SweDeliver all set to take operations to the next level in 2026

“This sends an important message to researchers and patients worldwide who already benefit from our scientific progress,” stated Christel Bergström, Center Director and Professor of Molecular Pharmaceutics, as Vinnova last year confirmed their continued confidence in SweDeliver through 2029. Today, the international competence center can look back on a 2025 marked by numerous important achievements.

Already in February, SweDeliver reported record-breaking interest in the summer internship that the center offers to European master's students every year at SweDeliver's industrial partners. After receiving nearly 80 applications of a very high standard, followed by a careful selection process, six students were informed that they could look forward to a summer at AstraZeneca, Chiesi, DisruptivePharma, Pharmetheus and Recipharm.

“To be among those selected for this unique opening to take active part in research at one of the SweDeliver network companies feels both honorable and exciting. It will be very interesting to experience first hand how research projects are conducted in the industry, and I already know that I will gain in-depth knowledge that will be of great benefit in my future career,” stated Sofie Sellén, a Master's student in Pharmaceutical Modelling, ahead of her internship at Pharmetheus.

SweDeliver also welcomed Calliditas Therapeutics as industrial partner number 14. With the Stockholm-based company's focus on developing new treatment options and establishing new standards for the care of people with rare diseases, SweDeliver advanced its position in yet another highly relevant field.

“We consider the research conducted within SweDeliver to be of very high quality and are convinced that our commitment will generate mutual value. We also identify scope to show the talented junior researchers who form the core of SweDeliver's operations some of the many interesting options that await them in their future careers,” says Christian Pedersen, Senior Scientist Pharmaceutical Sciences at Calliditas.

In 2025, SweDeliver also launched technical platforms in order to provide expertise in key areas identified by the center's partners. The platforms further serve as cross-cutting initiatives that reinforce the centre’s core strengths; Computational drug delivery, 3R principles and Clinical translation, Emerging technologies, and Particle engineering.

“Together, these platforms enhance both our research profile and educational offerings, contributing to a robust and future-ready training environment in pharmaceutical sciences, which undoubtedly makes them highly valuable additions to our center,” states Christel Bergström.

2025 also offered important scientific progress as well as several doctoral dissertations where many of SweDeliver's junior researchers took the next step in their careers. The thesis that are now available include Mechanistic Studies of Membrane Permeation of Peptides (Rosita Pettersson Kneiszl), Mechanics of intestinal motility for oral macromolecular delivery (Benyamin Naranjani), Liquid crystal nanoparticles for oral antibiotic delivery (Xiguo He) and Self-assembly of amphophilous drugs (Vahid Forooqi Motlaq).

“Joining SweDeliver has added great value for both my research and professional development. The scientific exchange within the center creates important context, and having access to industry expertise and perspectives is a key success factor,” says Marco Tjakra, who in his thesis Artificial colonic mucus for studies of the mucus absorption introduces a novel method to map particle movement and drug absorption in the colon.

Throughout the year, SweDeliver also welcomed several new colleagues, including new PhD students Rojita Jadhari and Giorgia Preti who were recruited to the Parenteral Drug Delivery Work Package and Professor Per Hansson's research group in Pharmaceutical Physical Chemistry, an environment whose progress is central to the center's work in parenteral drug delivery being on the verge of world-leading with the potential to take the next step.

“Our work in SweDeliver and continuous dialogue with the partner network keep us constantly updated on what goes on in the industry. This contributes to our research being more therapeutically relevant than ever before, and Vinnova continued support now enables us to strengthen our team where we identify room for further development,” states Per Hansson, Professor at Uppsala University.

SweDeliver also introduced Magnus Nydén of AstraZeneca as new Chair of the Center Board. In early October, the centre gathered 40 representatives from academia and industry for the SweDeliver Retreat 2025 at Stockholm's Downtown Camper. In November, the centre engaged in the Young Scientist Day event with a focus on drug formulation and nanomedicine, and December 12, SweDeliver hosted a symposium in collaboration with NordicPharmaTrain.

“In a short time, we have created an organization whose strengths and continuity arouse interest far beyond Sweden. We are currently in talks with a number of international companies and consortia about potential collaboration, and the fact that we have implemented several strategic initiatives in 2025 makes us ready to further amplify our operations, and now we are looking forward to a highly interesting 2026,” says Christel Bergström.

text: Magnus Alsne, photo: Mikael Wallerstedt a o