Coming soon.

Nordic, a Fragile Hope

The Hasselblad Foundation supports Joakim Odelberg’s project: Nordic a Fragile Hope.

Joakim Odelberg is a nature photographer, and together with the Gothenburg Symphony, the project will result in 5 photoillustrated pieces of music that highlight the endangered wildlife in the Nordic countries.

Grant: SEK 300,000

Gothenburg’s Natural History Museum

100 years in Slottsskogen – our nature through the lens

In 2023, Gothenburg’s natural history museum celebrates 100 years in Slottsskogen. In connection with the anniversary, we want to highlight the role the museum has played and will continue to play in promoting research and knowledge in the natural science subject. In connection with the anniversary, we also want to emphasize how vital natural science and nature have been and continue to be for people today and society.

The Hasselblad Foundation supports the project 100 years in Slottsskogen – our nature through the lens with SEK 1.2 million.

Onsala Space Observatory

Schoolchildren and the general public will be given new opportunities to explore the universe and our planet in the visitor centre at the Onsala space observatory.

In few other places in the world can visitors come into such close contact with large and active telescopes. The visitor centre is built with the climate in focus and consists mainly of recycled material.

The Onsala space observatory is part of Chalmers and is used by researchers who want to understand the universe and our planet, the Earth. Here, young people and the public should be able to come into close contact with the technology and the questions that the researchers are looking for answers to.

In addition to the research conducted at the Onsala space observatory, visitors are also allowed to experience technology for space research of all kinds that is conducted at Chalmers.

The Hasselblad Foundation contributes SEK 1 million to the visitor centre.

International Science Festival

For the 20th time, the Hasselblad Foundation is supporting the International Science Festival.

Vetenskapsfestivalen
Copyright: Dick Gillberg/Göteborg & Co

Each year, the International Science Festival in Gothenburg creates a meeting place for knowledge, inspiration and new perspectives.

The Festival offers an exciting mix of science and culture. There are three separate programmes: the public programme, the school programme and the specialist programme – Forum for Research Communication.

The support amounts to SEK 500 000.

Forskning & Framsteg

The Forskning & Framsteg magazine is one of Sweden’s top popular science publications.

It was founded in 1966 and has been published by a non-profit foundation since 1979. The foundation receives support from a large number of research-funded organisations. The magazine’s content is not determined solely by demand but also by the foundation’s ambition to disseminate the results of Swedish research widely.

The Hasselblad Foundation has supported Forskning & Framsteg for many years, and the grant for 2022 amounts to SEK 60 000.

Universeum

Miniverseum is Universeum’s new investment in the youngest visitors, the target group is 0-6-year-olds and their adults. The concept consists of a place of its own at Universeum and new programs, all on the theme of “biodiversity in a sustainable world”.

Through play, the joy of discovery and joint learning between children and adults, the Miniverseum will stimulate knowledge about biological diversity and sustainable development.

Miniverseum lays the foundation for early interest, knowledge and understanding of science, technology and mathematics. The next generation of innovators, biologists and decision-makers is born here.

The Hasselblad Foundation has contributed SEK 15 million over three years to the Miniverseum project at Universeum.

Female Scientists 2021

Alexandra Stubelius, Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemical Biology/Biology and Biological Engineering at Chalmers and Carolina Guibentif, a researcher working in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, are the two recipients of this year’s grants from the Hasselblad Foundation that support female researchers and expanding their qualifications in the natural sciences. The grant provides SEK 1 million and the opportunity to become established as an independent researcher.

Carolina Guibentif

Half of all childhood cancers have a suspected prenatal origin, which limits the possibility of studying the cells undergoing the initial mutations, as this happens in utero. In my project, I propose to use human pluripotent stem cell cultures to study these early events leading to childhood cancer that take place before birth. Pluripotent stem cells can be cultured in the laboratory indefinitely and can give rise to all cell types in the body.

Photo: Lisa Thanner

In this project, I focus on the development of the blood lineage since some of the mutations found in childhood leukaemia (a blood cancer) have been shown to occur before birth. In the developing embryo, with increasing organism size and complexity, the requirements for a circulation system providing oxygen, nutrients, and immunity also evolve. Hence, the blood system develops in successive “waves”. Multiple early cell maturation waves give rise to different short-lived blood cell populations.

It is still unclear how different blood cell populations are generated in these early maturation waves. During my previous research, I was able to define these processes molecularly in a mouse model by using a novel technique called single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq), where we could measure the expression of every gene in each cell of a mouse embryo.

I plan to apply the same technique to in vitro differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells to the blood. I will then be able to identify each intermediate step leading to the production of blood cells from human pluripotent stem cells and chart the waves of human blood maturation that take place in the dish.

The next step will be to see how these waves of blood maturation are affected when the pluripotent stem cells contain perturbations known to predispose to childhood leukaemia. For this, I will examine trisomy 21, the chromosomal abnormality that causes Down syndrome. Down syndrome children have a high likelihood of developing acute myeloid leukaemia, a process that is known to start during embryonic development. However, the precise molecular mechanism is still under investigation.

I plan to apply my approach of scRNAseq to in vitro differentiation, in the laboratory, of pluripotent stem cells towards the blood lineage, this time using pluripotent stem cells with trisomy 21. I will then be able to study how this chromosomal abnormality affects the development of the embryonic blood system and how it may increase the chances of leukaemia onset.

With this project, I will therefore establish a new in vitro platform to study how processes leading to childhood cancer already take place during embryonic development. A better understanding of these molecular processes will help develop novel cancer therapies.

Alexandra Stubelius

Millions of people worldwide are suffering from diseases such as arthritis, atherosclerosis, and fatty liver, which all get worse from inflammation, and Alexandra’s research is about developing better therapies for them.

Photo: Lisa Thanner

An overactive immune system can attack the body’s tissues, causing allergies and chronic diseases. The most common anti-inflammatory drugs today inhibit all immune functions – even the excellent defence mechanism and need to be used at high doses. These high doses result in side effects on other organs.

Alexandra Stubelius’ team develops immunomodulating nano-therapeutics, where the drugs can be directed to the right area, at the right concentration, and at the right time.

Alexandra Stubelius’s team uses three different strategies to develop smarter nanomedicines. First, they develop new materials, nanovesicles, that can carry existing anti-inflammatory drugs. The materials target inflammation and deliver the drugs without damaging the surrounding tissue.

The second strategy is to create nanomaterials that can modulate the immune system. The nanomaterial acts as an active substance that affects the immune response. With this method, they can fight inflammation in a new way. The aim is to interfere with the communication signals of immune cells already in the bloodstream. This inhibits more immune cells from being recruited to the affected tissue and prevents the inflammation from getting worse.

The third strategy is based on the discovery that the immune system not only defends our bodies but also heals damaged tissue. The researchers examine which components affect the immune cells in the healing process. The identified components can then be used to continue developing smarter materials for more specific immune-regulating therapies.

Sjöfartsmuseet – Ocean Lab

Construction of a new unique public laboratory focusing on ocean awareness, marine pedagogy and research.

Foto© Kristin Lidell. In the new Ocean lab, the public will be able to follow the work of the Aquarium’s coral cultivation.

In 2022, the new Maritime Museum Akvariet will open. The new Aquarium should be a place where commitment to the sea grows and a place to explore the planet’s sea with all the senses. The aquarium should increase ocean awareness in society and provide an understanding of how the ocean affects humans and how humans affect the ocean.

The public aquarium is divided into two main parts with an aquarium hall for tropical and Nordic aquariums and an Ocean Lab for educational activities and research. About 15 aquariums are planned in the aquarium hall. A few aquariums were cast in place, including the largest aquarium, which is a 400,000-liter aquarium that will display a living coral reef. In Ocean Lab, marine pedagogy is put in focus. It gives school classes and other visitors the opportunity to explore the ocean and its habitats in a more hands-on way through public research stations, lab benches, experimental aquariums and clapping tanks. Ocean Lab also provides good conditions for including visitors in the Aquarium’s research, including the cultivation of corals in experimental aquariums.

The Hasselblad Foundation supports Ocean Lab with SEK 500,000.

International Science Festival

Vetenskapsfestivalen
Photo: Marie Ullnert

For the 19th time, the Hasselblad Foundation is supporting the International Science Festival.

Each year, the International Science Festival in Gothenburg creates a meeting place for knowledge, inspiration and new perspectives.

Onsala Space Observatory

Until 2022, the Hasselblad Foundation supports five visiting professors at the Onsala Space Observatory in Galactic Astronomy, Extragalactic Astronomy and Space Geodesy and Geodynamics.

Råö with the space observatory and Erna and Victor Hasselblad’s house. 1970s

The connection between the Hasselblad Foundation and the observatory goes back to 1975 when Erna and Victor Hasselblad, the foundation’s founders, donated the land to Chalmers to be able to build the radome-enclosed telescope for the reception of cm and mm waves. The Hasselblad couple lived nearby and owned the surrounding land. On May 21, 1976, Carl XVI Gustaf inaugurated the new telescope at the space observatory on Råö.

Female Scientists 2020

Luisa Ickes, Assistant Professor, Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Microwave and Optical Remote Sensing.

Thi Ngoc Nhu Phan, Associate senior lecturer, Department of Chemistry & Molecular Biology

Thi Ngoc Nhu Phan about her research

Nano-scale pictures of molecules changing in neuronal stem cells
Stem cells can be changed into different kinds of cells in the body. Molecules in stem cells have a specific lifetime, and they are gradually replaced when they are used up (turnover) to maintain proper cellular differentiation – the process by which the cells change from one type to another. When this turnover does not work correctly in the brain, it is thought to lead to neurodegenerative diseases. However, the turnover process is very complex, and there is a lack of good analytical tools to measure these molecules. My research focuses on developing a state-of-the-art combination of technologies to make images of molecules at super small sizes and to use these methods to look at molecules in single cells and small parts (nano-scale) of biological cells.

Photo: Lisa Thanner

I plan to develop new chemistry to make these molecules easier to see in microscopes and a device for measuring their molecular weight called a mass spectrometer. This will allow me to obtain detailed pictures of how molecules are located in cells and how they change with time. We think that molecular location and turnover in stem cells are altered, which guides how cells transform into different cells.  My research will provide information about how this works so that we can understand how stem cells can be controlled to make the cells and tissues that we want for eventual medical applications. The fundamental science learned in these experiments will be important to the biomedical field, particularly regenerative medicine and disease modelling.

Luisa Ickes about her research

The impact of clouds on the climate

Photo: Lisa Thanner

How climate change affects us now and in the future is a crucial question in several ways. We need to understand how the climate is changing, how we influence it with our behaviour and how it will look in the future. To make such forecasts, we need models of the Earth’s climate system (climate models). They are important tools not only for understanding but also for drawing up guidelines in politics, society and industry. However, the quality of the climate models and, thus, climate forecasts depend on the physics and the equations included in the models. The better we understand all the processes in the Earth’s system and the better we can describe them, the better our models work, and the better climate forecasts will be. A significant uncertainty in climate models is clouds. They affect the atmosphere’s energy balance and the water cycle. In addition, they are a key element in the Arctic, where the climate is already changing rapidly, which has a significant impact on other parts of the earth through, for example, the melting of ice in Greenland. There are different types of clouds in the Arctic, and understanding all the processes around them is important to improve how they are represented in models and reduce uncertainty for calculated energy balance. My research is about just that – to better understand processes in a cloud, how clouds are affected by aerosols and how different cloud systems differ. I use new knowledge around these issues to improve how clouds are represented in both local and global climate models.

International Science Festival

For the 19th time, the Hasselblad Foundation is supporting the International Science Festival.

Vetenskapsfestivalen
Photo: Marie Ullnert

Each year, the International Science Festival in Gothenburg creates a meeting place for knowledge, inspiration and new perspectives. The Festival attracts about 70 000 per year, which makes it one of Europe’s leading popular science events.

The Festival offers an exciting mix of science and culture. There are three separate programmes: the public programme, the school programme and the specialist programme – Forum for Research Communication.

The support amounts to SEK 300 000.

Onsala Space Observatory

Onsala Space Observatory (OSO), the Swedish National Infrastructure for Radio Astronomy, provides scientists with equipment to study the Earth and the rest of the Universe.

In Onsala, 45 km south of Göteborg, we operate several radio telescopes for astronomy and geodesy. The observatory is a geodetic fundamental station. The equipment for Earth sciences includes navigation satellite receivers, a superconducting gravimeter, tide gauges, and radiometers.

The connection between the Hasselblad Foundation and the observatory goes back to 1975 when Erna and Victor Hasselblad, the foundation’s founders, donated the land to Chalmers to be able to build the radome-enclosed telescope for the reception of cm and mm waves. The Hasselblad couple lived nearby and owned the surrounding land. On May 21, 1976, Carl XVI Gustaf inaugurated the new telescope at the space observatory on Råö.

Forskning & Framsteg

Forskning & Framsteg is one of the leading popular science magazines in Sweden.

It was established in 1966, and since 1979 it has been published by a non-profit foundation, which is supported by a large number of research-financed organisations. The intention is for the contents of Forskning & Framsteg to be defined not only by demand but also by the foundation’s stated purpose of disseminating findings from Swedish research to a wide audience.

The Hasselblad Foundation has supported Forskning & Framsteg for many years, and the grant for 2020 amounts to SEK 44 800.

Female Scientists 2019

Yvonne Nygård, Assistant Professor at the Department of Biology and Biological engineering at Chalmers and Eridan Rocha Ferreira, researcher working in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Institute of Clinical Sciences, are the two recipients of this year’s grants from the Hasselblad Foundation that support female researchers and expanding their qualifications in the natural sciences. The grant provides SEK 1 million and the opportunity to become established as an independent researcher.

Eridan Rocha Ferreira‘s research concerns reducing mortality and morbidity in connection with birth and the postnatal period.

Photo Lisa Thanner

As a researcher, she collaborates with Professor Henrik Hagberg, among others, in the newly established Centre for Perinatal Medicine and Health, or PROMISE (Perinatal Research Obstetric Maternal Infant Studies Empowers).

“I focus on understanding how neonatal brain injury mechanisms develop so I can identify therapy goals. I mainly investigate possible protective effects of small proteins with a known clinical safety profile,” says Rocha Ferreira.

Promising results

One such small protein, or peptide, is exendin-4. Though initially developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, the molecule has also been shown to have neuroprotective properties in current clinical trials for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

“We recently published our first positive and promising results, which suggest that exendin-4 has a protective effect on the brain in the case of oxygen deficiency among newborns. I believe there is great potential, and I see the possibility of translating the results into clinical trials. This could speed up the development of new treatments to prevent brain damage following oxygen deficiency in newborn babies,” says Rocha Ferreira.

The team’s findings on the exendin-4 peptide were published in the journal Brain last year .

Rocha Ferreira will use the SEK 1 million she receives from the Hasselblad Foundation to hire a research assistant.

“This is a crucial next step in establishing myself as an independent researcher with my research team. With the help of a research assistant, I can create a targeted strategy to understand better how these peptides affect the brain and the mechanisms governing how they exert their protective effect on the brain,” says Rocha Ferreira. She hopes in this way to create the potential for clinical implementation in the future and to reduce neurological disabilities in both fully developed infants with severe oxygen deficiency and premature babies.

Yvonne Nygård conducts research in industrial biotechnology and focuses on the design of efficient cell factories. She works with microorganisms that can use residues from the forest industry and agriculture to produce biofuels and chemicals. In addition, Yvonne is involved in research on syngas fermentation and microbial electrochemistry, where bacteria produce chemicals based on carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide. The research aims to develop sustainable alternatives for a future fossil-free society.

Photo Lisa Thanner

 

Develops yeast strains with increased tolerance to inhibitors

Yvonne uses yeast cells for the production of biochemicals from residual biomass. The yeast cells consume the sugar in the biomass and use it as raw material when producing bioethanol or other biochemicals. These so-called cell factories can produce many valuable chemicals, which can be used, for example, as raw materials in the production of bioplastics.

Biomass as a raw material does not only contain different kinds of sugar, it also contains inhibitors which prevent cells from growing or producing optimally.

“My research is focused on developing yeast strains with increased tolerance to these inhibitors. By understanding how the cells respond to stress, in the form of inhibitors, among other things, you can create strains with higher vitality and production rate,” says Yvonne.

Essential to work with research that can be applied in society
Recently, Yvonne’s research group has developed new tolerant yeast strains using the CRISPR / Cas9 technology. She is also working on a project on developing genetic biosensors that can measure the number of biochemicals produced in a cell. These biosensors can be used to monitor production or as a tool for developing new, better cell factories.

“For me, it is important to work with research that can be applied in society, in the short or long term. In my case, the research can lead to new production processes for the industry. I want my research to answer parts of the bigger questions, for instance, how to create energy efficient, climate-neutral solutions to introduce a bio-based economy in society,” says Yvonne Nygård.

Universeum

Man and space A knowledge experience about man’s progress in space.

With the learning environment Man and Space, Universeum wants to create a higher awareness of modern space technology and space research.

Universeum wants to arouse the desire of both children and adults to want to explore and learn more themselves. With knowledge and questions, they stimulate their visitors’ creative, critical and innovative thinking. By conveying that world-leading research and development can be found in the Gothenburg region, both within our universities and in industry, they want to strengthen further the collaboration with Chalmers and Gothenburg universities as well as Gothenburg companies with world-leading cutting-edge technology in the space industry. Universeum thus wants to show young people that there are exciting jobs in space technology and that the way is through education.

Through the learning environment Man and Space, they shed light on the big question of sustainability and the earth’s climate.

The interactive learning environments must be communicatively able to meet all ages and social groups. Regardless of age or level of knowledge, the visitor should find benefit and pleasure in the experience, Universeum’s starting point.

The Hasselblad Foundation supports the project Man and Space with SEK 3 million over a two-year period

International Science Festival 2019

For the 19th time, the Hasselblad Foundation is supporting the International Science Festival.

Vetenskapsfestivalen
Photo: Marie Ullnert

Each year, the International Science Festival in Gothenburg creates a meeting place for knowledge, inspiration and new perspectives. The Festival attracts about 70 000 per year, which makes it one of Europe’s leading popular science events.

The Festival offers an exciting mix of science and culture. There are three separate programmes: the public programme, the school programme and the specialist programme – Forum for Research Communication.

Forskning & Framsteg

Forskning & Framsteg is one of the leading popular science magazines in Sweden.

It was established in 1966, and since 1979 it has been published by a non-profit foundation, which is supported by a large number of research-financed organisations. The intention is for the contents of Forskning & Framsteg to be defined not only by demand but also by the foundation’s stated purpose of disseminating findings from Swedish research to a broad audience.

The Hasselblad Foundation has supported Forskning & Framsteg for many years, and the grant for 2019 amounts to SEK 44 800.

Female Scientists 2018

For the eighth straight year, the Hasselblad Foundation is allocating funding to female researchers in the natural sciences.

This year’s grants go to Brina Blinzler, Assistant Professor at the division of Material- and Computational Mechanics, Department of Industrial and Materials Science, Chalmers University of Technology and Marina Rafajlovic, Assistant Professor at Department of Marine Sciences University of Gothenburg.

Environmentally Conscious Materials of the Future

Brina Blinzler

A better understanding of how to make bio-based composites will lead to a variety of new sustainable materials. Brina Blinzler, assistant professor at Chalmers University of Technology, is conducting polymer composite processing simulation research for bio-based multifunctional materials development.

There is an ever-increasing demand for a variety of sustainable materials: materials that consume less energy to manufacture, materials that can be recycled or reused, materials that require safer chemical processing and materials that are derived from sustainable, non-food competing resources. These demands will be difficult to meet. They will require not only extensive research, testing, and industry adoption, but they will require extensive collaboration between experts of different disciplines.

Bio-Based Structural Material Development and Characterization

Bio-based structural material technology available today allows us to break down and sort natural fibres into many varieties, such as nanofibrils and cellulose nanocrystals. These nanomaterials are derived from the most abundant natural polymer in the world, cellulose. I believe it is possible to process high-quality composite reinforcement from natural plant-based materials and to derive sustainable resins compatible with these reinforcements.

The Hasselblad Foundation Grant will allow me to pursue bio-based polymer composite research in three key areas. First, predict the microstructure of cured composite parts. Second, predicting the mechanical, moisture absorption, thermal, and electrical properties of cured composite parts. Third, developing tools for material specialists to design custom multifunctional composite materials for specific purposes. By combining these three research areas, I can begin to build an approach for predicting the microstructure and multifunctional properties of the resulting composite materials.

The role of plasticity in local genetic adaptation during range expansions

Marina Rafajlović

As a result of climate changes as well as other changes of environmental conditions in species’ habitats, species have begun to migrate e.g. towards former colder areas. Such migrations put pressure on species to adapt to new living conditions. In addition, for a species that migrates, populations at the expansion edge are usually small and fragmented, which may impose strong random effects, such that the species risks losing the genetic variation needed to adapt to a new habitat. Which evolutionary strategies will help migrating species to reduce or overcome this risk? Using mathematical models combined with empirical genetic and ecological data from the Baltic Sea I will try to answer this question.

The Baltic Sea is an excellent resource for tackling this question, because the salinity of this sea decreases continuously from south to north, meaning that the marine species that have established themselves in the Baltic Sea must adapt to brackish water. This has, from an evolutionary time perspective, taken place recently (<8000 years), and the genetic signatures of these adaptations are expected to be strong in the organisms’ DNA.  My models will be built based on the knowledge and empirical data from two species of seaweed that have recently expanded their ranges over the Baltic Sea. The models will emphasize the effects of plasticity but also take into account selection along the salinity gradient and random sampling effects. The results will advance our understanding of how to protect and possibly increase the ability of a population to adapt to a changing habitat. I hope that generic knowledge emerging from the project will motivate new, more efficient strategies for the long-term sustainable management of species important for forestry, agriculture and fisheries, and common species in natural ecosystems.

The International Science Festival 2018

For the 17th time, the Hasselblad Foundation is supporting the International Science Festival.

Vetenskapsfestivalen
Copyright: Dick Gillberg/Göteborg & Co

Each year, the International Science Festival in Gothenburg creates a meeting place for knowledge, inspiration and new perspectives. The Festival attracts about 70 000 per year, which makes it one of Europe’s leading popular science events. The Festival offers an exciting mix of science and culture. There are three separate programmes: the public programme, the school programme and the specialist programme – Forum for Research Communication.

The support amounts to SEK 300 000.

Onsala Space Observatory

The connection between the Foundation and the observatory dates back to 1975 when Erna and Victor Hasselblad donated the land to Chalmers to enable the construction of a radome-enclosed cm- and mm-wave telescope. The Hasselblads lived nearby and owned the land in the area. On 21 May 1976, Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf inaugurated the new telescope in Onsala, just south of Gothenburg.

Guest professors

James L. Davis, Research Professor at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, New York, USA. He has a past as a partner with the research group Space Geodesy and Geodynamics at Chalmers, located at the Onsala Space Observatory. In the 80’s he carried out studies in the field of geodetic long-base interferometry (VLBI) to improve the accuracy of the method, and especially developing methods for corrections of the atmospheric impact. Then, in the 90’s and a few years after the turn of the millennium, Jim participated in joint projects that included GPS observations and studies of the land uplift in northern Europe. Jim today has a broad profile that extends across several research areas, such as climate-related research on sea level, ice cover, and glacier dynamics. It is natural for this new collaboration to link to previous work on atmospheric measurements and crustal dynamics in northern Europe, where there are still improvements to be made in the accuracy of the geodetic measurements, which hopefully opens new geodynamic issues to be addressed.

Matt King is a Professor of Polar Geodesy at the School of Land and Food, University of Tasmania, Australia. His field of expertise is the geodetic observation of the global water cycle, including ice sheet mass balance and sea level change and particularly using the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). He also works on the reduction of systematic and random errors in these techniques to maximise the information content in the data and improve the reliability of the interpretations. His research currently encompasses the following broad areas: i) measurement and modelling of glacial isostatic adjustment in Antarctica for understanding previous and current ice mass changes; ii) improved observation of sea-level change and present-day polar contributors; iii) using geodetic techniques to understand ice sheet and glacier change, and iv) probing Earth’s internal structure using glacial unloading and earthquakes.

Prof. Paola Caselli obtained her PhD in Astronomy at the University of Bologna in 1994. Since 2014 she has been one of the directors of the Max-Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, where she leads the ‘Center for Astrochemical Studies’. She is one of the most prominent astronomers in Europe. Her research ranges from studying young, planet-forming disks to the chemistry of galaxies in the early Universe. Some of her most important contributions concern the understanding of the fundamental physical and chemical processes that regulate and control the earliest phases of star formation.

Dimitra Rigopoulou is a professor of Astrophysics at Oxford University, UK.  She is a highly distinguished astronomer of a strong international standing. Her research spans topics ranging from studying young galaxies in the early Universe to investigating the properties of nearby active- and dust-embedded galaxies. Some of her most important contributions include the understanding of the fundamental physical processes that regulate dust-enshrouded star formation in distant and local galaxies and the development of diagnostic tools (in particular, in the infrared wavelength regime). Her >160 refereed journal papers have more than 15000 citations. Dimitra’s professional web page can be found here.

Mark Birkinshaw is a Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Bristol, U.K. Until 1995, he worked in the U.S.A. at the Smithsonian Institution Astrophysical Observatory and at Harvard University, where he was involved in preparations for the launch of the Chandra X-ray telescope. He is best known for being the first to detect the so-called Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect, a faint distortion of the cosmic microwave background radiation due to the presence of hot gas along the line of sight. This first detection opened the door for an entire field of research and has even been used recently to detect previously unknown distant clusters of galaxies. Birkinshaw has remained at the forefront of extragalactic research throughout his whole career. He is actively involved in several international collaborations such as XXL (a multi-wavelength survey of two parts of the sky to study clusters and galaxies with supermassive black holes), work with LOFAR (the LOw Frequency ARray, a digital radio telescope with a core in the Netherlands and stations in several European countries, including one in Onsala); he also uses ALMA to probe galaxies lensed by foreground massive clusters.

The five affiliated professor appointments supported by the Hasselblad Foundation will be in 2019-2021.

Marine Sciences

A Swedish contribution to the Synoptic Arctic Survey (SAS)

The Arctic Ocean is changing faster than our present approaches to correctly measure and document all the different shifts and the driving forces behind them. Thus there is a need for a Synoptic Arctic Survey that seeks to define the present state of the Arctic Ocean and understand the major ongoing transformations. It will not be possible to assess either the consequences or the range of the ongoing changes unless necessary empirical data are collected, analyzed and understood in concert with each other. A fundamental premise for approaching, sampling and understanding the far-reaching changes in the Arctic Ocean is thus that the survey should be synoptic across the ocean, which is beyond the scope of any single nation.

Christer Fuglesang

Extreme Universe Space Observatory – Cosmic rays – subatomic particles from space – with the highest energies generate streaks of light that can be filmed with a super-sensitive and super-fast UV camera. This is the foundation of the international EUSO (Extreme Universe Space Observatory) project. Such particles are extremely rare; on average, only one super-energetic cosmic ray particle occurs per square kilometre and century! Consequently, there is a need to monitor some very large areas simultaneously to catch a sufficient number of particles on film. This is the reason behind EUSO’s ambition to place a high-speed, super-sensitive UV camera in space, 400 km above ground, at the International Space Station, ISS.

The EUSO project requires highly advanced technology and new assessment methods in optic, electronic and software engineering. The work will move forward one step at a time, beginning with a ground-based camera, then two cameras designed for balloons and a camera called Mini-EUSO that will be sent to ISS in late 2018. However, Mini-EUSO is too small for studies of cosmic rays but will help verify the technology and the observation method from space and will also be used to study the other phenomena mentioned above. A more advanced version is currently being developed for a 1-month balloon ride in 2020. That camera will be able to catch cosmic rays because of its relatively low altitude but hardly any of the rare super-energetic and most exciting particles.

The Hasselblad Foundation supports the Royal Institute of Technology and Christer Fuglesang to continue to represent Sweden in the EUSO project with universities and research institutes from a total of 16 countries.

Alfie Atkins’ Cultural Centre

In Space with Alfie Atkins – a collaboration between the Alfie Atkins Cultural Centre, Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg.

Children become fascinated by space at an early age. We are surrounded by astronomy from the moment we wake up until we go to bed at night. The field is a perfect gateway to further exploration of the natural sciences, and it is exciting to deal with an area of knowledge in which children already have a strong interest in. For thousands of years, humanity has been mesmerised by the moon. According to Sweden’s national curriculum for the lower grades, pupils are to learn about constellations, the lunar phases and the movements of the Earth, the moon and the sun.

Many teachers are looking for ways to stimulate young children’s interest in science further and make scientific phenomena comprehensible to them. By stimulating their curiosity through play and fun activities, the Alfie Atkins Cultural Centre makes an important contribution to young children’s learning. This makes the Centre an early link in the long chain of lifelong learning and a source of inspiration for both children and their teachers. In partnership with Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg, Alfie Atkins’ space project introduces the youngest children to the many wonders of space through play and fun experiences.

Chalmers & Alfie Atkins’ Cultural Centre

In 2015/16, the Hasselblad Foundation granted funding to a collaborative project between Alfie Atkins’ Cultural Centre and Chalmers University of Technology to increase children’s interest in chemistry. More than 1 500 schoolchildren and teachers from all 10 city districts of Gothenburg attended lectures free of charge. As the project was an immediate success, a second round was launched in 2016/2017.

‘Chemistry is often seen as difficult and cumbersome by children and teachers,’ says project manager Per Thorén from Chalmers University of Technology. ‘By sparking the children’s curiosity in chemistry through play and learning, we lay the foundation for further learning later. Six- and seven-year-olds and their teachers meet researchers and students from Chalmers and actors and instructors from Alfie Atkins’ Cultural Centre. Their interest is stimulated, and the chemical phenomena become comprehensible.’

New this autumn is that the teachers bring home an extensive teacher’s guide that helps them continue the work with the children back in the classroom. The guide offers sample lessons to inspire the children to continue to the next level.

In the longer term, the project may entice more young people to pursue studies in chemistry. Chemistry is the natural science with the greatest problems, both in the school environment and when it comes to the public’s understanding of and knowledge of the subject.

Per Thorén is a project manager from Chalmers University of Technology and chief operating manager of Molecular Frontiers, an international network of researchers and educators from around the world to popularise science among the public, and especially among young people.

Alfie Atkins’ Cultural Centre is a non-profit foundation that has run a creative cultural centre for children and adults in central Gothenburg since 2012. With almost 64 000 visitors a year, the Centre enables children and their adults to join each other in play and learning.

The Hasselblad Foundation supports the chemistry project at Alfie Atkins’ Cultural Centre and Chalmers University of Technology with SEK 2,2 million over 2016/2017.

Chalmers, Films for Teaching Chemistry

Chalmers University of Technology, through its outreach body Molecular Frontiers, and the film company Untamed Science receive funding from the Hasselblad Foundation for the production of films to strengthen the teaching of chemistry in grades 7–9.

The project aims to create a series of short films about chemistry, with strong links to curricula and existing textbooks, in order to support chemistry teachers primarily in Sweden.

The plan is to produce the films in 2016 and make them available at no charge on YouTube as they are finished.

Many teachers use film in their teaching. As pupils and students have easy access to YouTube and other video channels via computers, tablets and smartphones, there are ample opportunities both to use film directly in the classroom and to encourage pupils and students to view films as homework. Film is a great medium for pupils and students who find chemistry concepts difficult to grasp, as well-developed animations and visual explanations can vastly improve their understanding and learning.

In order to inspire the pupils and students to absorb the content, as well as to contribute to greater dissemination of the films, a contest is launched where the pupils and students will be able to answer questions and have a chance to win small prizes connected to each release of a new film.

The Hasselblad Foundation supports the project with SEK 300 000.

Forskning & Framsteg

The Forskning & Framsteg magazine is one of Sweden’s top popular science publications. It was founded in 1966 and has been published by a non-profit foundation since 1979. The foundation receives support from a large number of research-funded organisations. The content of the magazine is  not determined based solely on demand, but also on the foundation’s ambition to disseminate widely the results of Swedish research.

The Hasselblad Foundation has supported Forskning & Framsteg for many years, and the grant for 2017 amounts to SEK 44 800.

Marine Sciences at the University of Gothenburg

Acidification of Swedish Coastal Waters in a Time of Environmental Change

In August 2016, nine invited researchers gathered at a workshop to write a research and implementation plan for the acidification problem and related anthropogenic stress factors in Swedish coastal waters from a broad interdisciplinary perspective. The project was carried out with financial support from the Hasselblad Foundation. Jon Havenhand, professor at the Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, is in charge of the project. The work is a follow-up of activities within the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ committee for environmental issues.

Ocean acidification is an environmental problem that has attracted a lot of attention in recent decades. In the open oceans, there is a clear link between the acidification process and the increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In coastal waters such as those around Sweden, the problem is far more complex.

The maritime sector along the Swedish coast employs more than 200 000 people. Thus, the Swedish coastal seas are of great importance from a societal perspective. The operations consist of everything from shipping and fishing to tourism and are important sources of income not only for the country’s large ports and cities but also for the small coastal communities, of which many depend on income from the sea. At the same time, however, the coastal seas are subject to major environmental stress caused by human activity.

Industry, coastal communities and citizens are concerned with two main questions in relation to this problem: What can we do to reduce the stress factors, and in what ways will the disruptions of the ecosystem lead to societal, economic and social changes? The many unknown relationships in combination with the potentially significant effect of the acidification problem on people’s life and wellbeing warrant serious exploration of the issue within the framework of a coordinated interdisciplinary research programme. The workshop in Gothenburg helps lay the foundation for such a programme. Representatives from political science, law, business, economics and the natural sciences have developed a constructive research plan for the work from here on. The research plan consists of three parts: causes, consequences and measures. The first two parts summarise the currently available knowledge and identify the weaknesses, and the third describes the research needed to remedy the weaknesses. The goal is to finalise the document by the end of the year and then have it inform a possible Swedish interdisciplinary project on marine acidification.

The Hasselblad Foundation Grants Marine Sciences SEK 300 000.

The Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment

In a project titled Havsmiljö, the Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment is developing a web-based information platform that presents the current environmental status of Swedish seas. The purpose of the project is to provide an easy-to-understand and scientifically based assessment of the condition of the seas.

The information published on the website is largely based on data from the Swedish environmental monitoring services. However, in order to identify important patterns and relationships, there is a need for a more comprehensive analysis that reaches beyond the mere evaluation of individual data. Havsmiljö will serve as a platform for analysis and synthesis and therefore as a tool for both environmental officers and researchers, including those at the Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment.

Besides environmental officials in the marine administration, the website targets policymakers, students and the public. Because of the broad target group, the website contains information at several levels. The ambition is to give visitors both a general understanding of the environmental status and what influences it as well as an opportunity to learn about the issue more in-depth, get more detailed information and see what data the different assessments are based on. One strength of the website is the ease of navigating between a general picture of the environmental status and deeper, more detailed information for example about a certain geographic area. The information can be filtered both geographically and for different environmental problems. This also makes it easier to find related information.

In summary, Havsmiljö offers three main sections: general reviews (Så mår havet), geographic presentations for individual variables (Tillståndet i havet, karta/ beskrivning) and ‘magazine reading’ with in-depth articles about the marine environment (Artiklar). As a comprehensive digital summary of the environmental status of the marine environment has been lacking until now, Havsmiljö fills an important function.

The Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment is receiving SEK 300 000 from the Hasselblad Foundation.

Female Scientists 2016

For the sixth straight year, the Hasselblad Foundation is allocating funding to female researchers in the natural sciences. This year, the SEK 1 million grants have been awarded to Merima Hasani from Chalmers University of Technology and Ulrika Islander from the University of Gothenburg.

Ulrika Islander works as a researcher at the Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research. The grant will enable her to spend a year abroad as a visiting researcher. Early next summer, she will bring her family to St Gallen in Switzerland, where she will further develop her collaboration with a research group. She will work with the group for one year. 

‘I have dreamt for a long time about moving abroad and working as a visiting researcher, but for family reasons I’ve never had a chance to do it,’ says Islander, who is currently making preparations to make the research visit in Switzerland as productive as possible:
‘Right now I’m in the process of recruiting a postdoc to my lab here in Gothenburg so that my work at the University of Gothenburg will continue to run smoothly until I come back. Then of course there are a whole bunch of non-work-related details that need to be worked out before we move, like housing and my kids’ schooling in Switzerland.’

Her research focuses on identifying the mechanisms involved in the protective effect of oestrogen against rheumatoid arthritis. Last year, Islander’s group could show that oestrogen treatment reduces the ability of Th17 cells to move from lymph nodes to joints. Th17 cells are a cell type in the immune system that is involved in the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

‘At this point we have reason to believe that special stromal cells in lymph nodes are the cells that are affected by oestrogen in cases of rheumatoid arthritis and that these stromal cells control the ability of Th17 cells to move from lymph nodes to joints,’ says Islander.

The research lab where Islander will work as a visiting researcher is world leading within research on stromal cells and their interaction with cells in the immune system.
‘I can’t wait to work with the researchers in the group and be able to learn the methods used in the field. After the visit, I’ll be able to bring the knowledge to my lab and apply it on my research questions there.’

Chemical Tools for Extraction and Modification of Material from Forest Resources.

Merima Hasani is assistant professor at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology. Her research focuses on the development of methods for chemical modification of cellulose in water.

‘What we are going to need in the future is bio-based materials and chemicals that can be produced from the relatively rapidly growing biomass and therefore contribute to reduced dependence on fossil resources. I’m thinking both of materials and chemicals that may replace the ones we currently need oil to produce and of materials and chemicals with entirely new properties and functions,’ she says.

‘Biorefinery research relies on multidisciplinary work. I will use the grant to strengthen and further develop some important international collaborations that will help me expand my research and strengthen its multidisciplinary character.’

We need to become better at utilising nature’s own structures and building blocks to satisfy our future need for materials and chemicals. Most of these building blocks are found in the support tissue of plants, in their cell walls, embedded in a complex and robust composite structure.

Although we already have effective processes for extracting some of these components (such as cellulose fibres from timber and other forest resources), we need more knowledge in order to extract all components of the cell wall and fully utilise the structural variation that exists in the cell walls of plants, and trees in particular.

‘The goal of my research is to develop chemical methods that will facilitate better and wider utilisation of building blocks – small molecules, polymers and nanostructures – from forest biomass. The main focus is on cellulose and the chemistry involved in its decoupling from the natural cell wall matrix, as well as further modification with an aim to achieve customised cellulose-based materials. Modification is the key to expanded use of cellulose and can be accomplished through chemical functionalisation or dissolution and re-aggregation of the cellulose structure in appropriate solvents. Of greatest interest are methods that will allow us to benefit from nature’s own design work in cellulose, for example its polymer and nanostructures, and that will be based on simple, environmentally friendly and upscalable reactions that will work in a future bio refinery concept.’

It is the sixth straight year that the Hasselblad Foundation makes funding available for the acquiring of further research qualifications for women researchers in the natural sciences, including technology and life science. Female researchers employed by Chalmers University of Technology or the University of Gothenburg are eligible to apply, and two applicants are granted SEK 1 million each.

The International Science Festival 2017

For the 16th time, the Hasselblad Foundation is supporting the International Science Festival.

Each year, the International Science Festival in Gothenburg creates a meeting place for knowledge, inspiration and new perspectives. The Festival attracts about 70 000 per year, which makes it one of Europe’s leading popular science events.

The Festival offers an exciting mix of science and culture. There are three separate programmes: the public programme, the school programme and the specialist programme – Forum for Research Communication.

The support amounts to SEK 300 000.

Molekylverkstan Science Center

Molekylverkstan Science Center is a national actor and one of Sweden’s 19 Science Centers. The aim is to inspire children and youth to learn more about the natural sciences, technology and mathematics. Molekylverkstan Science Center is a complement to school and is informed by the learning targets defined by the Swedish National Agency for Education in order to achieve measurable effects among pupils in their acquiring of knowledge within the natural sciences.

The Hasselblad Foundation supports the Prosa project, which is Molekylverkstan Science Center’s initiative intended to take a first and important step to teach adolescents more about how computers are used in the natural sciences. With a focus on being able to create and influence by mastering all the opportunities offered by computers. The project targets children and adolescents from the spring semester of sixth grade until the time in ninth grade when they choose which upper secondary programme to pursue. The project enables teachers to integrate computer programming as a natural component of their science teaching. The ambition is to spark an interest that will encourage the pupils to select a science- and/or technology-oriented upper secondary programme. We need, our planet needs, more experts in the natural sciences and engineering.

The goal is for Prosa to spark and increase the curiosity and interest of pupils in the relevance of the natural sciences and computer programming for the development of society.

The idea is to emphasise the importance of merging the natural sciences with computer programming and IT literacy.

Molekylverkstan Science Center is owned by a non-profit organisation. It was established in 2012 by five world-leading chemical companies in Stenungsund on the Swedish west coast – AGA Gas, Akzo Nobel, Borealis, Inovyn and Perstorp Oxo – and is operated in collaboration with Stenungsund Municipality. In 2015, Molekylverkstan Science Center had 51 300 visitors, of whom 12 300 were pupils.

The Hasselblad Foundation is supporting Molekylverkstan Science Center with SEK 400 000.

Chemistry with Alfie Atkins – for the youngest scientists

Hasselblad Foundation supports a chemistry project at Alfons Åbergs Kulturhus (Alfie Atkins’ Cultural Centre) starting this fall – a project aiming to increase children’s interest and understanding of chemistry. Something that at first glance may seem difficult and incomprehensible will be explained through play and activity together with the children. In the project, researchers and students of Chalmers University of Technology, and pre-school and first grade pupils will meet at Alfons Åbergs Kulturhus in Gothenburg.

The idea is that at a very young age arouse interest in science, and that Alfons Åbergs Kulturhus can be a complement to the school. The aim of the project is to create a positive image of chemistry, provide an opportunity for interaction and try out activities, and strengthen the teachers in their role as inspirers for the pupils. In the longer term, the project could contribute to increasing the number of young people pursuing chemistry studies at higher level.

By using the body and the children’s curiosity we will teach children to use simple chemistry concepts, says Per Thorén, one of the initiators of the project together with Alfons Åbergs Kulturhus.

Per Thorén is project manager and COO of Molecular Frontiers, an international network of researchers and educators worldwide with the aim to popularize science among the public, especially among young people.

How small can water be?

One of the questions Per Thorén asks the children is how many times you can divide the content of a bucket of water. Can you divide the water so many times that it eventually becomes invisible?

The children will also get to try what it’s like to be a water molecule, and learn how water molecules move when they are cold and warm – a good way to illustrate what happens when water freezes or boils.

Alfons Åbergs Kulturhus

Alfons Åbergs Kulturhus (Alfie Atkins’ Cultural Centre) is a creative cultural centre for children and their adults. This is a place where inquisitive children can play, get up to mischief, climb and discover a building full of fascinating things. There are daily activities on offer, including theatre, design, maths with seeds, music, kids’ workouts and discovering pine weevils.

For more information, see: www.alfonskulturhus.com

2015 The Hasselblad Foundation is funding a visiting professorship in the Marine Sciences

The Hasselblad Foundation is now funding a visiting professorship at the new Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Gothenburg. The visiting professorship goes to the leading American researcher Jody Deming, who is an authority on polar marine research.

“I am so pleased that we are able with the help of the Hasselblad Foundation to attract a researcher who is a world leader in her field,” says Leif Anderson, marine chemist and Professor at the University of Gothenburg.

Prominent polar researcher will be made a visiting professor at the new Department

Thanks to the Hasselblad Foundation, the University of Gothenburg now has a leading researcher attached to the new Department of Marine Sciences which will be opened on 1 July.

Visiting Professor Jody Deming is coming to us from the University of Washington, and her specialist area is the adaptation of marine microorganisms to the cold.

“She is the person best suited to be our first visiting professor because her specialist area in marine microorganisms and their importance for polar geochemistry and ecology fits in well with the direction we are taking at the University of Gothenburg,” says Leif Anderson.

Polar marine research in focus

The Hasselblad Foundation’s funding for a visiting professor in the Marine Sciences will encourage the linking up of researchers from different disciplines in the new Department of Marine Sciences, which will become a reality at the University of Gothenburg on 1 July. For more than thirty years, polar marine research has been a key area of study for researchers in the Faculty of Science at the University of Gothenburg.

Jody Deming, who is a microbiologist and has a wealth of knowledge in DNA research, will be holding a third-cycle course in October for everyone interested in the field of marine science, and she will also hold a symposium on 3-5 November.

2015 Grants for female postdoctoral researchers in the natural sciences at Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg

The Erna and Victor Hasselblad Foundation’s grants for female postdoctoral researchers in the natural sciences at Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Hasselblad Foundation is allocating funds to support female postdoctoral researchers in the natural sciences with a possible extension to adjacent scientific fields and life sciences. Grants may be applied for by female researchers employed at any one of the aforementioned universities on terms to be announced shortly. The grants total SEK 2 million for two female postdoctoral researchers of SEK 1 million each. Approved funds are to be regarded as contributions to each respective researcher’s postdoctoral project to be paid successively to the respective university over a maximum period of three years.

The main aim of the Erna and Victor Hasselblad Foundation is to promote research and scientific teaching in the natural sciences and photography. This aim is achieved, in part, through research grants to the natural sciences as well as providing photography fellowships and an international award in photography.

Grants 2013

Continued research qualification for female science postgraduates defending their doctoral theses in the natural sciences

For the third year running, the Hasselblad Foundation announces financial support for continued research support for women with PhDs in the natural sciences with a possible extension to closely related fields of technology and life science. This funding may be applied for by women researchers employed by Chalmers University of Technology, University of Gothenburg or Karlstad University, in accordance with terms and conditions soon to be announced. The total sum of this funding is SEK 2,000,000, to be divided as SEK 1,000,000 each for two women researchers. When granted, the financing is to be regarded as project funding to support the continued research of each of the two researchers, and is to be paid out to the respective universities during a period not exceeding three years.

Nordens Ark

The Hasselblad Foundation supports the snowy owl.

Hasselblad Professor
During 2012 the foundation decided, as one aspect of the well-established collaboration with Nordens Ark, to endow a chair at the University of Gothenburg, with the professor’s place of work at Nordens Ark. The chair is held by Professor Claes Andrén, scientific director of Nordens Ark since 2006. Professor Andrén works with research in conservation biology, tutoring students, developing the capacity and competence of the staff at Nordens Ark in terms of raising and maintaining viable populations of threatened species in bio secure conditions. He also conducts methodical follow-ups of animals that have been released, in order to better understand why some release programs succeed and others fail. This knowledge is of major international significance, highlighting the role of conservation biology in terms of ensuring viable populations of threatened species in natural environments.

Grants 2012

Continued research qualification for women in the natural sciences

The Hasselblad Foundation announces financial support of SEK 1,000,000 each, to Anna Martner, PhD, University of Gothenburg, and Elin Esbjörner Winters, PhD, Chalmers University of Technology.

Anna Martner’s research focuses on myeolid leukemias, a research field that she wants to develop further by collaboration with hematologists and immunologists at the Sahlgrenska Academy. In particular she studies how leukemic cells can avoid being eliminated by the cytotoxic cells of the immune system, with the aim of formulating principles for improved immunotherapy. She intends to recruit a PhD student, as a first step in establishing a research group.
Elin Esbjörner Winters is studying the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, at molecular level. Her aim is to develop new methods for the study of the behaviour of proteins in living nerve neuronal cells, specifically the development of harmful protein aggregate structures. She intends to involve other researchers with supplementary competence in interdisciplinary work both in her own research group and through international collaboration.

Statement in this context from the director of the Hasselblad Foundation, Bo Myhrman:
One of the objectives of the Hasselblad Foundation is to promote research in the natural sciences. As part of this important work, we are pleased to be able to announcing this funding to Anna Martner and Elin Esbjörner Winters for continued research qualification.

Hasselblad Professor
Nordens Ark received a grant of SEK 1,900,000 to endow a chair in conservation biology, applied research in the maintenance of threatened species, and to run an annual research school.

During 2010 the foundation decided, as one aspect of our well-established collaboration with Nordens Ark, to endow a chair at the University of Gothenburg, with the professor’s place of work at Nordens Ark. The chair is held by Professor Claes Andrén, scientific director of Nordens Ark since 2006. Professor Andrén works with research in conservation biology, tutoring students, developing the capacity and competence of the staff at Nordens Ark in terms of raising and maintaining viable populations of threatened species in bio secure conditions. He also conducts methodical follow-ups of animals that have been released, in order to better understand why some release programs succeed and others fail. This knowledge is of major international significance, highlighting the role of conservation biology in terms of ensuring viable populations of threatened species in natural environments.

Grants 2011

The Gothenburg Museum of Natural History
The Gothenburg Museum of Natural History has been granted a contribution of SEK 500,000 to be used for publishing its unique scientific material, consisting of about 2,000 pictures of animal species, on the Internet. Having the pictures published on the Internet will not only make it easier for taxonomists and other scientists, as well as for an interested public, to have access to this unique material, but it will also protect the material from damage and the risk of theft.

Universeum: The Innovation workshop—with nature as inspiration

Universeum has been granted a contribution of SEK 2,000,000 to carry out the project The Innovation Workshop—with nature as inspiration. The project focuses on creativity; to create something, test and evaluate it. A major exhibition, opening on October 13, 2011, will have a central area of activities, surrounded by creative exhibition displays, demonstrating how nature has been the model for human inventions and applications. The Institute for Technical Design at Chalmers and HDK at the University of Gothenburg are participating in developing the program.

Continued research qualification for female science postgraduates defending their doctoral theses in the natural sciences
The foundation has decided to earmark SEK 2,000,000 to finance the continued research qualification of two female scientists who are defending their doctoral theses in the natural sciences (SEK 1,000,000 each), with the possibility of extension to closely related fields of technology areas and life science.
The intention is to repeat this earmarking opportunity for five additional years. The approved grant is a contribution for each scientist’s continued research qualification and should be used to support the scientist’s projects. Each scientist must be employed at Chalmers University of Technology, the University of Gothenburg or the Karlstad University. Further information about applying for the program can be ordered from the respective universities.

In October 2011 the board decided, within the above mentioned framework, to grant financial support to Åsa Haglund, PhD, Chalmers University of Technology, and Caroline Jonsson, PhD, University of Gothenburg.

Grants 2004–2010

Chalmers University of Technology, University of Gothenburg and Karlstad University

The foundation has decided to grant SEK 16,000,000 over a four-year period to enhance didactics in natural science subjects.

Three universities in the west of Sweden—Chalmers University of Technology, University of Gothenburg and Karlstad University—have undertaken to cooperate during a four-year period in a programme to raise the quality of didactics in courses dealing with molecular science in chemistry, physics and biology. The intention is to develop research and graduate teaching in the didactics of molecular science within the framework of the Hasselblad Foundation Graduate School. The programme also involves participation in the development of Molecular Frontiers, a worldwide project based in Boston. This deals with natural science didactics and focuses in particular on subjects in which molecules are a shared “language”.

The universities will be able to use this grant to fund graduate students, graduate teaching, seminars, training courses and their participation in the Molecular Frontiers project.

The programme has been developed through the intensive and enthusiastic cooperation of a group of researchers from the three universities.

The proposed Hasselblad programme mainly comprises a research project in which six to seven active graduate students will each have supervisors from two complementary disciplines, the natural sciences and educational theory. Schools and teachers in the region will be encouraged to participate and will receive support in developing their own teaching methods. The links with primary and secondary schools and the planned training courses and seminars will enable the knowledge generated to be used not only for research, but in a much wider context.

2007–2008 Nordens Ark received SEK 2,400,000 to the Amphibian Ark project.

2009 University of Gothenburg Department of Zoology received a grant of SEK 200,000 for the project Evolution of sociality and altruism in waterfowl.

2006–2009 The endowed chair Hasselblad Professor of Public Learning and Understanding of Science (PLUS) was granted SEK 9,000,000.

2005  Universeum received SEK 800,000 to develop equipment for the illustration of modern scientific and technical aspects of energy.

2004 Nordens Ark received SEK 1,800,000 to establish research activities in the discipline of biodiversity and threatened species and races.

2004 University of Gothenburg received SEK 1,800,00 to establish a molecular biophysics laboratory in conjunction with the Swedish NMR Centre and the Hasselblad Laboratory.

 Grants 2001–2003

2003 University of Gothenburg and The East Indiaman Götheborg received a joint grant of SEK 3,000,000 for research in marine biology in conjunction with the maiden voyage of The East Indiaman Götheborg to China.

2002 Tjärnö Marine Biological Laboratory received SEK 3,000,000 for the establishment of a Centre for Communication in Marine Biology.

2002 Universeum received SEK 6,000,000 for projects entitled: Communication from an evolutionary and technological perspective, Chemical principles and phenomena from the world of molecules and The Paths of Toxins.

2002 Tjärnö Laboratory and Universeum received a joint grant of SEK 1,000,000 to develop interactive exhibition components and other information on communication in marine biology.

2001 University of Tartu, Estonia, received SEK 3,000,000 to supplement research equipment, such as a scanning probe microscope with atomic resolution for low temperatures, etc.

Grants 1996–2000

2000  Universeum received SEK 6,000,000 to support teaching and research in the natural sciences.

1999 Stockholm University received SEK 6,000,000 to establish a mass spectrometry facility for biological and chemical research in “proteomics work”.

1998 Technical University of Denmark received SEK 6,000,000 for the establishment of a research centre, the Centre for Biomembrane Physics.

1997 Åbo Academy, Finland, received SEK 6,000,000 for the visualization of biological signal processes in respect of molecules, cells and tissues with the aid of three- and four-dimensional computer techniques.

1996 University of Bergen, Norway, received SEK 5,000,000 to facilitate the development of a remote-controlled submarine with land-based equipment.

1996 Hasselblad Laboratory: a donation of SEK 20,000,000 was made to University of Gothenburg to build the Hasselblad Laboratory at Medicinareberget, on the campus of the Medical School of University of Gothenburg.

Hasselblad Professor: 2010–

Nordens Ark received a grant of SEK 1,900,000 to endow a chair in conservation biology, applied research in the maintenance of threatened species, and to run an annual research school.

During 2010 the foundation decided, as one aspect of the well-established collaboration with Nordens Ark, to endow a chair at the University of Gothenburg, with the professor’s place of work at Nordens Ark. The chair is held by Professor Claes Andrén, scientific director of Nordens Ark since 2006. Professor Andrén works with research in conservation biology, tutoring students, developing the capacity and competence of the staff at Nordens Ark in terms of raising and maintaining viable populations of threatened species in bio secure conditions. He also conducts methodical follow-ups of animals that have been released, in order to better understand why some release programs succeed and others fail. This knowledge is of major international significance, highlighting the role of conservation biology in terms of ensuring viable populations of threatened species in natural environments.

Hasselblad Professor: 2006–2009

The Erna and Victor Hasselblad Foundation decided in 2004 to endow a chair to be designated the Hasselblad Professor in Public Learning and Understanding of Science (PLUS) in honour of the Victor Hasselblad centenary. It was also decided that the chair was to be shared between Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg. Recruitment for the position took place during 2005.
The subject Public Learning and Understanding of Science may include studies of public understanding and attitudes towards science and technology, science in schools, science and the media, and science and gender.
Dr. Ilan Chabay became the first Hasselblad Professor of Public Learning and Understanding of Science. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Victor Hasselblad’s birth, March 8, 2006, Dr. Chabay delivered his inaugural lecture in Gothenburg.