The grants aim to strengthen the path from academic research to innovation and commercial application in life science.
"The Proof-of-Concept grant provides researchers with powerful support to take the next step toward practical application of their research results. The funding helps to enable early-stage innovation from academic research that can lead to societal benefits," says Sara Mazur, Executive Director of Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
The call for proposals spans several different fields within life science. It covers everything from innovations in environmental science, sustainability, diagnostics, and drug development to research tools, e-health, and industrial biotechnology, making it a powerful tool for accelerating Swedish innovation in the field.
An expert panel appointed by SciLifeLab and Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation evaluates and prioritizes the applications. Decisions on grants are made by the board of Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
Researchers who have previously been awarded grants from the Wallenberg Foundations, as well as those who are part of SciLifeLab, the Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine, or the SciLifeLab & Wallenberg National Program for Data-Driven Life Science (DDLS), are eligible to apply.
"The support from Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation creates important conditions for the development of innovations and ideas that are in an early stage of development and often have difficulty obtaining funding. The projects that have been awarded grants are characterized by three important conditions: a strong scientific basis, high innovation potential, and being at the right stage to take the next step, says Olli Kallioniemi, chair of the expert panel.
Between one and four million Swedish kronor
The projects that have been awarded funding will receive between one and four million Swedish kronor each over a project period of up to two years. In addition to funding, project managers will receive support from the Wallenberg Launch Pad (WALP) team to develop their innovations to commercial maturity.
Knut and Alice Wallenberg announce Proof of Concept grants in three areas: life science, materials science, and AI, quantum technology, or ICT.
Since 2017, a total of 139 Proof-of-Concept grants have been awarded.
The 2026 call for Proof-of-Concept in life science, which will be the fourth in the series, is now open with a deadline for applications on February 20.
Proof-of-Concept grants awarded in the 2025 call
Gonçalo Castelo-Branco, Karolinska Institutet
Cost-effective, Sensitive DNA Methylation Profiling for Single-Cell and Spatial Epigenomics
Ana Teixeira, Karolinska Institutet
Large-scale, high resolution, single-cell mapping of membrane protein nanodomains
Ian Hoffecker, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Meshy Bio: Next gen molecular mapping with spatial networks
Kristina Lundberg, Lund University
Advancing Immuno-Oncological Therapy: Validation of a novel Treg-target for improved efficacy
Vincent Pelechano, Karolinska Institutet
Revolutionizing Antimicrobial Sensitivity Testing with Molecular Phenotypic Readouts
Georgios Sotiriou, Stockholm University
Nanoengineered photoactivated drug-free antimicrobial wound dressings
Henrik Zetterberg, University of Gothenburg
FIND-AD (Finger-prick INnovative Diagnosis for Alzheimer’s Disease)
Klas Modin, Chalmers University of Technology
Ultrasound-based augmented reality for minimally invasive surgery
Mats Nilsson, Stockholm University
inCAFs as a spatial marker of invasiveness in Early-Stage Lung Adenocarcinoma
Jochen Schwenk, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Lossless microsampler - Enabling unprecedented longitudinal analyses
Qiang Pan-Hammarström, Karolinska Institutet
Development of secretory IgA antibodies for antiviral therapy
Contact
Sara Mazur, Executive Director, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
+46 8-545 017 80
[email protected]
Anna Frejd, Communications Manager, SciLifeLab
[email protected]
+46 705-39 00 79
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation was established in 1917. The Foundation’s aim is to benefit Sweden by supporting Swedish basic research and education, primarily in medicine, technology and the natural sciences. This is achieved by awarding grants to excellent researchers, projects and strategic programs.
Almost SEK 42 billion in grants has been awarded since the Foundation was established. In 2025 the yearly grants to excellent basic research and education in Sweden was in total SEK 2.5 billion, making the Foundation the largest private funder of scientific research in Sweden, and one of the largest in Europe.