Awarded Proof of Concept grants in the 2024 call

The purpose of the Proof of Concept grant (PoC) is to bridge the gap from academic research to innovations. The grant gives researchers the opportunity to develop their early-stage discoveries towards validated methods, products or processes and provides the opportunity to carry out activities that validate and accelerate the development of the project and prepare for innovation and commercialization.

Calls in Life Science, in AI or Quantum technologies and in Materials Science are announced annually.

The KAW Proof of Concept grant is linked to the Wallenberg Launchpad (WALP) mechanism. The first phase of WALP consists of individual coaching sessions for identified candidates, preparing them for the WALP pitch and (potential) grant recommendation. The second phase provides continued support and follow-up meetings from the WALP team during the PoC project.

The grant is paid directly to the researcher's university and the use of the grant must comply with the university's regulations and the specific terms and conditions of the grant as stated by Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.  Eligible to apply are those who have or have had grants from the Wallenberg Foundations and employed at a Swedish university.

A researcher can have maximum two PoC grants parallel at the same time. The same PoC application can be submitted to only one PoC grant call during a given calendar year.

Awarded Proof of Concept grants in the 2024 call of Life Science

Xingqi Chen, Uppsala University
Highly sensitive epigenetic profiling technologies for clinical research

Marie Jeansson, Karolinska Institutet
Therapeutic intervention to slow progression of chronic kidney disease

Johan Ericson, Karolinska Institutet
A therapeutically high-effective ATMP cell product for Parkinson’s disease

Fredrik Swartling, Uppsala University
Soxradicate relapse - a diagnostic tool for brain tumor recurrence

Anna Dimberg, Uppsala University
Vascular targeted AAV-therapy - next generation immunotherapy for cancer

Anna Rising, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
Spinning artificial spider silk yarns and textiles - SINLESS

Pål Stenmark, Stockholm University
Innovative therapeutic toxins for the treatment of neuromuscular disorders

Aman Russom, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
BugSee - enabling truly rapid sepsis diagnostics

Fredrik Lanner, Karolinska Institutet
Establishing clinical scale manufacturing of stem cell derived islets with enhanced purity and functionality for treatment of type-1 diabetes 

Thuy Tran, Karolinska Institutet
Advancing TROP-2 Targeted Theranostics for Metastatic Solid Cancer Treatment