Well-Deserved Wins for Swedish Scientists, But Growing Pressure on Fundamental Research
Congratulations to all recipients of this year’s Vetenskapsrådet / Swedish Research Council grants in Natural Sciences and Engineering Sciences! The competition was tougher than ever, not because the funding shrank, but because the number of excellent proposals keeps growing. In five years, the number of applicants rose by nearly 200. The success rate dropped from 24% to 18%. Are we simply too many researchers chasing too few grants? My answer is no. The system isn’t overcrowded, it’s misaligned. I explain why in my latest blog post |
Swedish Research Council awards 155 million Swedish crowns to KTH research
A total of 36 researchers at KTH will receive 155 million Swedish crowns in grants from the Swedish Research Council's major distribution within natural sciences and technology. The KTH projects receiving funding cover everything from biological medicines and energy trading to post-quantum cryptographic algorithms and light sails for spacecraft .
Funding granted for the following researchers at SCI:
-
Shervin Bagheri – Biofilm morphology and growth in flows
-
Klaus Kröncke – Positive mass and stability for asymptotically hyperbolic manifolds
-
Mark Pearce – X-ray polarimetry – seeing compact celestial objects in a new light
-
Lisa Prahl Wittberg – Better indicators for reduced risk of clotting in medical components
-
Romain Rumpler – ARTEMIS: physics-driven inverse modelling of tunable engineered materials for sub-wavelength control of sound and vibration
-
David Rydh – Beyond good module rooms
-
Kian Shaker – Open intelligent technology for sustainable lung X-rays
-
Outi Tammisola – Control of elasto-inertial turbulence
-
Jerker Widengren – Fluorescence-based imaging and flow measurements of transient molecular interactions in cells and vesicles
-
Elias Zea – Dispersive boostlets: Dispersion-aware basis functions for multiscale wave propagation in space-time
-
Björn Önfelt – Workflow for evaluating immune responses at the single-cell level
Read more | | |
Referral: New sustainability goals for KTH You now have the chance to submit your comments on the proposed new sustainability goals for KTH for 2026–2030 and climate goals for 2045. The proposal has been developed in collaboration with faculties, operational support, researchers, student unions and other relevant groups. Please send your comments to ledningsstod-sci@kth.se by 15 November.
Förslag på hållbarhetsmål för perioden 2026-2030/2045 (SWE) | | |
Agresso financial system closed on 18-19 November This will affect, among other things, the electronic invoice management system EFH. The system will be shut down on Tuesday, 18 November at 5 p.m. and will remain closed throughout Wednesday, 19 November.
| | | | | | |
Spice up your research communication
Early career researchers within climate,
sustainability and energy: make your science interesting to a broader audience.
Join a workshop with researcher Elina Charatsidou (she knows how!). Stories, case studies, and
interactive discussions to help you share your research and get impact.
Organizer: KTH Climate Action Centre.
Workshop, 19 February | | | | | Visualise your research data
Do you want to improve the figures of your next article or presentation? Welcome to a workshop on how to visualise different types of research data in various contexts.
Fri 2025-11-07 12.30 - 14.00
| | | | | | Register for the Storträffen
Meetup December 1
The main theme at Storträffen autumn Meetup is Education
with and without AI (Utbildning med och utan AI). In the registration form you
can sign up for discussion themes. The most popular topics
will be included in the programme.
Register here by 20 November | | | | Fika Chat on recommendation of AI use in KTH’s teaching | What educational philosophy guides a recipient of KTH’s Pedagogical Prize 2024 and what is his view on the teacher role? Rodrigo Muro in a talk (in English) with Marcus Lithander and Daniel Koch Links to Fika Chat podcast #67
| | | | KTH Open Lecture: The future of nuclear power – small and advanced reactors
|
Welcome to a digital open lecture with Professor Pär Olsson, where you’ll learn about research on next-generation nuclear reactors.
Pär Olsson will discuss the development of future reactors designed to reuse fuel and produce both electricity and heat, supporting society and industry on their path toward sustainability.
Please note that the lecture will be held in Swedish.
| | | | | | | |
Building community – the Unite! way
How can universities strengthen belonging, collaboration and engagement among staff? Wroclaw Tech shares their best ideas – and we invite you to join the conversation! This event is for both faculty and administrative staff.
Date: 18 November, 1–2 pm (CET)
Networking hub, 18 November | | Book your ticket to the
KTH Christmas Concert
Get into Christmas mood by attending the traditional KTH Christmas
Concert! You can look forward to Christmas songs and a traditional candlelit
Lucia procession.
Place: Kungasalen at KMH (Royal College of Music).
Date: 2 December, at 5 pm or 7 pm.
Book concert tickets | | | |
Welcome to KTH Japan DayKTH Japan Day is an evening event for anyone interested in KTH’s collaborations with Japan. Learn about research collaborations with the University of Tokyo, get updated on Horizon Europe and the ASPIRE project and enjoy Japanese cuisine. The President of KTH and the Japanese Ambassador to Sweden will attend, together with representatives from Japanese companies. Sign up by 15 November. | | | | | | Public defences of doctoral theses, licenciate seminars and docent lectures
| | |
Reminder: Take five minutes and help shape the image of KTH In preparation for KTH's 200 anniversary, we need to gain a clearer understanding of how KTH is perceived, to help us develop our communication. Surveys will be conducted in October–November both internally and externally. They are part of our efforts to create communication that reflects KTH’s vision and goals. Your response is an important contribution! The survey takes about 5 minutes to complete, the response is anonymous and you can choose to respond in Swedish or English.
Please answer the survey here
| | |
Ulrica Edlund, Professor of Polymer Technology, CBH. Photo: Jon Lindhe | |
Being a faculty member on the University BoardIt will soon be time to nominate new candidates for the role of faculty member on the University Board. Professor Ulrica Edlund is completing her term as elected faculty member on the University Board and shares the experiences her assignment has given her. “It’s so worth the time you put in” | | | | In a shifting world, Europe looks to Asia
President Anders Söderholm reflects on Europe’s growing turn toward Asia after visits to China, South Korea and Japan. He highlights both the expanding opportunities for collaboration and the need for awareness of the shifting geopolitical landscape.
Read the blog post | | | | Next newsletter
Submit your tips by Tuesday, 18 November at 13.00 | | | | |
