Joint elite laboratory fights national disease

The total investment amount for all of the parties involved is the equivalent of at least SEK 50 billion, which makes it the largest investment in Sweden ever. A great majority of this will consist of new buildings, for instance, apartments and the new University Hospital. The Swedish government is providing the laboratory with a little more than SEK 100 million per year over a five-year period in the form of special strategic investments in research environments that the government has particular faith in.

The cooperation between the three universities, is also taking place together with Stockholm Stad, Solna Stad and Stockholm’s County Council, and will, among other things, result in a large-scale analysis as part of the fight against the major diseases, cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

This is what will take place in the Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), a new elite laboratory in genomics with sequencing as its base. The strength lies, for instance, in the joint expertise provided by Karolinska Institutet, KTH and Stockholm University, which together form the world’s 25th largest university in the field of Life Science.

The coordinator of the SciLifeLab is Mathias Uhlén, professor of microbiology at KTH:

“For the first time, we will now be able to build a joint operation between three universities where we will be making serious investments in infrastructure. We are lifting up medical research at Karolinska Institutet, adding KTH’s biotechnology and bio information from Stockholm’s University. The research will be competing with the world’s most outstanding within the field – and we will be going for gold, he says.

This joint effort for a Life Science cluster between KTH, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University is the largest coordinated project so far between Stockholm’s three major universities.

“We see a clear tendency throughout the world regarding the associations between medicine, technology and natural science becoming all the stronger. KTH sees an amazing potential by coming closer to Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet in this joint effort. This is one of our most important efforts by far, says the President of KTH, Peter Gudmundson.

SciLifeLab will start its operations in 2010 and involves an annual investment of approximately SEK 100 million. By next year, the laboratory will have 75 employees and by 2012, approximately 220 employees.

The project of developing the Norra Station area so that it will become the world’s foremost area for Life Science is now going into the investment phase. Other investments that have been decided for the area include the development of Nya Karolinska Solna Universitetssjukhus (the new Karolinska Solna University Hospital), the extension of four Life science areas and the building of Tors Torn, two approximately 140 meter high buildings.

The organisations promoting the investment are operating together through the foundation Stockholm Science City.

More information:

Peter Gudmundson, President of KTH: tel: 08-7907001, rektor@kth.se
Mathias Uhlén, Coordinator of SciLifeLab, professor of microbiology at KTH: 08-55378325, mathias@biotech.kth.se

Christer Gummeson