Swedish Foundations’ Starting Grant to KI researcher Emma Andersson
KI researcher Emma Andersson receives Swedish Foundations' Starting Grant 2019 for research in developmental biology.
Emma Andersson, at the Department of Biosciences and Nutrition and at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, receives a starting grant for her research on how the nervous system controls the development of the liver during the fetal stage and early after birth – with the aim of solving riddles around genetic disorders such as Alagille syndrome. Every year, about 2–3 children in Sweden are born with the incurable disease that can lead to serious liver and heart problems.
“This grant is crucial. It allows us to take a risk we could not take otherwise. And our project ... if I'm right it will change the way we view developmental biology and how our organ systems interact during initial development,” says Emma Andersson.
The Swedish Foundation's Starting Grant is a collaboration between five foundations that fund the most promising researchers at Swedish educational institutions. The recipients represent researchers whose applications for funding from the European Research Council (ERC) have been turned down despite being highly ranked.
The foundations funding the Swedish Foundations’ Starting Grant are; the Erling-Persson Family Foundation, the Kempe Foundations, the Foundation Olle Engkvist Byggmästare, Ragnar Söderberg Foundation and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. Emma Andersson's project is funded by the Ragnar Söderberg Foundation.