Call for DDLS Industrial PhD Projects 2025

Call for Industrial PhD Projects in Data-driven Life Science

Generic Description of the DDLS PhD Program

The SciLifeLab and Wallenberg National Program for Data-Driven Life Science (DDLS) is a 12-year initiative funded with a total of 3,1 billion SEK from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. The purpose of the program is to recruit and train the next-generation of data-driven life scientists and to create globally leading computational and data science capabilities in life science in Sweden.

DDLS will establish a research school for 260 PhDs, with two components, one focussing on academic PhD students and one for industrial PhD students. The aim of the DDLS Research School is to educate highly skilled and competent professionals who will make a significant contribution to the field of life science research in Sweden.

The industrial PhD students will be employed or recruited to a company in the life science sector in Sweden, aiming to link them up with strong local research environments at universities as well as with the national DDLS program. The admission process and training will take place at the participating Universities. Please note that research institutes and various types of state, regional, municipal works and bodies do not count as industry and therefore cannot receive funding from the program. The industrial partners/companies must be based in Sweden, have a significant activity in Sweden (such that the project benefits Sweden in the long-term) and adhere to Swedish laws and regulations.

As the PhD candidates are admitted to a host University in Sweden, they will be enrolled as members of the DDLS Research School and are expected to take part in the DDLS Research School activities (networking events, courses, scientific visits, etc.).

The DDLS program will focus on four strategic areas of data-driven research: cell and molecular biology, evolution and biodiversity, precision medicine and diagnostics, epidemiology and biology of infection.

We are now launching a competitive grant call for the supervisors to suggest exciting data-driven research projects and training opportunities for PhD students in the four strategic areas of data-driven life science. In the 2024 call, 8 industrial PhD projects will be awarded (each with a main supervisor at a university and co-supervisors in the industry).

What is Data-driven life science?

Data-driven life science is a field of research that focuses on using data, computational methods and artificial intelligence to study biological systems and processes. This approach can include assembling, sharing, integration and advanced analysis of large amounts of data from diverse sources, including experiments, observations, and simulations, in order to gain a better understanding of how living organisms function.

For a PhD project to be considered data-driven it has to have a clear data science component such as the use of advanced data analysis techniques, from statistics to machine learning involving either method development or novel application of data science methods to life science problems. Projects that only involve laboratory research or that depend solely on the acquisition of large amounts of new biological data from e.g. laboratory experiments or patient materials will not be given priority. However, laboratory research to validate and extend data-driven insights can be included.

Role of the DDLS Research School

The focus of the research school is to engage the students with a national network and in annual network activities. The DDLS Research School will complement already existing graduate schools and other training activities at the universities. Specific national DDLS Research School courses will be provided to assure that the students will at the end of their education have proficiency in data handling and analysis, integration of multidisciplinary knowledge and ethics. The students will also have access to a plethora of other training events and courses arranged by the SciLifeLab Training Hub.

Requirements

Project proposals in the four DDLS research areas are welcome. The funded projects should be in line with the DDLS strategy and have a novel and original data-driven perspective, be of high scientific quality and combine the life science and data science topics and provide an excellent training environment. One main academic supervisor, one industrial co-supervisor and one deputy industrial supervisor must be presented in the project application. The main academic supervisor must have a primary employment at a Swedish university during the suggested PhD period and the two industrial co-supervisors must also have a secured employment (min 80% each) during the suggested PhD period at the company. The company should be financially sufficiently stable to take the responsibility for the doctoral student over several years and possess enough scientific competence to contribute to and benefit from the knowledge gained in the project. The supervisors, as project applicants, are responsible and expected to advise the industrial PhD student throughout the PhD period.

The call is open to all researchers in Sweden who can act as a main supervisor or a co-supervisor for a PhD student. The same applicant can be the main supervisor in only one academic and one industrial project, but they can also act as co-supervisors in applications by other PIs. DDLS fellows can apply to the call for DDLS industrial PhD projects as main supervisor.

Researchers that were granted funding as main supervisors in the 2023 DDLS industrial PhD project call are not eligible to apply as main supervisors for industrial PhD project in the current call. They may, however, apply as co-supervisors for academic and industrial PhD projects in the current call, and they may also apply as main supervisors for academic PhD projects (see the Call for DDLS Academic PhD Projects for details).

Project participants (supervisors and students) are expected to be active contributors and participants in the national DDLS community events, training activities, seminars, and symposia organized by the DDLS Research School.

The selected industrial PhD students will be employed by the company at least 80% of full time, and the company is responsible for any necessary co-funding which should be ensured by a letter of commitment from the company. The industrial doctoral student does not need to be identified at the time of application but must be admitted to the industrial doctoral program and be employed at the company before the start of this project.

Required Documents

Please note that it is important not to exceed the page limitation for the respective part as indicated in the template (Project proposal, 3 pages; Description of the research and training environment, 1 page; CV of the main supervisor 2 pages + 1 page of 10 top publications; CV of the co-supervisor(s) 1 page each). Not adhering to the page limitations will affect the evaluation of your application. Use the template provided in the application system.

Letters of commitments from both the Head of Department of the academic main supervisor and the research director (or equivalent) of the company.
CV of the academic main supervisor (max 2 pages + 1 page top 10 publications)
CV of the industrial co-supervisor, including the industrial deputy co-supervisor (max 2 pages + 1 page top 10 publications)
CV of the academic or additional industrial co-supervisor(s) (if applicable) (max 1 page per co-supervisor)
Research project proposal: (max 3 pages). Describe the field of research and the central questions, include the specific aims of the suggested PhD project, the material and methods, data analysis and computational approaches as well as the contributions from the team of supervisors. Indicate what additional costs are encountered in the project and how such costs will be covered from other funding sources. Indicate why this project together with the main supervisor and the co-supervisors are ideal to promote the goals of the DDLS and the specific DDLS research area, both in terms of research questions and the training of next-generation life scientists.
Description of the research and training environment
- (max 1 page), including the following: what is the local research environment of the main supervisor (laboratory, department, faculty, university) and the environment and input that the company co-supervisors provide. Describe how the team of supervisors will collaborate and the training plan for the PhD student. Describe any local graduate school/doctoral program the student will be affiliated with and how this could provide synergistic benefits.

Evaluation Process and Decisions

Project proposals and supervisors are evaluated and ranked by international and national reviewers. Projects are evaluated according to defined DDLS criteria:

Scientific quality of the project
Merits of the applicant and co-applicants (scientific and training)
Fit and contribution of the project to the DDLS program
Impact for the industry
Quality of the supervision plan and the training environment

We will also consider inclusiveness and diversity.

Decisions

The projects will be evaluated by an international evaluation committee and the final decision of funding will be made by the SciLifeLab Board. In the 2024 call, we will select 8 projects. No written feedback will be provided. The accepted supervisor(s) are then eligible to be part in the next step, the selection of the PhD students. The supervisors(s) are then also invited to take part in the activities of the DDLS program, the DDLS Research School and contribute to associated training events.

The next steps in the process will be provided later on, but are briefly described here for completeness.

PhD Student Selection: International Announcement of All Positions

The industrial PhD supervisors are welcome to announce the recruitment via a joint international announcement coordinated by SciLifeLab. However existing employees of the industry can also apply to these PhD student positions.

Application Process of the PhD student candidates

The PhD student candidates will submit their applications to the respective university, according to the local application instructions. The candidates can apply to multiple positions but will need to file each application separately at each university.

Evaluation of the PhD Candidates

All supervisors with approved projects can start the recruitment process of their PhD candidate at their local department and company according to the timelines set by the DDLS program. The purpose of the joint timelines is to promote the national aspect of the program.

During the recruitment process at each department with granted supervisors, a DDLS representative is recommended to be present at the interviews but will not participate in selecting the PhD candidates.

The role of the DDLS representative during the interviews is to support the recruitment process and ensure that the candidates meet the overall requirements of the DDLS program and the DDLS Research School. A one-page description of the selection process, including a summary of the main applicants from the call is requested by the DDLS Program Office. After approval by the DDLS Program Director or the DDLS Research School Director, the selected candidates will be eligible for funding.

Conditions for Funding

The DDLS program finances both 4-year full-time PhD positions as well as positions for 5 years at an 80% effort. It is currently expected that 8 industrial projects/PhD positions will be awarded in 2024. The main supervisors of the approved projects, will be asked to sign an agreement containing the Terms and Conditions of the suggested DDLS funding. The granted funds will not be available until the PhD student is recruited by the company. The incurred project costs will be requisitioned according to the funding conditions for all DDLS activities.

The company and the academic supervisors also need to have an agreement regarding IP-rights. This agreement has to be signed and sent to the DDLS Program Office.

Financial Information

The grants will be funded by KAW. The company where the industrial PhD student is/will be employed is responsible for any necessary co-funding needed for each project.
2,5 MSEK total KAW funding is dedicated for salaries and indirect costs for the employer of the industrial PhD student
750 KSEK total KAW funding is dedicated to the university for supervision of industrial PhD student for the action period.
A maximum of 20% of the amount granted by KAW can be allocated for premises and indirect costs (overhead).
There is also a maximum coverage of 52,5% for LKP (payroll overhead) on personnel costs.
The employer of the Industrial PhD student will send invoices, excluding VAT, to the university responsible for the student’s admission on a semi-annual basis. Once all costs associated with the Industrial PhD project have been registered in the hosting university’s accounting system, they will then issue semi-annual requisitions to KTH/SciLifeLab.
The academic organization will coordinate the financial processes with the employer of the Industrial PhD student and also will send the final requisitions to KTH. KTH/SciLifeLab will send detailed information about these financial process flows and reporting templates at a later stage.

Call for projects (October 1 – November 15)

Timelines for Selection of Projects (November 2024 – January 2025)

Evaluation (November – January)
List of selected projects (February)

Timelines for Selection of PhD Students (March – June 2025)

Announcement of the positions (February 2025)
Evaluation of the applications (March-April)
Interviews (end of April)
List of selected industrial PhD students – offer and acceptance (May)
Start of the individual projects (October or upon agreement between supervisors and PhD student, preferably not later than October)

Apply here

Deadline: November 15 2024, 15:00 CET

For further questions, please contact: ddls-rs@scilifelab.se