Once the summer break is over, recruitment of top young scientists for the Wallenberg Centre of Molecular and Translational Medicine will begin in earnest.
“The goal of our strategic recruitment effort is to supplement successful research settings at the university,” Professor Göran Landberg says. “That is a highly effective way of creating unique areas of excellence in the field of translational medicine.” Professor Landberg was recently appointed as the director of the new center at the University of Gothenburg.
When I get together with Professor Landberg, he has just returned from a meeting with the administration of Sahlgrenska University Hospital as one of six area heads, a post he will be leaving shortly. As a Professor of Pathology, he studies promising new treatment methods for breast cancer. Since 2012, he has also served as a consulting physician in Gothenburg. His last prior position was in Manchester at The Christie, one of the biggest European oncological hospitals, where he was in charge of building and developing a breast cancer center.
“Proximity and collaboration between academia and the hospital in Gothenburg offer wonderful prospects for research,” Professor Landberg says. “That vision motivated me when I applied for an appointment at Sahlgrenska Academy and is a key incentive for directing the new research center.”
The administration of Sahlgrenska Academy will be arranging a General Academy Meeting early in the fall semester. The Wallenberg Centre of Molecular and Translational Medicine is not simply affiliated with Sahlgrenska Academy, but is a university-wide project that also includes the Faculty of Science. The director is a staff member of university administration.
Focus on recruitment
At least ten new University of Gothenburg career appointments will be established for young scientists at the research center. Recruitment will supplement the successful research already being conducted at the University of Gothenburg, AstraZeneca and Sahlgrenska University Hospital. The costly appointments include funds to set up individual research teams. Initial recruitment will begin once summer break is over.
“We quickly reviewed our existing resources before applying to the Wallenberg Foundation,” Professor Landberg says, “but we will need to perform a more detailed analysis to identify the appointments that will most benefit the research the university is already conducting. We will be pursuing open dialogs and discussions with research teams and heads of the various institutes in order to assess our present requirements.”
Cancer, obesity, diabetes, inflammatory diseases and respiratory conditions are the fields of research of immediate interest.
One of Professor Landberg’s most important tasks will be to pave the way for talented young scientists to realize their full potential and become top international researchers.
“We must make sure that they have the best possible contacts within academia, at the hospital and at AstraZeneca,” Professor Landberg says. “The researchers who have already established themselves here will serve as a vital resource in guaranteeing access to the patient data and infrastructure that the new recruits need.”
Restoring Swedish leadership
Swedish medical research was in the vanguard during much of the twentieth century but fell behind as the global economy expanded. The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation has set out to reinforce basic research in order to restore Swedish leadership.
“The Wallenberg Foundation has instructed us to recruit young scientists who have the potential of becoming top international researchers in their fields,” Professor Landberg says. “But they have given us wide latitude to manage the process as we see fit.”
The Wallenberg Foundation has also taken the initiative to set up centers at the universities in Lund, Umeå and Linköping. The four centers will complement each other. Professor Landberg has made initial contact with the other directors.
“We are going to emphasize collaboration, which will require open channels of dialog and communication,” he says.
About the center
The Wallenberg Centre of Molecular and Translational Medicine is brand new at the University of Gothenburg. Västra Götaland Region and AstraZeneca are partnering with the university to build and develop the center. Close collaboration will facilitate the discovery of new treatment methods stemming from basic research findings, as well as their use in clinical practice.
While the current project is slated to run for ten years as of 2016, the University of Gothenburg envisages the emergence of a leading international research facility that will live far into the future.
