The Mats Paulsson Foundations donate SEK 50 million to support academic research in Skåne

Medicon Village
Mats Paulsson Foundation donation recipients 2024

At a celebration held on 18 October, the recipients of the 2024 donations from Medicon Village’s owner, the Mats Paulsson Foundation for Research, Innovation, and Societal Development, were announced. 16 million SEK was awarded to life science projects in Skåne, with a special emphasis on cancer research and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). Together with other donations from the Mats Paulsson Foundations, the total amount awarded for research will reach SEK 50 million in 2024.

The Medicon Village auditorium vibrated with anticipation as it reached full capacity for the formal announcement of the 2024 donation recipients from Medicon Village’s owner, the Mats Paulsson Foundation for Research, Innovation, and Societal Development, during Friday afternoon’s prestigious ceremony.

Six donation recipients from the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Engineering at Lund University shared a total of 16 million SEK in grants. Notably, there was a special focus this year on supporting cancer-related research and innovative studies in advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP).

The day commenced with an inspiring Science for Lunch session, exploring the achievements of previous grant recipients from the Mats Paulsson Foundations. Professor Kristian Pietras and Professor Carl Borrebaeck shared insights into the L2 Cancer Bridge, a collaborative research programme with the Swiss Cancer Centre and CREATE Health focused on identifying novel immuno-oncology targets for cancer therapy.

In the afternoon, the invited guests also had the opportunity to listen to lectures by prominent researchers such as Moa Wibom, Silviaphysician, Registrar, Head of Operations, Cognitive Medicine Department, Ängelholm, and Anna Falk, Professor at Lund University’s Stem Cell Centre and Director of the Development Centre for Advanced Therapies, LU-ATMP, who shared insights from their groundbreaking research.

The day concluded with a sizzling mingle and networking in the late afternoon.

The 2024 donation recipients

The 2024 donation recipients from the Mats Paulsson Foundation for Research, Innovation, and Societal Development are:

  • Associate Senior Lecturer Lorenzo Grassi, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, LTH, Lund University
  • Professor Malin Parmar, Wallenberg Neuroscience Centre, Lund Stem Cell Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University
  • Group Leader Axel Hyrenius-Wittsten, Dept. of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University
  • Professor Göran Jönsson, Dept. of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University
  • Associate Professor Kristina Lång, Dept. of Translational Medicine, Radiology Diagnostics, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University
  • Professor Sandra Lindstedt, Dept. of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University

“The foundations once again received a large number of applications this year, all of very high scientific quality and with great innovation potential. We can see that the collaboration between different research areas at Lund and Malmö universities creates unique conditions for breakthroughs in the field of Life Sciences. This is particularly evident in the development of new advanced medical therapies, where molecular tools are used to tailor treatments,” says Jan Nilsson, Professor at Lund University and a member of the foundation's research and innovation council.

Extra grants to honour Mats Paulsson turning 80

To honour Mats Paulsson, who turned 80 earlier this year, the Mats Paulsson Foundations have decided to double this year's total donations to SEK 50 million. In addition to the annual call for applications, 15 million SEK has been donated to cancer research within the framework of the ATMP-related 2L Cancer Bridge project. The foundations plan to make two further major donations focusing on research into Alzheimer’s disease and dementia before the end of 2024.

"This year's major donations, together with the unique and stimulating research environment already established at Medicon Village, further strengthen Medicon Village as a leading national centre for Life Science," says Göran Grosskopf, Chairman of the Mats Paulsson Foundation for Research, Innovation, and Societal Development.

For further information about the Mats Paulsson Foundations and the donations, please visit the foundations' website or read the press release (in Swedish). A compilation of the donation recipients, including project summaries, can be downloaded here (in Swedish).

View images from the event on 18 October, 2024

Photos by Kristian Waldeck.