The Wallenberg Foundations Award AI Support to Eleven Research Groups

The eleven research groups have been awarded the Knut and Alice Wallenberg AI Consultancy Grant, giving them access to AI expertise to integrate AI into their research projects quickly and effectively. This entirely new form of funding is intended to accelerate the research process and enable new breakthroughs.

The new grant was established in response to the rapid development of artificial intelligence. Research and innovation are areas in which the technology is expected to lead to major breakthroughs far more quickly than before—and to discoveries that might otherwise not even be possible.

The use of AI in research is growing rapidly. For example, AI can quickly process enormous volumes of measurements, images, or text and learn from millions of previous experiments, simulations, and tests—both successful and unsuccessful. An emerging trend is the use of AI agents to perform advanced analytical tasks, predict outcomes, and propose solutions. AI can also rapidly generate scientific summaries from research publications available worldwide, creating both opportunities and challenges for researchers.

“We are in the midst of a fundamental transformation in how research is conducted. AI creates unprecedented opportunities, as well as challenges, for academia. In many scientific fields, AI is opening the door to entirely new ways of working. However, Swedish researchers need access to advanced expertise and hands-on support to take full advantage of AI and address the challenges it presents,” says Anders Ynnerman, Deputy Executive Director of Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

The grant differs from conventional research funding because the research groups do not receive money. Instead, they are granted access to a specified number of hours of AI expertise. Each research group may receive up to 700 hours per funding round. This is a long-term initiative, with several calls for applications planned.

Researchers with active grants from Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation, or Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Foundation are eligible to apply.

The applications received were evaluated by a scientific review committee, which assessed each project’s scientific excellence, the expected benefits of integrating AI, the availability of data, and the research group’s commitment to the project. The selected projects were then matched with AI experts from AI4S, the company that employs the experts.

“AI4S aims to promote and encourage the use of AI in academic research in Sweden by employing AI consultants who also have research backgrounds. Following the scientific evaluation, these experts are assigned to the research groups that have been awarded support,” says Salla Franzén, CEO of AI4S.

AI4S currently employs eleven people, with additional recruitment planned as the initiative expands.

“By placing experts in the latest AI technologies within leading research groups, AI4S will catalyze research and play a key role in positioning Sweden as a leading knowledge and research nation,” Ynnerman continues.

The next call for applications for the Knut and Alice Wallenberg AI Consultancy Grant is planned for mid-December.

The following projects and research groups have been awarded AI expertise:

AI-assisted assignment from super-resolution NMR spectra, Vladislav Orekhov, University of Gothenburg

AI-assisted calibration of superconducting quantum processors, Göran Johansson, Chalmers University of Technology

AI-based feature learning from 5PSeq for AMR phenotyping, Vicent Pelechano, Karolinska Institutet

AI-driven discovery of spatial host microbiota niches controlling mucosal healing in IBD, Eduardo Villablanca, Karolinska Institutet

Domain-adaptive machine learning to overcome chemical domain shift between DNA-encoded libraries and billion-scale commercial chemical space, Jens Carlsson, Uppsala University

Machine Learning Driven Modelling of Bio- and Conducting Polymers, Igor Zozoulenko, Linköping University  

Mining synthetic DNA selection data for hidden binders or targeting agents, Erik Benson, Karolinska Institutet

Optimizing epilepsy treatment through population health data, Johan Zelano, University of Gothenburg

Profit versus nature? Disentangling the polarized media discourse on forest management in Sweden, Leona Achtenhagen, Jönköping University

Quantum Gate Optimization with Digital Twins of Superconducting Qubits, Giovanna Sammarco Tancredi, Chalmers University of Technology

Spatial AI for Predicting Cell Fate Transitions and Disease Course in Multiple Sclerosis, Gonçalo Castelo-Branco, Karolinska Institutet

Contacts:

Anders Ynnerman, Deputy Executive Director of Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
+46 8545 017 80
kaw@kaw.se

Salla Franzén, CEO, AI4S AB
+46 8545 017 80
kaw@kaw.se

Carina Dahlberg, Head of Communications, Wallenberg Foundations
+46 70 273 68 50
carina.dahlberg@wallenbergfoundation.se