Lars Nyberg, Professor of Neuroscience, chef för WCMM i Umeå, director of WCMM Umeå
Lars Nyberg, Professor of Neuroscience, chef för WCMM i Umeå, director of WCMM Umeå

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The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation invests in infection medicine at Umeå University

The Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine (WCMM) in Umeå has been granted SEK 170 million in operational support and another SEK 68 million for recruitments into data-driven Life Science by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

“This is an amazing investment from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation that will further strengthen the activities at the Swedish WCMM centres and hence give them the long-term security needed to accomplish pioneering research breakthroughs. We have the opportunities to make full use of this thanks to the width and strength of our research and education in infection medicine,” says Hans Adolfsson, Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University.

In 2014–2015, the foundation invested SEK 850 million in setting up four Wallenberg Centres for Molecular Medicine (WCMM) in Lund, Gothenburg, Linköping and Umeå. The goal was to strengthen Life Science in Sweden by educating future researchers and heads of research and in thus way guarantee high research standards. The support runs out in 2024 but the continued operational support of a total of SEK 600 million means that the work can continue until 2028.

The financial support is included in a national investment into Life Science in which Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation invests a total of SEK 3.7 billion over twelve years, of which SEK 3.1 billion is an investment aimed particularly at data-driven Life Science. Data-driven Life Science spans across a wide set of fields from cellular and molecular biology to precision medicine and infectious disease medicine. Rapid technological development in Life Science combined with the advancement in data processing and AI is increasingly importance in research and development, and covers nearly all fields of natural sciences and medicine.

“In Umeå, focus lies particularly on infectious medicine and this support provides us with the opportunity to make three further recruitments within infectious disease medicine and infection biology, and one recruitment into precision medicine and diagnostics. These positions include, beside salary to the research fellows, also powerful support that allows further recruitments of staff needed and opportunities to let the research commence immediately. This is an influential investment that allows for international top recruitments to Umeå with focus on data-driven research,” says Professor Lars Nyberg, director of WCMM Umeå.

The investment in infectious disease medicine and infection biology has ties to the ongoing pandemic, but can also be of use in advancing knowledge to deal with future pandemics.Umeå University is home to one of the strongest research environments in Europe: the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), which is a part of the Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine. The endeavours to strengthen WCMM Umeå with three top recruitments in infectious medicine and infection biology will take place in close collaboration with MIMS and aim to further fortify Umeå’s already strong position in the field.

“We are delighted to see infection medicine strengthened further in Umeå, and I look forward to collaborating with WCMM to foster the next generation of talented researchers in this area,” says Professor Oliver Billker, director of MIMS.

The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation’s investment into data-driven Life Science will be positioned in the national infrastructure Science for Life Laboratory. Just over SEK 1 billion has been set aside for 260 doctoral student positions and 210 postdoctoral fellowships that will be advertised in national competition. In addition to this, large resources are also spent on artificial intelligence, bioinformatics and databases.

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Umeå University is one of Sweden's largest institutions of higher learning with over 33,000 students and 4,000 employees. We have a well-established international research profile and a broad range of study options. Our campus constitutes an inspiring environment that encourages interdisciplinary meetings - between students, researchers, teachers and external stakeholders. Through collaboration with other members of society, we contribute to the development and strengthen the quality of our research and education.

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Press contact Kommunikatör Lärarhögskolan, Umeå universitet 0909-786 69 47

Umeå University

Umeå University is one of Sweden's largest universities with over 37,000 students and 4,300 employees. The university is home to a wide range of education programmes and world-class research in a number of fields. Umeå University was also where the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 was discovered – a revolution in gene-technology that was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Founded in 1965, Umeå University is characterised by tradition and stability as well as innovation and change. Education and research on a high international level contributes to new knowledge of global importance, inspired, among other things, by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The university houses creative and innovative people that take on societal challenges. Through long-term collaboration with organisations, trade and industry, and other universities, Umeå University continues to develop northern Sweden as a knowledge region.

The international atmosphere at the university and its unified campus encourages academic meetings, an exchange of ideas and interdisciplinary co-operation. The cohesive environment enables a strong sense of community and a dynamic and open culture in which students and staff rejoice in the success of others.

Campus Umeå and Umeå Arts Campus are only a stone's throw away from Umeå town centre and are situated next to one of Sweden's largest and most well-renowned university hospitals. The university also has campuses in the neighbouring towns Skellefteå and Örnsköldsvik.

At Umeå University, you will also find the highly-ranked Umeå Institute of Design, the environmentally certified Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics and the only architectural school with an artistic orientation – Umeå School of Architecture. The university also hosts a contemporary art museum Bildmuseet and Umeå's science centre – Curiosum. Umeå University is one of Sweden's five national sports universities and hosts an internationally recognised Arctic Research Centre.

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