The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation has announced new Proof-of-Concept grants in three strategic areas – life science, materials science, and AI, quantum technologies or ICT – with a strong focus on turning Swedish academic breakthroughs into innovations that benefit patients, industry and society. In the 2026 call, ten life science innovation projects have been selected through SciLifeLab’s Proof-of-Concept program, while seven projects in AI, quantum technologies and ICT receive parallel support through a dedicated deep-tech call.

“The program has become a powerful tool for supporting the path from academic research to societal impact. The projects funded this year represent some of the most promising translational opportunities emerging from Swedish life science research, with the potential to address important needs in health, sustainability, and biotechnology,” says Sara Mazur, Executive Director of Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. An expert panel appointed by SciLifeLab and the Foundation evaluates and prioritizes the applications, with final funding decisions made by the Foundation’s board.

Olli Kallioniemi, Chair of the Expert Panel, underlines the importance of closing the gap between discovery and implementation. “Without targeted support, excellent science and transformative ideas risk being lost in the gap between discovery and real-world implementation. The Proof-of-Concept program helps bridge this gap by providing researchers with the funding, guidance, and expertise needed to validate, mature, and de-risk their innovations,” he says.

Since the launch of the Proof-of-Concept program in 2017, a total of 158 projects have been granted between one and four million Swedish kronor each, with project periods of up to two years and access to commercialization support from the Wallenberg Launch Pad (WALP) team. Researchers who have previously received funding from the Wallenberg Foundations, as well as those affiliated with SciLifeLab, the Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine, or the SciLifeLab & Wallenberg National Program for Data-Driven Life Science (DDLS), are eligible to apply.

Life science projects: from precision diagnostics to advanced biomaterials

The ten life science projects funded in the 2026 call illustrate the breadth of Swedish translational research, spanning precision diagnostics, novel therapeutics, enabling research tools and advanced biomaterials. Among them are radiopharmaceuticals for precision cancer imaging, innovative platforms for clinical epigenomics, new strategies against antibiotic-resistant infections, and disruptive diagnostic concepts for stroke and neurodegenerative disease.

Awarded projects include NK1R-targeted radiopharmaceuticals for precision imaging and radiotherapy (Marika Nestor, Uppsala University), a Transposome-based Ligase platform for clinical epigenomics (Gonçalo Castelo-Branco, Karolinska Institutet), and iCURE, a small molecule FPR1 agonist approach to boosting innate immunity against antibiotic-resistant bacteria (Johan Bylund, University of Gothenburg). Other initiatives target viral oncogenesis, rapid blood-based stroke diagnostics, noninvasive molecular readouts of immune-mediated lung disease, and NEOantigen discovery for precision immunotherapy.

Further projects explore novel therapeutic strategies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, microfluidic platforms for predictive screening of oral nanomedicines, and advanced bioinks based on ECM-mimicking microfibers in degradable hyaluronan hydrogels. Collectively, the portfolio reflects a strong emphasis on clinically relevant innovation with clear routes toward industrial biotechnology, medtech and pharma applications.

AI, quantum technologies and ICT: deep-tech enablers for future healthcare and industry

In parallel, seven innovation projects in AI, quantum technologies and ICT have been granted Proof-of-Concept funding, in collaboration with national initiatives such as WASP and WACQT. These projects aim to translate cutting-edge hardware and software concepts into scalable solutions that can underpin future data-driven healthcare, secure communications and advanced industrial systems.

The funded portfolio includes hybrid quantum amplifiers (Erik Lind, Lund University), compact chip-scale optical amplifiers and tunable lasers based on nonlinear photonics (Peter Andrekson, Chalmers University of Technology), and AI-native sensor simulation tools for robotics (Lennart Svensson, Chalmers University of Technology). Other projects advance AI-guided stroke identification (Ozan Öktem, KTH Royal Institute of Technology), solid-state qubits for quantum communications (Igor Abrikosov, Linköping University), frequency-tuned qubits for scalable quantum processors (Andreas Nylander, Chalmers University of Technology), and travelling wave parametric amplifiers based on non-linear kinetic inductance operating at 4K (Simone Gasparinetti, Chalmers University of Technology).

By supporting early-stage validation of these deep-tech concepts, the Foundation aims to accelerate their development toward pre-commercial demonstrators and future industrial deployments, including applications in secure communication, high-performance computing, advanced imaging and next-generation medical technologies.

Next call and long-term vision

The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation’s Proof-of-Concept scheme is part of a wider, long-term commitment to Swedish research and innovation, which also includes major programs in data-driven life science and quantum technologies hosted at SciLifeLab and Swedish universities. Next year’s call for Proof-of-Concept grants will open on January 7, 2027, continuing to offer researchers 1–4 million SEK over up to two years to advance their discoveries toward commercial or clinical application, supported by WALP coaching and national innovation ecosystems.

For Nordic stakeholders, the combined funding to life science and AI/quantum/ICT projects underscores Sweden’s strategic ambition: to couple world-class basic research with structured translational support, ensuring that breakthrough ideas in biology, medicine and deep tech can mature into solutions for healthcare, sustainability and industrial competitiveness.

Proof-of-Concept grants awarded in the 2026 call

Marika Nestor, Uppsala University
NK1R-targeted radiopharmaceuticals for precision imaging and radiotherapy

Gonçalo Castelo-Branco, Karolinska Institutet
Transposome-based Ligase (TbL) for clinical epigenomics

Johan Bylund, University of Gothenburg 
iCURE – Small Molecule FPR1 Agonists: Boosting the Innate Immune System to Treat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Infections

Sjoerd Wanrooij, Umeå University
A Precision DNA-Based Tool to Switch Off Epstein–Barr Virus Genes in Brain Lymphoma

Tara Stanne, University of Gothenburg 
New, rapid blood test for improved stroke diagnostics: Toward a ‘Troponin of the Brain’

My Hedhammar, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
HA-FN-silk: A viable and GMP-compliant bioink using ECM-mimicking microfibers in a degradable hyaluronan hydrogel

Joan Camunas-Soler, University of Gothenburg
A noninvasive molecular platform for early detection of immune-mediated lung disease

Janne Lehtiö, Karolinska Institutet
NEO-SCOPE: NEOantigen discovery at full genomic SCOPE for precision immunotherapy

Ulrika Wilhelmsson, University of  Gothenburg
Novel therapeutic strategy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Alexandra Teleki, Uppsala University
IntesTiny: A Microfluidic Platform for Predictive Screening of Oral Nanomedicines

Awarded Proof-of-Concept grants in AI, quantum technology or ICT in the 2026 call

Guilherme Barreto Xavier, Linköping University
A Compact High-Dimensional Certifiable Quantum Random Number Generator

Ali Elshaari, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Hybrid 2D–3D Programmable Photonic Processors for Scalable Quantum and Optical Information Processing

Mats Granath, University of Gothenburg
Real-Time AI Decoders for Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing

Laszlo Veisz, Umeå University
Artificial Intelligence-based Control of High-Peak-Power Laser Systems

Martin Monperrus, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Sustainable Inference Usage in Agentic Coding Platforms

Johanna Björklund, Umeå University
MSynth: Scalable Synthetic Data Generation for Multimodal AI

Daniel Persson, Chalmers University of Technology 
AI-Assisted Ultrasound Guidance for Scalable Medical Training