Beneficial research rewarded
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The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) is awarding its first ever prize for making research useful – the Utilisation Prize. Three researchers at three universities are the first award winners. One of them is Johan Elf, Professor at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at Uppsala University.
Researchers who receive funding from SSF must have a plan for how the research will be put to use. For grants larger than SEK 5 million, 3 per cent of the funds are earmarked for utilisation of research to further strengthen this connection. The prize goes to the researcher who has shown the greatest personal commitment and who had the greatest innovative step in the effort.
Within SSF’s programme for “Future Research Leaders”, Johan Elf developed a microfluidic system to be able to quickly determine antibiotic sensitivity, primarily for urinary tract infections. The area has a clear strategic focus in a world with constantly increasing problems of antibiotic resistance where there is a great need for fast and sensitive diagnostic methods. The microfluidic system is patented and, during the year, Elf founded the company Astrego Diagnostics AB, which today has 10 employees.
The award ceremony will be held in connection with a seminar on 21 November at the World Trade Center in Stockholm.
Anna Malmberg