Major externally funded research centers at Faculty of Engineering (LTH)

During the last three to four years some important Swedish research funding bodies have launched new funding schemes to support the formation of major research centers, i.e. “centers of excellence” in Sweden. Although each funding scheme has its own flavor and specific set of requirements, there are some common characteristics, e.g. excellent research performed within a focused environment (normally within one university) that provides the sufficient critical mass for reaching international recognition as a center of excellence within its field. Prominent examples of such funding schemes are:

• the Strategic Research Centers (funded by Swedish foundation for strategic research, SSF),
• the Linnaeus grant (funded by Swedish Research Council, VR together with The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning, FORMAS),
• VINN Excellence Centers (funded by Swedish Governmental Agency for
  Innovation Systems, VINNOVA),
• Berzelius Centers (joint funding by VINNOVA and VR) and
• FAS-centers (Funded by Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, FAS).

The amount of external funding is quite substantial, but co-funding from the university is usually a requirement for being awarded the grant.

Presently there are a number of centers of this type and scale at Lund University. Below are examples of centers that are either led by researchers from LTH or are depending on substantial involvement from researchers from within LTH:

SSF Strategic Centers

CECOST – The Centre for Combustion Science and Technology.
Leading scientist: Prof. Marcus Aldén, Combustion Physics.
Funding from SSF: 28 MSEK

Center for HSWC – SSF Center for High Speed Wireless Communication.
Leading scientist: Prof. John B. Anderson, Electro and information technology.
Funding from SSF: 40 MSEK.

Create Health – A Strategic Centre for Clinical Cancer Research.
Leading scientist: Prof. Carl Borrebaeck, Immunotechnology.
Funding from SSF: 45 MSEK.

Nanowires for Emerging Nanoelectronics and Life-science Applications
Leading scientist: Prof. Lars Samuelson, Solid State Physics
Funding from SSF: 34 MSEK.

Linnaeus grants

Exploring and Controlling the States of Matter with Light - Multidisciplinary Laser Spectroscopy within the Lund Laser Centre.
Leading scientist: Prof. Sune Svanberg, Atomic physics
Funding from VR: 50 MSEK

Nanoscience and Quantum Engineering
Leading scientist: Dr Stephanie Reimann, Mathematical Physics
Funding from VR: 75 MSEK

VINN Excellence Center

NGIL – Next Generation Innovative Logistics
Leading scientist: Mats Johnsson, Packaging Logistics
Funding from VINNOVA: 70 MSEK

ANTIDIABETIC FOOD CENTRE (AFC) - Exploiting new research areas targeting the Insulin Resistance Syndrome
Leading scientist: Prof. Inger Björck, Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry
Funding from VINNOVA: 63 MSEK1
Funding from FAS: 50 MSEK.

FAS Center

METALUND – Centre for Medicine and Technology for work Life and Society.
Leading Scientist: Dr Maria Albin, Divison of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine and Psychiatric Epidemiology (Faculty of Medicine)
Team leaders from LTH: Prof. Roland Akselsson, Prof. Mats Bohgard and Prof. Gerd Johansson, Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology and Prof. Erik Swietlicki, Nuclear Physics.
Funding from FAS: 50 MSEK.

CASE – Centre for Ageing and Supportive Environments.
Leading scientist: Prof. Susanne Iwarsson, Division of Occupational Therapy.
Team leaders from LTH: Dr Monika Berntman, Traffic Planning and Engineering
and Prof. Agneta Ståhl, Traffic Engineering

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