Support for industry collaborations
Both Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Karolinska University Hospital (K) encourage and provide support for collaborations with industry in order to innovate research findings and knowledge. On this web page you can understand which organisation is responsible for what - KI, K or both, and who will be able to provide you with support depending on your needs and affiliation.
Types of collaboration
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About KI-K collaboration

The medical university Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the Karolinska University Hospital (K) share the same mission to improve health for society by combining basic research and education with clinical research and delivery of healthcare.

Industry collaborations enhances quality, relevance and further development of research, education and innovation through:
- Knowledge sharing
- Educating and training staff together
- Improving research infrastructure
- Accessing each other’s expertise
- Building long-term networks and partnerships
This allows us to translate research results and knowledge into innovations that can be implemented within healthcare to prevent, diagnose or treat human disease.
The Swedish government has an ALF-agreement with 7 regions for collaboration with medical faculty universities in order to contribute to clinical research and education. This film describes why this collaboration is important and how it is organised.
A significant aspect of KI's research and education involves access to healthcare services. This requires collaboration between KI and regional partners, including K, at different organisational levels. Read more about Collaboration with the healthcare services.
While KI and K are separate organisations, they are geographically located side-by-side and many staff have dual affiliations to both. Both basic and clinical research is conducted through a longstanding collaborative agreement, with focus on translational research leading to clinical trials.
Both KI and K:
- Have complementary visions
- Have common strategic initiatives
- Have complementary and occasionally co-located facilities
- Perform translational medicine and clinical research together
- Have coworkers with joint positions
KI - Karolinska Institutet:
- Vision: "Advance knowledge about life and strive towards better health for all"
- Performs basic research
- Has rights of examination
- Has responsibility for undergraduate and postgraduate education
- Governed by the Swedish state legal framework
K - Karolinska University Hospital:
- Vision: "Cure and relieve tomorrow what no one can cure and relieve today"
- Has responsibility for patient care
- Governed by Region Stockholm legal framework
Support

Below you can understand which organisation is responsible for what - KI, K or both. Together we can help you to find relevant support based on your needs and affiliation.
First point of contact
Support for corporate partnering is provided by the External Engagement Office (EEO) which:
- Supports all types of collaborations ranging from complex and long-term strategic partnerships through to individual and specific projects
- Aims to build long-term relationships and networks that are of mutual benefit for both partners
- Provides general guidance regarding industry collaborations as well as being a sounding board for your ideas.
- Works to create new opportunities for KI researchers (including PhD students and postdocs) for partnerships with industry and other external organisations
- Provides support in setting up and managing long-term structured partnerships
1. Define the purpose of the collaboration
- Conduct a study on:
- Non-interventional outcome - KI
- Interventional outcome - KI + Clinical Trial Alliance (KTA)
- Clinical studies - KI + Clinical Trial Alliance (KTA)
- Real world data - KI
- EU project - KI
- IMI project - KI
- Health economy - K + KI (?)
- Perform a clinical trial
- Develop a biomarker for a disease, treatment
- Investigate a Novel basic mechanism
- Perform a Health outcome study
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KI: Current research collaboration with other companies
Denna flik behöver utvecklas genom att ge exempel på andra samarbeten än bara de som EEO arbetar med.
Who provides support within:
- Basic research - KI
- Strategic research areas - KI
- Precision medicine - Precision Medicine Center Karolinska - collaboration between KI & K
- Clinical research - KI + K
- Clinical trials - Clinical Trial Alliance (KTA)
Contact at KI:
- Departments
- Strategic Research Areas
- Research Centres
- PET center
- Division of Clinical Epidemiology
- Core facilities at KI
- Single point of contact for Infrastructures at KI
- External Engagement Office (EEO) for industrial collaboration
- Compliance & Data Office (CDO) for ethics, clinical trials and personal data involving KI researchers
2. Identify access to relevant resources
KI has a wide range of technical core facilities, providing service, cutting-edge resources and competence for researchers.
Single point of contact for research infrastructure
Comparative Medicine deals with all aspects of activities related to animal experimentation in research at KI. We have four units: KM-A (Annex), KM-B (Biomedicum), KM-F (Fagraeus lab) and KM-W (Wallenberg lab).
SciLifeLab & Wallenberg National Program for Data-Driven Life Science
Artificial Intelligence at KI. KI is a partner in AI Sweden, a national network to accelerate AI innovations and to conduct applied AI projects. Through this membership all employees and students can take advantage of different events such as network meetings, lectures and symposia that are offered by AI Sweden. Sign up for the AI Sweden Partner Update
- Human samples from healthcare - SMB (Stockholms Medicinska Biobank)
- Animal samples - KI + K might be available from individual research groups
- Other human samples - KI Biobank for researchers:
- Helps to establish the necessary agreements
- Offers sample handling
- Provides robust IT systems ensuring full traceability
- For questions contact the biobank coordinator at biobank@ki.se or call 08-524 820 03
Executive and Professional education at KI
Competence development within a broad range of medicine and health areas based on the latest research, provided by our highly qualified academic and research staff.
3. Develop a structure for collaboration
KI
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You need to be aware of any possible situations of conflict of interest. A general principle is that KI will not have contracts with companies in which the KI employees have significant responsibility or influence.
We recommend you to contact HR office at KI. Their Negotiation Unit (förhandlingsenheten) is responsible for KI:s negotiating activities and local collective agreements. The unit provides advice and support for general questions regarding personnel matters and labor law.
Also read:
Research projects often require ethical permits. Projects may also include transfer of data and material between collaborators - Data Transfer Agreement is then required if personal information is used during the project. Additional agreements might be needed for your collaborative project.
KI guidelines in English:
Guidelines for research-related contracts (pdf)
Rules for handling secondary occupations (pdf)
Guidelines on conflict of interest (COI) (pdf)
Rules for financial conflicts of interest in research projects funded by the American federal governmental authorities (pdf)
Delegation rules for KI
Guidelines for digital signatures (pdf)
Research funding forms and KI registrations
KI guidelines in Swedish:
Riktlinjer för forskningsrelaterade avtal (pdf)
Regler för hantering av bisysslor (pdf)
Riktlinjer om jäv (pdf)
Anvisningar för hantering av ekonomiska intressekonflikter i forskningsprojekt finansierade av amerikanska federala hälsomyndigheter (pdf)
Delegationsordning vid KI
Riktlinjer för elektroniska underskrifter (pdf)
KI + K
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KI + K
External Engagement Office (EEO) creates new opportunities for KI researchers for partnerships with industry and other external organisations, and provides support in setting up and managing long-term structured partnerships.
EEO can help you to:
- Identify type of collaboration and appropriate agreement
- Understand the difference between commissioned and collaborative research
- Get advice and support for industry collaborations
- Discuss risks in choice of collaborative partner:
- Is the collaborator appropriate?
- Some companies might have weak economies and thus unstable legal system
- Be extra careful about intellectual property (IP) rights when a company is the funder or a consortium partner
- Remember that the “Professors’ privilege” (lärarundantaget) is unique to Sweden
Contact Grants Office if you have questions.
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4. Contracts & Agreements
Support for research contracts at KI
A research contract is often required to define respective expectations, rights, obligations, ethical issues, financial terms, timelines and other formal aspects. Such agreements also help to reduce the risk of costly disputes, to prevent possible problems and conflicts that the parties may have after the agreement has been signed.
Content
The formulation of contracts must always be customised to the prevailing situation, and must include guidelines for governing the rights and utilisation (present) and possible further development of the result (future). Read more: Research contract: purpose, content and different types
Uppdragsforskning - KI
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