From medical genetics to Russian studies - 14 researchers join UU Innovation's mentor program

The automotive industry is devouring batteries as the demand for electric vehicles grows. An innovation from the Department of Chemistry – Ångström Laboratory makes batteries last and can facilitate the transition from fossil fuels to renewables.

An app that gives parents tools and healthcare providers insight into children’s well-being over time. This is what Linn Andersson Konke wants to develop now that her doctoral studies in psychology are coming to an end. Armed with new insights, she sees that there is a lack of early support and follow-up initiatives that can make everyday life easier for both parents and children.

A journey that got derailed was the start of a whole new adventure for Ximena Samuelsson-Allendes. Today she is the CEO of Aidster, a company she founded to reform social services. Her journey to this point involved studies in entrepreneurship at Uppsala University and a supportive network.

In November, UU Innovation will kick off a programme designed for researchers curious about exploring the potential of their ideas. Here, innovation advisor Hillevi Englund provides more details about this initiative and the reasons for applying for a spot in the programme.

Liza Nilsson is a new intellectual property advisor at UU Innovation. She has a broad background from the patent industry as well as research and development work in the industrial sector. Here she answers four questions about her new role at the University and the importance of having an understanding of intellectual property rights as a researcher.

Hello there Emmi Puuvuori, PhD in translational medicine. Apart from recently receiving your doctorate degree from the Department of Medicinal Chemistry, you also participated in the UU Innovation mentor programme, which is open for applications.

Hello Ivana Suchankova and Chiara Dalla Santa. You are Master’s students from Uppsala University competing with your start-up idea in the Venture Cup Startup regional final in May 2023. 

Intrapreneurship is a key issue for all organisations, whether in the private or the public sector. So says Katarina Blomkvist, who has spent her entire research career studying how existing companies can improve their innovation capacity and competitive ability.

With his innovative metal 3D printer, Emek Abali wants to make production more sustainable. The UU Innovation mentor programme gave him an extra helping hand to move forward with the commercialisation of his research-based idea.

Now you can apply to the UU Innovation Mentor Programme and gain new skills and networks to take your idea to the next level. Apply by 15 May 2023 for the chance to have a mentor for the autumn semester.

Hello there Hillevi Englund, advisor at UU Innovation who is involved in a project aimed at shortening the time it takes for new, innovative solutions to be implemented in Swedish healthcare.

Hello there Nhils Forslund, advisor at UU Innovation and responsible for the course “Strategic management of research results”, which starts in May 2023 and is now open for registration.

Barely one quarter into 2023 and five projects have been awarded the Attractive Innovation Project Award by UU Innovation after significant progress on the path from idea to innovation. The promising innovations include rapid diagnostics for respiratory diseases, tools for innovation in organisations, and new radiotherapy for a currently incurable cancer.

Passionate about biology and chemistry, she can't resist a challenge or learning something new. Viktoria Engqvist is a pharmacy student at Uppsala University who runs her own business selling products for healthier nails, skin and hair.

Marcus Wanselius began his doctoral project with a single goal – a finished dissertation. But once he had promising results in hand, he realised there could be more to it. He is now packaging his method for sale to the pharmaceutical industry.

Hello there, Frida Henningsson Johnson, business advisor at UU Innovation, who’ll be taking three spin-off companies from Uppsala University to the innovation hub of Boulder in the US in February.

The application for the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences’ (IVA) 100 list 2023 is now open. Increase the publicity around your research, your contacts with the business community and the innovation readiness of your research results. Apply by 28 February 2023.

With the award Attractive Innovation Project, UU Innovation recognises researchers and students who have taken great steps towards translating ideas and research results into innovation and societal benefits. UU Innovation announces five new award winners of 2022.

An enthusiastic researcher, a lab experiment that was actually supposed to go wrong, and dedicated innovation support. That is the recipe for how a new rapid test for diagnosing respiratory diseases could see the light of day.

Max Schoenberg went all out to get into the Master's programme in Entrepreneurship at Uppsala University. And it was in Uppsala that he found the inspiration and support to dare to go for his idea. Now he is building a team to realise his vision of a solution for quality monitoring in healthcare.

Most people do not go into academia because they want to become entrepreneurs. Neither did Emil Rosén, but the idea he developed during his doctoral studies was too promising to resist.

“It's not that dramatic. More than anything, I'm a problem solver.”

Each year, Sweden’s Ny Teknik magazine presents a list of the top 33 young tech companies in Sweden that are judged to be a leader of the future, and each year the innovative potential at Uppsala University is reflected in the list. This year’s top 33 list includes six innovation companies linked to research and education at the University.

From an app that makes life easier for doctors to a new technique for cleaning the air inside vehicles, UU Innovation has announced four new winners of the Attractive Innovation Project Award among staff and students at Uppsala University.

Now you can apply to the UU Innovation Mentor Programme and gain new skills and networks to take your idea to the next level. Apply by 15 November 2022 for the chance to have a mentor for the spring 2023 semester.

It takes a wide range of skills to drive an innovation project forward. Lena Claesson-Welsh and Elisabet Ohlin Sjöström are drawing on each other’s strengths to jointly develop a new treatment option for severe eye diseases.

The UU Innovation Mentor Programme matches doctoral students and researchers with experienced mentors working outside academia. A new round has just started and all participants met with their mentors at the kick-off meeting to discover what awaits.

Hello, Mathias Blob! As of 1 September 2022, you are a business advisor at UU Innovation.

By pooling their knowledge of conservation genetics and orchid-growing, Linus Söderquist and Simon Hultby have developed a method to reintroduce endangered orchid species and strengthen their populations. The company they co-founded is now putting that method into practice.

In just 30 minutes, their test can determine which antibiotic is required to treat a urinary tract infection. Johan Elf and Özden Baltekin are recognised for their innovation, which will help reduce antibiotic resistance and advance personalised care. 

Hello to Nils-Otto Ahnfelt, PhD pharmacist and visiting researcher at the Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences. Together with the historian of science Hjalmar Fors, you have developed a reconstruction of the 300-year-old medicine Hjärnes Testamente in the form of a bitter schnapps. How did you come up with the idea of recreating an 18th-century medicine?

With his novel and patented method to fabricate a membrane electrode assembly, Robin Dürr, a PhD student in physical chemistry, hopes to accelerate the use of electrochemical cells and hence the transition to renewable energy sources. UU Innovation has asked him a few questions about his invention and the plan for getting it out into practical use.

Adib Ahrari and Ali Jumaa have started the company Datana together with five fellow students from Uppsala University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. They aim to reduce thefts from shops using smart technology that helps store staff to work preventively.

Are there more effective ways to detect diseases in biological samples than the standard ones today? A new method developed at Uppsala University seems promising. Daniel Globisch, an associate professor and former SciLifeLab fellow at Uppsala University, believes his method will be a tool for future clinical use.

Treating severe infections with a combination of antibiotics has long been standard practice in Swedish medicine. Despite this, at present there is no clinical test to prove how well it actually works. Researcher Nikos Fatsis-Kavalopoulos wants to change that.

Radiopharmaceuticals that fight cancer are on the rise and Marika Nestor is doing everything she can to contribute to their development. An antibody from her lab offers hope for a future treatment for those affected by anaplastic thyroid cancer, a currently incurable form of cancer.

Historical recipes and cookbooks abound to teach us about past foods and dietary. Less is known about the people who actually wrote them. A historical documentation project based in Uppsala University is trying to change that.

Hello there Susanne and Ingrid, business advisors at Uppsala University, who work in the field of utilisation and play a supportive role with both students and researchers.

UU Innovation recognises research-based innovation projects that have engaged funders, investors and customers for further development and exploitation. Six new projects have been honoured with the Attractive Innovation Project award.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) has announced its 100 List 2022. The theme for the list is technology in the service of humankind and the chosen projects are all deemed to be ready for utilisation in the immediate future. Eight of the 70 projects on the list are being conducted at Uppsala University.

Anders Ajaxon Persson, a researcher in space technology at Uppsala University and co-founder of the company Fourth State Systems, is one of the ten innovative entrepreneurs in Sweden to be awarded the ÅForsk Entrepreneurial Grant for 2022. He is being recognised for his drive to equip the healthcare sector with a new solution for monitoring the health of premature babies.

The UU Innovation’s mentor programme offers extra support for those looking to develop an idea towards innovation. The application deadline for the autumn semester is 30 April. One of the researchers currently in the programme is Daniel Camsund, who has a technical idea that could speed up the development of biologic drugs.

Research, innovation and communication are close to her heart. Frida Henningson Johnson has now switched back to academia after several years in the business world, joining the UU Innovation team as a new business advisor on 1 April 2022.

Se inspelningen från UU Innovations digitala seminarium 8 mars 2022 om inkluderande innovation, som nu finns tillgänglig med undertexter på både svenska och engelska.

Hello there Liza Löf, researcher at the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology. You are one of the researchers participating in the UU Innovation mentor programme, which is once again open for applications. What do you consider the best thing about the programme?

Hello there… Jens Carlsson, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and one of the researchers behind a promising new molecule for a drug to combat coronavirus.

The “Hjärnäpplet” Innovation Prize was first developed to reward materials researchers with sustainable business ideas. Now it rewards all kinds of innovation at Uppsala University, and does so with plenty of built-in symbolism. Former researcher Richard Karmhag is responsible for the design.

Applications are now being accepted for the UU Innovation Mentor Programme for doctoral students and researchers interested in getting an extra boost in their utilisation projects. Apply by 30 April for the opportunity to be awarded a place in the programme for the autumn semester 2022.

Three questions to Arindam De Tarafder, PhD student in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology who took UU Innovation’s postgraduate course on intellectual property in research in the fall of 2021. A new round of the course is currently ongoing.

Hello there... Håkan Engqvist, Professor of Materials Science at Uppsala University and co-founder of Psilox, the company bringing new biomaterials to the dental market. Psilox has now launched its first product under the brand name Caposal.

During the corona pandemic, most people who had a choice steered away from travelling by bus. We have been urged to avoid and not contribute to congestion on board. New technology for air purification in buses offers hope for safe public transport even in times of pandemic.