Three assistant professors at KI receive funding from the Swedish Research Council
Three assistant professors at Karolinska Institutet have been awarded funding as part of the Swedish Research Council’s new initiative on strategic recruitment. The grant aims to strengthen the development of future research leaders and create long-term conditions for research of the highest quality.
The initiative on the strategic recruitment of assistant professors is a government mandate to the Swedish Research Council, with the aim of strengthening Swedish research in the long term. The focus is on recruiting internationally competitive researchers early in their careers and giving them the opportunity to establish independent research.
In the first call for applications, 109 applications were received, of which 22 researchers at 11 higher education institutions were awarded funding following fierce competition.
The assistant professors who receive funding
Antonino Cassotta, assistant professor at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge
Project: Characterisation of myeloma-reactive T cells to develop new adoptive cell therapies for multiple myeloma
Jakob Rostøl, assistant professor
Project: Viral puppeteers – investigation of (pro)phage behaviour in their bacterial hosts
Elisabeth Nyström, assistant professor at the Department of Medicine, Solna
Project: Dynamic regulation of intestinal mucus in gut health and disease
The grant provides funding for five years at assistant senior lecturer level, with the possibility of further support at senior lecturer level following evaluation.
A significant boost for KI
Karolinska Institutet is one of the higher education institutions to have been awarded the most grants under this call for proposals, with three researchers now being recruited or having their roles strengthened.
This initiative is in line with KI’s long-term efforts to attract and retain top international talent and build strong research environments in medicine and health.
By combining recruitment with long-term funding, the conditions are created for groundbreaking research and academic leadership.
Contributing to medical breakthroughs
Investing in researchers early in their careers is crucial to addressing major societal challenges in medicine, such as new treatment methods, a better understanding of diseases and the development of the precision medicine of the future.
The three KI researchers work in different fields within medicine and health and, collectively, help to further strengthen the university’s position as one of the world’s leading medical universities.
More about the call
The Swedish Research Council is Sweden’s largest state research funding body and is awarding a total of 330 million kronor for this initiative for the period 2026–2031.
The programme comprises several calls for proposals during 2026–2027 and is a key part of the work to ensure the supply of expertise and international competitiveness within Swedish research.