Swedish Research Council awards KI nearly 600 MSEK in three calls
The Swedish Research Council has made decisions on three calls for proposals under which researchers at Karolinska Institutet will receive grants in 2026. In the field of medicine and health, KI has been awarded 106 grants totalling nearly 563 million kronor. KI has also been awarded three grants totalling nearly 14 million kronor in the natural and engineering sciences, as well as two grants totalling just over 20 million kronor in accessibility to infrastructure
In total, the Swedish Research Council is allocating nearly 1.18 billion Swedish kronor in medicine and health for the years 2026–2031. Of the 229 grants awarded, 106 go to Karolinska Institutet, corresponding to just over 46 per cent, with a total amount of 562,599,087 kronor, or approximately 48 per cent of the allocation.
The decision covers six types of grants: project grants and start-up grants in medicine and health; consolidator grants in precision medicine; project grants for the development of methods to replace, reduce and refine animal testing (3Rs); grants for research time in a clinical setting; and network grants for collaboration with the USA in cancer research.
The largest category of grants is project grants in medicine and health. A total of 174 out of 1,103 applications were approved in this category, corresponding to an approval rate of 16 per cent. In total, nearly 883 MSEK (million Swedish kronor) is allocated under this grant category. Of the project grants awarded, 79 have been awarded to researchers at Karolinska Institutet, who will collectively receive just over 409 MSEK.
For the start-up grants, 30 out of 300 applications were successful, representing an approval rate of 10 per cent. Of the 30 grants awarded, 17 have gone to researchers at Karolinska Institutet, totalling 102 MSEK. This means that KI accounts for 57 per cent of the start-up grants awarded in terms of number.
Seven consolidation grants totalling 68 MSEK were awarded in the field of precision medicine, corresponding to eight per cent of the applications. Of these seven, three went to KI researchers, each of whom received 10 MSEK.
Three grants in natural and engineering sciences
The Swedish Research Council has taken a decision on two calls for proposals in the natural and engineering sciences for 2026. A total of SEK 1.26 billion has been awarded for the years 2027–2030. The decision covers project grants and establishment grants.
Karolinska Institutet has been awarded three grants – one project grant and two start-up grants – totalling 13.9 MSEK.
For project grants, the approval rate is 16 per cent, whilst 9 per cent of applications for start-up grants are approved.
Two grants in accessibility to infrastructure
The Swedish Research Council has also decided on grants for making research infrastructure accessible. A total of 70 MSEK will be allocated to eight research projects during the period 2026–2028. Two of these are led by researchers at KI, who together have been awarded just over 20.4 MSEK.