro municipality, marking an important step towards reinforcing such strategic partnerships between the university and local government.

Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center (Karolinska CCC) will be the first center in Sweden to receive renewed accreditation. This milestone marks an important step in further strengthening the collaboration between Karolinska University Hospital and KI. Childhood cancer is now also part of Karolinska CCC.

Biomedicum was transformed into a colourful studio on May 26th when children rolled up their sleeves for a Science Clay Workshop that turned cell biology into art.

Mayo Clinic and Karolinska Institutet are marking 30 years of collaboration by rescheduling their next joint research meeting to Fall 2026, aiming to focus on cutting-edge themes like RNA therapeutics, precision health, and decentralized care. The event will be held at Mayo Clinic’s Jacksonville campus and is designed to reflect the evolving strengths of both institutions.

After cycling 90 kilometres through sunshine, hail and beech forests, Pernilla Alencar Siljehag arrived in Tomelilla with tired legs and a heart full of impressions. Together with the initiator Oskar Jonsson, she has cycled a leg of the tandem tour that takes researchers around southern Sweden to give lectures on ageing and health. She shares her reflections on the conversations along the way, the audience at the library, and why research journeys are sometimes at their best when on two wheels.