New National Center for Molecular Medicine to land in Sweden

An international panel of experts rewieved the applications, winnowing the applications down to Lund and Umeå as the top two candidates. After a complementary hearing, the involvement and long-term commitment of Umeå University and its close connections with EMBL made the difference.

Swedish research to be strengthened

The aim of this new initiative is to strengthen Swedish research and enhance the dynamics in the field of molecular medicine, partly by promoting the career opportunities for young scientists. Ultimately the goal is for the laboratory to serve as a Swedish node in the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, EMBL. For the coming years the Swedish Research Council has allocated € 8.5 million to be distributed in 2007-2010. Umeå University will contribute some € 10 million.

Infectious medicine in focus

The laboratory now being set up will place its emphasis on the field of molecular infectious medicine. The consortium behind the Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, UCMR, consists of researchers active in the fields of microbiology, molecular biology, chemistry, and physics. The research teams working at the Centre have been successful in the development of vaccines, among other work.

The panel of experts writes: “The potential for scientific renewal in relation to this field is high as well as the potential to build a highly dynamic laboratory. This application comes from one of the very best places to study bacterial pathogenesis in Europe. In summary, this is an outstanding proposal.”

Contact
Lars Börjesson, secretary general, Committee of Research Infrastructures, KFI, phone: +46 (0)8-546 44 109
Lena Gustafsson, deputy director general, VINNOVA, phone: +46 (0)8-473 30 03
Camilla Jakobsson, PR manager, Committee of Research Infrastructures, KFI, phone: +46 (0)8-546 44 336