Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation & SciLifeLab Proof of Concept Grant 2026 opens in January
Early next year, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation & SciLifeLab Proof of Concept Grant opens for applications. This will be the fourth round of financial and coaching support through this instrument. The aim of the grant is to support goal-oriented Swedish life science projects that advance academic discoveries into innovations and products.
On January 13 the 2026 call for Proof of Concept grants will open for applications. The deadline to apply is February 20, 2026. For further information about the upcoming call, see >>
The purpose of the Proof of Concept grant is to bridge the gap from academic research to innovations in life science. 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 commercialization.
“The support provided by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation helps ensure that the scientific breakthroughs generated by the Swedish life science community can evolve into future innovations. Proof-of-concept funding fills a critical missing part in the path towards societal benefit: it is typically too translational for most academic grants, while still too early and risky for private investment. This funding allows project teams to generate key data needed to validate and de-risk a discovery, understand user and society needs, strengthen intellectual property, and build the teams required for further development. In this way, the program helps more ideas cross the ‘valley of death’ between research results and real-world use,” says Olli Kallioniemi, chair of the evaluation panel.
Successful applicants will, in addition to funding, also receive support from Wallenberg Launch Pad (WALP) to mature their innovation toward commercialization.
“With the Proof of Concept grant, we empower researchers to take the steps necessary to turn scientific insights into benefits for society. This support helps transform promising ideas into innovations with real potential for impact. The Wallenberg Launch Pad is a crucial component for realizing that” says Lilian Wikström, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
More information about Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation & SciLifeLab Proof of Concept Grant >>
