SciLifeLab takes on the challenge as a national resource

The Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab) board held their first meeting today to discuss the direction and principles for SciLifeLab as a national resource of advanced technology and expertise in molecular biosciences. Several key positions were appointed during the meeting.

During todays meeting the Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab) board appointed Mathias Uhlén as Director and Kerstin Lindblad-Toh as Co-Director of the new SciLifeLab organisation. One of their main assignments will be to navigate Science for Life Laboratory into becoming a well-utilized national resource.

“The aim of the two nodes in Stockholm and Uppsala has all along, since the start in 2010, been to provide state-of-the-art technologies and know-how in several areas of large-scale biosciences on a national basis that will benefit all Swedish researchers”, says Mathias Uhlén, Director at SciLifeLab Stockholm. “With the new board in place we will now take this next step.”

SciLifeLab unites researchers from a wide range of fields connected to life science and provides advanced technology and know-how. As part of the Swedish government’s large investment in SciLifeLab, presented in the research and innovation bill 2012, SciLifeLab will from the middle of 2013 be a national technology and competence resource available for all Swedish researchers.

In February, the government appointed Göran Sandberg, Professor of Plant Physiology and Executive Director of Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, as chairman of the SciLifeLab board. Göran Sandberg started 1 April 2013 together with board member Margareta Olsson Birgersson, Medical Director at the pharmaceutical company Roche in Sweden. In April, seven new board members were appointed by KTH Royal Institute of Technology in consultation with Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm University and Uppsala University, one from each of the four universities behind SciLifeLab and three national representatives from other universities.

“The investment from the Swedish government in SciLifelab is sound and highly-needed for the development of Swedish research and innovation in life science. I and the rest of the board are looking forward to making SciLifeLab’s resources easily accessible and well used by Swedish researchers”, says Göran Sandberg, chairman of the board.

The board members are:

• Professor Göran Sandberg, Executive Director, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
• Margareta Olsson Birgersson, Medical Director, Roche Sweden
• Professor Sophia Hober, Dean of Faculty, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
• Professor Britt Skogseid, Vice-rector, Uppsala University
• Professor Hans Adolfsson, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Stockholm University
• Professor Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren, Dean of Research, Karolinska Institutet
• Professor Maria Anvret, Senior Advisor, University of Gothenburg
• Professor Gunilla Westergren-Thorsson, Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Lund University
• Professor Karl-Eric Magnusson, Linköping University

A National Reference Committee (NRK) with members from several Swedish universities was also appointed during the board meeting.

“We look forward to working both with the new Board and NRK to strengthen SciLifeLab”, says Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Director at SciLifeLab Uppsala. “NRK has played an important advisory role in the past three years to connect SciLifeLab with researchers across Sweden.”