SciLifeLab Anubis

The DDLS Research School (RS) opens a call for courses in topics of relevance for data-driven life science research. The call is open to any researcher with an affiliation to a Swedish university. Here we ask for courses to be given in 2027.

In this call, the Drug Discovery and Development Platform (DDD) at SciLifeLab is looking for new project proposals for drug discovery. DDD supports a project portfolio consisting of about 20 programs and we foresee a need to replenish our portfolio with 3-5 new programs this year. We are interested in programs with defined targets for diseases with medical needs. Therapeutic ideas based on technologies that can be extended to other targets and/or other indications are of special interest, i.e. therapeutic platform technologies, as are projects to develop therapeutic molecules with innovative mode-of-actions (e.g., targeted delivery or new modes-of-action for antisense oligonucleotides, small molecules, antibodies and/or proximity-inducers). Moreover, we are also specifically looking for small molecule projects.

Aim and scope This call is part of the PALS initiative, supported by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
With this call, PALS wants to support and promote scientific interactions between fellows from the different PALS programs and/or from different centers. The supported collaborations can involve research or other related activities in all areas of the different programs such as molecular medicine or different areas of life science and can be technology-driven or data-driven projects from fundamental, preclinical, translational, and clinical scientists.
The supported collaborations, either a research project or an event in Sweden, organized and coordinated jointly by the fellows, should:

• add novelty
• be innovative and cross-disciplinary
• aim for either or several of the following: technology development, knowledge transfer, data transfer This annual call will support collaborations with funding in a span between 100.000 and 500.000 SEK (including indirect costs), the total annual sum awarded is 2.7 MSEK. KAW only reimburses operating costs (“drift”) and overhead (if any, and max 20%).

Who can apply? The call is open for fellows, associated fellows and fellow alumni in the PALS community (WCMM, DDLS, SciLifeLab, MIMS, WIFORCE) and can also involve a collaborator as co-applicant from SciLifeLab's infrastructure. The proposed project needs to involve two or three applicants, representing either at least two different PALS programs (DDLS, SciLifeLab, WCMM, MIMS or WIFORCE) or SciLifeLab infrastructure, or at least two different universities or organisations connected to the programs (KTH, LU, GU, UMU, LIU, KI, UU, SU, Chalmers, NRM and SLU). Priority will be given to new collaborations (as compared to already existing). Each applicant needs to be actively involved in the project, the main applicant is the administrative person who is responsible for submitting the application and communication with co-applicants. The funding will be paid out to each project partner (applicant and co-applicant/s) separately, the funding can only be paid to an organisation connected to the program via requisition. An applicant can be part of max. 2 applications (main or co-applicant).

Project period The project period is January 1st-December 31st, 2027, the reporting and requisition is made in February 2028. Reporting templates will be provided.
Selected projects are expected to be presented at the PALS meeting during the project period (annual PALS meeting 2027), and the project results at the PALS meeting after the project period, in 2028. Information about the funded projects will be published at palsnetwork.se.

Evaluation criteria Applications will be evaluated according to the assessment of the combination of the following criteria:

• Scientific quality and potential for novelty and originality
• Multi-disciplinary or translational approach
• Potential future or long-term impact
• Potential synergies in the planned collaboration
• Merit of ideas and alignment with the goals of PALS

For events we also consider:

• Clear impact for the PALS community
• Clear aim of the event

We will also consider:

• If the project establishes a new collaboration
• If the project plan aligns with the scope of the call with regards to project time (12 months) and requested funding
• Open science and data sharing aspects
• Industrial and societal relevance
• Complementarity of the applications (for example, gender balance, career stage, geographical distribution and project topic)
• Clear and active involvement of all partners
• When submitting a joint application with a co-applicant from SciLifeLab infrastructure is submitted, the co-applicant must be actively involved in the research project. It is not sufficient for an individual fellow to apply only for access to an infrastructure service ( as a user).

Applicants should keep in mind that, due to the broad range of research areas and disciplines within the PALS program, the evaluators may not be experts in the specific field of the proposed project. Therefore, it is important to write the proposal accordingly, ensuring that a general expert can understand the research idea.

Nomination for SciLifeLab Group Leaders 2026

• There is one (1) nomination period per year.

• The nomination is for a 4-year term. The group leader status is re-evaluated every four years to ensure that the criteria continue to be met.

• Nominations are submitted individually, either by a candidate directly (self-nomination) or following invitation by a SciLifeLab founding university or site committee member. Nominees are strongly encouraged to discuss their application with their respective Scientific Director/Integration Director (KI, KTH, SU, UU) or Site Directors (SciLiteLab Site Linköping, Lund, Gothenburg or Umeå), and the application should be submitted with support from the Head of Department

• The applicant must provide examples on concrete contributions to SciLifeLab´s activities (not to SciLifeLab:s strategic objectives in general). Example contributions are given in the SciLifeLab Group Leader Principles & Guidelines document (https://www.scilifelab.se/research/group-leader-definition/#h-definition.) Contributions within all five areas of SciLifeLab:s objectives are not required.

• A current position as SciLifeLab or DDLS Fellow, Platform Director, Platform Co-Director, or Head of Unit automatically includes the SciLifeLab Group Leader status, and therefore these individuals do not need to be nominated if their roles or assignments are in force (re-evaluation every 4-years still applies).

• Pre-screening and initial selection are conducted by SciLifeLab university and site committees.

• The SciLifeLab Strategic Management group evaluate and prepare a recommendation to the SciLifeLab Board, which makes the final decision.

• SciLifeLab aim for a minimum of 40% applications and approved nominations from the underrepresented gender

• Approved nominations are publicly announced on the SciLifeLab website.

All SciLifeLab Group Leader data (such as publications and other contributions) will be made public if the nomination is approved, and data will be used for web profile pages. It is the responsibility of the applicants to provide exact information.

If you have any questions regarding the nomination process for SciLifeLab Group Leaders, please contact nomination@scilifelab.se. More information about the SciLifeLab Group Leader definition can be found here: https://www.scilifelab.se/research/group-leader-definition/.

DDLS and WASP have a strong ambition to form solid collaborations by bridging the gap between the scientific disciplines of DDLS and WASP respectively. The Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation has earmarked funding for such collaborations in their donations to both these programs. To amplify their collaboration, DDLS and WASP announce a third call for proposals for bridging research projects.

This call is open only for the infrastructure units of SciLifeLab.

This call aims to provide funding for research investigating the human and social challenges of data-driven strategies developed and applied within the life sciences. The research should aim to increase the understanding of how using artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, and data-driven methodologies has effects and consequences in the life sciences, medicine, and/or society.