SciLifeLab proposals for the research bill

SciLifeLab has submitted a suggestion to the Government for the upcoming research bill. SciLifeLab, as a strategic national research infrastructure in the life sciences, is in a unique position to continue to contribute to Sweden’s ability to conduct internationally competitive research and innovation with its broad repertoire of advanced technologies, technology experts, and excellent researchers.

It is SciLifeLab’s strongest recommendation to the government to ensure the continuous development of SciLifeLab. This requires:

• Long-term funding and governmental engagement for national research infrastructure and their development as central resources for excellent research, innovation and societal benefit.
• Accelerated and expanded capacity for open science in data and AI-driven life science in Sweden
• Continued investment in the strategic research funds (SFO) for molecular biosciences, with a clear connection to SciLifeLab’s infrastructure.
• Regulations that facilitate international recruitment and attractive career paths to attract and retain Swedish research expertise on the international market.

”SciLifeLab has the capacity to contribute to the current exponential technology development within life science including integrating artificial intelligence, and is, through earned international and national trust, an attractive part of collaborations addressing great challenges,” says Mia Phillipson, Co-Director, SciLifeLab.

An increased investment in SciLifeLab enables successful, internationally competitive research in life sciences for the benefit of Sweden as a research nation, but also for other sectors in society. Through focused efforts, SciLifeLab has today established national programs for pandemic laboratory preparedness, precision medicine, and planetary biology, as well as the development of drug candidates.

To further develop these programs, SciLifeLab has proposed to the Swedish Government to:
• Establish a national platform for the discovery and validation of biomarkers (Biomarker Discovery and Development Platform, BDD) at SciLifeLab, to increase Sweden’s international competitiveness in precision medicine.
• Consolidate SciLifeLab’s national program for pandemic laboratory preparedness to contribute during future pandemics.
• Expand SciLifeLab’s drug discovery and development platform (DDD) for continued successful academic drug development.
• Develop technology- and data-driven Planetary Biology at SciLifeLab for more effective handling of present and future global environmental challenges

Read the full suggestion from SciLifeLab here (in Swedish) >>