Research and Education – the key to future health

Annual Report 2010

Research and Education – the key to future health

1

Annual Report 2010

Research and education – the key to future health

Contents

Foreword ................................................................ 2

Undergraduate education ....................................... 4

Postgraduate education ........................................... 10

Research ................................................................. 18

Cooperation and innovation................................... 28

Institute of Biomedicine ......................................... 36

Institute of Clinical Sciences................................... 37

Institute of Medicine .............................................. 38

Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology ............... 39

Institute of Odontology.......................................... 40

Institute of Health and Care Sciences ..................... 41

Environment and sustainable development ............ 42

Human resources .................................................... 43

Finances ................................................................. 46

2

“Collaboration vital for the develop

Professor Olle Larkö, Dean of the Sahlgrenska Academy, during the faculty’s Management Day.

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ment of the Sahlgrenska Academy“Looking back at 2010 there are three key events that stand out.Th e fi rst was the appointment of a new Academy Board with a sharper focus on research and the drive to make it more competitive. Th e second was the launch of several research programmes courtesy of strategic government research funding. We were also awarded substantial funding from the Birgit and Sten A Olsson Foundation for research into mental handicaps, which enabled us to set up the Gillberg Centre. Th is will contribute to new knowledge on examination, investigation and treatment methods in neuropsychiatry, a fi eld that includes autism, ADHD and anorexia among children and adolescents.

Th e third was the well-attended symposium on the medicine of the future, an area where the investment in virtual techno-logy at Sahlgrenska University Hospital’s new Imaging and Intervention Centre is expected to lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic expertise. Th is is a good example of a collabora-tion between the Academy and Region Västra Götaland that we consider to be vital for the development of the Academy.

Extending our collaboration with partners in industry, Chalmers University of Technology, the University of Gothenburg and Region Västra Götaland will make the Sahlgrenska Academy stronger and more visible at national and international level. Forging stronger links with other medical faculties in Sweden is also important, particularly

in the fi ght for strategic research funding. Th ere is also a need to improve collaboration between faculties at the University of Gothenburg, an area with considerable untap-ped potential.

We carry out regular assessments of our work and can see that we need to continue to develop our core activities of research and education. Our study programmes are among the most popular in Sweden and we want them to remain so. Th is will require us to adapt to new requirements, which is why we will continue to develop our range of courses to ensure that our teaching meets tomorrow’s needs in the healthcare sector.

Our approach is clear when looking to the future: the concepts of a holistic approach, collaboration and excellent knowledge-building will enable the Sahlgrenska Academy to contribute to progress in preventing, alleviating and treating illnesses and poor health in a way that ensures that we are sought-after and respected by students and researchers alike in an increasingly competitive world. We believe that we have made good progress along this road, which is down to our colleagues and students, and would therefore like to extend our special thanks to them for all their hard work during the year.

Ragnar Norrby, ChairmanSahlgrenska Academy Board

Olle Larkö, DeanSahlgrenska Academy

4 EDUCATION AT UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL

Educational issues

Focusing on

5EDUCATION AT UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL

Are there any events that really stand out during the year?“Our work with educational issues is rarely characterised by individual events, but instead development and change tend to occur as a process,” says Kerstin Nilsson, Vice Dean of Undergraduate Studies. “But if I had to name one thing, it would be our course for qualifi ed researchers that will make them eligible for condensed training as a medical doctor. It is due to start in the spring of 2011 and we’re delighted to have received more applications than expected, with just over fi ve applicants for each place.”

Projects in 2010She explains that the students came up with several ideas that the Council for education in fi rst and second cycle programmes and the education department at the faculty offi ce have endeavoured to implement. Th ese included a new student counselling organisation during the year as a result of an inquiry the previous year, and an Academy-wide course evaluation process.

“I feel that communication has increased between the educa-tional programmes at the Academy,” says Nilsson. “Th is has enabled us to learn more from each other.”

After several years of investigation and analysis prompted by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education’s review in 2007, the Programme Committee for Medicine has begun to develop the medicine programme.

What have you got lined up for next year?Th e Swedish National Agency for Higher Education’s inspec-tion and the University of Gothenburg’s inspection, known as BLUE11, will take place in 2011.

“Th is will make huge demands of teaching staff as they will have to teach while working on both inspections.”

She believes that it will be even harder to fi nd placements for several student groups in the local area as the care sector is changing.

“We’re planning to increase our collaboration with Region Västra Götaland to create agre-ements on placements in hospitals and primary care.”

However, the Vice Dean is concerned about the reduction in state funding for Sweden’s academic institutions that was announced in conjunction with the introduction of student fees for non-European students.

“Th is might make it harder to develop study programmes, especially at master’s level, and to increase the number of places on existing programmes. Th ere’s nothing to suggest that we’re training more staff than the healthcare and dental sectors need – quite the opposite in some cases.”

Vice Dean Kerstin Nilsson

the education of the future


in line with the study programme in medicine at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.

NUMBER OF FIRST-CHOICE APPLICANTS PER PLACEProgramme AUT10 AUT09 AUT08Physiotherapy 18,54 17,41 11,81

Nursing 9,74 8,78 7,90

Occupational therapy 4,70 4,92 3,70

Medicine 11,67 10,64 9,25

Dentistry 6,37 8,60 7,20

Top place for the Sahlgrenska AcademyIt was the large universities and the specialist universities that claimed the Swedish top spots in the latest ranking from Urank, an independent group of academics. Th is time the organisation had also divided the 2009 results into three groupings by subject: care and medicine, technology and science, and the humanities.

The University of Gothenburg came second to Lund University in care and medicine, with Karolinska Institutet taking third place.

International prize for the pharmacy programmeTh e pharmacy programme was awarded the Annual Simcyp Academic Award for its innovative use of the Simcyp simula-tion platform in its teaching.

“What the students learn during laboratory sessions ties in completely with the move towards more model-based pharmaceutical research at the big drug companies,” says

PERFORMANCE, 2008-2010

Record number of applicantsApplications for places on the Sahlgrenska Academy’s physiotherapy, nursing and occupational therapy program-mes were the highest in Sweden in the autumn of 2010. Several other study programmes were high on the list, with more applicants than ever before according to statistics from the Swedish Agency for Higher Education Services. Th e Academy’s medicine programme also proved to be a popu-lar fi rst choice, with 1,167 applicants chasing 100 places. Th is translates into just over 11 applicants per place, which is the highest fi gure for Gothenburg this millennium and is

The performance indicator relates to performance for the year as a whole for FTEs, and stood at 96% in 2010. This means that the Sahlgrenska Academy has reached the funding cap.

96% 94%95%

A NNUAL PERFORMANCE EQUIVALENTS

F ULL TIME EQUIVALENTS

200820092010

335835083645

31543330

3492


Michael Ashton, professor of biopharmacy at the Department of Pharmacology.

StudentcornerStudentcorner was offi cially opened in January 2010 and is a forum for students to meet up with supervisors, international coordinators and student counsellors. Th ey can also book time with a study counsellor, pick up information or borrow a computer. A drop-in service with language supervisors was off ered once a week during the spring term, followed by a drop-in service with IT supervisors during the autumn.

Learning through technologyTechnological developments in healthcare are creating new teaching opportunities. A project at the Institute of Odontology enabled students to follow on-screen the dentist’s view through a microscope. Th is demonstrated that the

integration of theoretical and laboratory work is valuable and contributes to a deeper understanding at both the theore-tical and practical level. Visualisation can also promote more clinic-like teaching, which increases students’ opportuni-ties to develop professional expertise. Th e aim is to use this project to generate models that can be generalised to other courses in the faculty and also make a signifi cant contribu-tion at the theoretical level.

PlacementsSince 2008 we have been running a research project to design a quality assurance evaluation instrument for placements in the nursing programme. Th is instrument is based on quanti-tative data, students’ own experience and what they consider to be necessary for optimal learning. Th e idea is that the fi nal evaluation instrument could be used for all vocational courses involving placements in the healthcare sector.

Coordination of master’s programmesIn a bid to improve the quality of the master’s programmes at the Academy, a working group has produced a model for the coordination of course resources in 2011. Th e assess-ment criteria for the master’s courses have been designed and audited by the University of Gothenburg’s Quality Council. Programme management staff and programme committees have had the opportunity to attend seminars with Rosalind Duhs from University College London on the relationship between learning goals, learning activities and examination forms, also known as constructive alignment.

Studentcorner is a meeting place for all students and has services that can make their everyday life easier.


Success for new master’s programmeA two-year international master’s programme in public health science with health economics started in the autumn term of 2010 at the Institute of Medicine. Interest in the programme was considerable, with a total of 459 applicants, 390 of whom came from other countries. Th e programme is designed for students with a bachelor’s degree in a health-related subject and is taught in English.

Annual teaching prize goes to LearnAble project Th e Sahlgrenska Academy’s 2010 educational prize of SEK 50,000 was awarded to the group behind the LearnAble – Learn to be Able to Learn and Teach project. It was professor Karin Kjellgren, then Vice Dean, who initiated the project for both students and teaching staff at the Sahlgrenska Academy back in 2005. Th e aim was to facilitate students’ transi-tion from school to university by giving them the tools they need to fi nd, evaluate and communicate knowledge. Th e project also off ered teaching staff an Academy-wide course in university teaching, where the practical element involved supervising the students on the induction course.

Supplementary trainingIn 2009 the University of Gothenburg, Karolinska Institutet, Linköping University and Lund University were asked to arrange supplementary training for doctors, nurses and dentists who had qualifi ed in countries outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. Th ese courses aim to help students to acquire the knowledge they need to be authorised to practise their respective professions in Sweden.

In the autumn of 2010 nine doctors and 19 nurses who had qualifi ed abroad were accepted onto supplementary training courses for doctors and nurses. Th e corresponding course for dentists attracted 12 students and started at the same time.

Academic integrityTh e Council for education in fi rst and second cycle program-mes has produced a new brochure for students and lecturers on academic integrity, the rules on citing sources and how to demonstrate own knowledge using permitted methods. It also covers the rights and obligations of teaching staff and students in the event of cheating and plagiarism.

students from the Sahlgrenska Academy studied at foreign universities in 2010. 156

International partnershipsIn 2010 a total of 156 students from the Sahlgrenska Academy studied at foreign universities, which was slightly fewer on 2009. Th e percentage of students following entire courses abroad is increasing, though the majority of foreign

Nishma Hindocha spent three months at Cardiff University in the spring of 2010. She thought it was very interesting to get another perspective on her odontology studies.


visits are for degree projects and placements. 67 foreign students studied at the Sahlgrenska Academy in 2010. More study programmes than ever before were actively involved in student exchanges, with the number of teaching staff taking part in international exchanges also up on the previous year. A total of 29 Sahlgrenska Academy teaching staff taught at foreign academic institutions during the year. Th ese exchan-ges were funded through government grants for lecturers, Erasmus and Linnaeus-Palme.

International dimension to coursesAlong with lecturers from Nepal, former UN ambassador Pierre Schori (chair of the Olof Palme Memorial Fund) was invited to talk about international collaboration on International Day. Swedish and international students were also given the chance to talk about their experiences. In 2010 the internationalisation committee advertised funding for Sahlgrenska Academy lecturers to support the development of courses in English, invitations to foreign speakers, visits to foreign universities and to cover the costs of teaching exchanges. Lena Andersson and Gunilla Krantz from the Institute of Medicine were among those who received grants, which they used to set up a partnership with the University of Rajarata in Sri Lanka.

Bachelor’s programmes Audiology Biomedical Laboratory Science Dental Hygiene Dental Technology Dental Surgery Diagnostic Radiography Nursing Dietetics Medical Physics Medicine Midwifery Nursing Occupational Therapy Pharmacy Physiotherapy Prescribing Public Health Science Specialist Nursing Speech and Language Pathology

Master’s programmes Business Creation and Entrepreneurship in Biomedicine Public Health Science with Health Economics

10 POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

First in Sweden

Specialist expertise

11POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

in medical basic scienceBörje Haraldsson’s mandate period as Vice Dean of Postgraduate Studies ran from October 2005 to September 2010, during which time he endeavoured to improve educa-tion at postgraduate level.

“I think that we’ve laid strong foundations for continued improvements thanks to our focus on transparency, competi-tion and quality. In 2010, for example, we created six places for specialist expertise in medical basic science, signifi cantly expanded our course activities and invested in the develop-ment of supervisors’ skills.”

What are you most proud of?“Th at our venture into medical basic science is up and running after a long preparation period. We’re the fi rst in Sweden to take the initiative to get medical doctors to undergo full-time research training, and so guarantee fresh talent on the research front. Th is has attracted considerable interest both at home and abroad,” says Haraldsson, who feels that the Sahlgrenska Academy has growth potential.

“We need to work on the way we advertise our doctoral student places so that we get a better spread. Although we receive many applications for each place, we feel that there are still gifted young people whom we don’t reach. We also need to improve our information on the reasons for pursuing doctoral studies, what is involved, and how they can aff ect future career choices.”.

Kristoff er Hellstrand – new Vice Dean of Postgraduate StudiesKristoff er Hellstrand took over as Vice Dean after Börje Haraldsson during the autumn. Together with the Council for Postgraduate Studies, Hellstrand will endeavour to stream-line the application process for external funding, which is something that many still consider to be complicated in spite of tangible improvements in recent years.

“We’ll also be completing our work to ensure that the course element of postgraduate studies is even more focused on doctoral students’ needs, partly by adding extra modules on how to write scientifi cally and how to organise a doctoral thesis,” says Hellstrand.

Do you see any challenges in the future? “Postgraduate education is an important part of the Academy’s work, and the input from doctoral students plays a crucial role in the quality of research. Th e education we off er should be of a high standard, making it attractive to students who are interested in research. A key challenge is to inspire students to begin their doctoral studies early during their undergraduate education, and the reforms that have been carried out in recent years – such as the teaching assis-tant programme and the special funding for medical basic science – are important steps in the right direction.”.

Vice Dean Kristoffer Hellstrand.


New research subject areaStudents at the Sahlgrenska Academy can write doctoral theses in fi ve subject areas: pharmaceutical science, medical basic science, medical science, odontological science and care science. Pharmaceutical science was introduced in 2010 at the suggestion of the Council for Postgraduate Studies. Th e Sahlgrenska Academy now complies with the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education’s wish to ensure that the number of research subjects off ered at Swedish medical universities is the same. Th ese research subject areas must, in turn, be consistent with the undergraduate programmes off ered at the Academy.

Medical basic scienceDuring the year six places were created for doctoral studies in medical basic science, with the aim of nurturing new lecturers in fundamental medical subjects. Th is initiative was designed to increase expertise in these subjects, secure good undergraduate education for the future and strengthen the link between biomedicine and clinical subjects.

Supervisor training2008 saw the Sahlgrenska Academy introducing manda-tory training for supervisors. Th e courses have been fully

subscribed, with demand outstripping supply. In 2010 the number of places on these courses was increased temporarily. Th e courses are run by the University of Gothenburg’s PIL Unit (Pedagogical Development and Interactive Learning).

Theme courses at doctoral levelIn a bid to increase the range of subject-specifi c courses and methodology courses at doctoral level, the Sahlgrenska Academy has set aside funds to fi nance subject-specifi c course programmes. An inventory has been carried out of all the possible, broad and over-arching subject areas in which a course could be planned and run in the long term. Eight themes were identifi ed in 2010, including cancer – from transformed cell to patient, cardiovascular metabolic syndro-me, infl ammation, odontology and patient-centred care.

Language supervision for researchersUndergraduate students already have access to language supervision, and this has now been opened up to doctoral students who would like to develop their language skills, both on a one-to-one basis and through a series of seminars for larger groups. Language supervision can provide feedback and ideas for improvements during the preparation of an oral or written project.

DOCTORATES AWARDED, 2007-2010REASERCH STUDENTS ACCEPTED, 2007-2010

147

143

126

113

MenWomen

2010

2009

2008

2007

MenWomen

146

168

119

84

2010

2009

2008

2007


Environment & Health graduate schoolTh e Environment & Health graduate school is a joint venture between the University of Gothenburg and Region Västra Götaland. In 2010 the Sahlgrenska Academy was awarded two places for doctoral students at the graduate school. More than 60 applications were received, from which the graduate school’s management selected two projects.

Material InitiativeTh e Material Initiative is a new joint project at the Sahlgrenska Academy and Chalmers University of Technology and means that doctoral students at Chalmers work in parallel with doctoral students at the University of Gothenburg and the Sahlgrenska Academy on common and overlapping projects, known as twinning doctoral studentships.

Scientist Career Day 2010Scientist Career Day was organised in September by Future Faculty with funding from the Sahlgrenska Academy and GöteborgBIO to give young researchers ideas and inspiration for careers paths. Th e event attracted over 300 visitors who got to meet representatives from trade and industry, Region Västra Götaland, recruitment companies and so on. Future Faculty is an organisation at the Sahlgrenska Academy that works with junior postdoctoral researchers who are engaged in active research but have yet to fi nd a permanent post as a senior lecturer or professor.

African collaborationSince 2009 the Sahlgrenska Academy has been involved in a doctoral student collaboration with Rwanda funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. In 2010 the Academy went on to set up a similar collaboration with CARTA, the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa. Under the agreement, the Academy’s doctoral students can be part of a network of nine African universities and fi ve research institutes. Th e faculty has also been given two doctoral places at CARTA, which off ers a structured education at doctoral level, with intensive teaching.

ORPHEUS2010 saw the Sahlgrenska Academy becoming a member of ORPHEUS, the Organisation for PhD Education in Biomedicine and Health Sciences in the European System. Founded in 2004 in Zagreb, the organisation aims to bring more consistency to the range of medical courses off ered at doctoral level in Europe.

Junior researchers and exhibitors at Scientist Career Day 2010.


Bacterial spray can help children with glue ear

Many children have long-term problems with fl uid in the middle ear, and some-times surgery is the only way to shift it. In her thesis, Susann Skovbjerg investi-gated whether a bacterial nasal spray can have the same eff ect in some child-ren. Th e study covered 60 children who were split into three groups to try diff erent solutions. In the group given the bacterial spray, a third of the children got much better or were cured completely.

“One explanation for the marked improvement may be that the spray stimu-lates the immune system to conquer the long-term infl ammation,” says Skovbjerg.

Girls with autism or ADHD symptoms not taken seriously

Svenny Kopp’s thesis focuses primarily on 100 girls who, before reaching adulthood, went to the doctor on account of diffi culties with social interaction and/or concentration at school or elsewhere.

“We could see that their parents had been concerned about the girls’ behaviour or development during their fi rst few years of life. Th ey had also asked for help at an early stage, but hadn’t been given a proper diagnosis,” says Kopp.

She concludes that the healthcare system does not take girls with symptoms of autism or ADHD seriously enough and calls for more training.

Theses that made the headlines

Hopes for a vaccine against genital herpesHerpes results in serious problems with the geni-tals and can also increase the risk of HIV infection. Despite extensive research, it has not yet been possible to produce a vaccine against genital herpes. However, in his thesis, Staff an Görander describes how researchers have made some progress in this area.

“We found that vaccination with gG-2 prevented the virus from causing serious infection and managed to block the HSV-2 virus on its way into the nervous system. In this way we managed to bring about immunity against herpes,” says Görander.

“Our research results will also increase our

understanding of how the virus causes infection and spreads.”

New fi ndings on autoimmune diseasesA defi ciency of one of the immune system’s enzymes – NADPH oxidase – aff ects the severity of autoimmune diseases such as MS, and explains why the course of these diseases can vary so much. New fi ndings give an insight into how this enzyme defi ciency can be diagnosed, and could lead to new medicines, reveals a thesis written by Natalia Mossberg.

Th e discovery could also lead to a new approach to the treatment of MS in its early stages, such as a vaccination for people at risk of developing this type of illness.

PhD students defended their theses in 2010.The following are just some of the theses that were picked up by the media:

147


Better movement patterns can help with back pain

Th is thesis investigated how sensory motor learning aff ected patients with long-term back pain who had not previously responded to any form of treatment.

“People with long-term back pain often protect themselves from pain by unconsciously limiting their movements. Sensory motor learning alleviated their pain. At the same time, they felt better and less stressed,” says Christina Schön-Ohlsson, author of the thesis.

Infertility harder on men than previously thought

IVF has meant that more couples than ever now have the opportunity to

become biological parents. However, the path to achie-ving this can be laborious and, for some, the treat-ment is unsuccessful. Th ose couples living without children, both men and women, had a signifi cantly poorer quality of life than those for whom IVF treat-ment had been successful and also in comparison with the couples in the control group.

“When interviewed after two years they perceived their infertility as central to their lives and above all that quality of life amongst men without children was more negatively aff ected than had been previously reported in studies of involuntary infertility,” says Marianne Johansson.

Those who exercise when young have stronger bones when they grow old

“Th e bones respond best when you’re young, and exercising and loading them with your own bodyweight during these years has a stimulating eff ect on their development. Th is may be important for bone strength much later in life too, so reducing the risk of brittle bones,” says Martin Nilsson who wrote the thesis, which is based on an examination

of the bones and exercise habits of around 3,200 men.

Exercise the best treatment for tennis elbow

Exercise and ergonomic advice are more eff ective than anti-inflammatory drugs and cortisone injec-tions in treating tennis elbow, and give fewer side-eff ects.

These were the findings reported by Pia Nilsson in her thesis.


“A treatment programme designed by a physioth-erapist and occupational therapist together reduces the patient’s pain, increases the function of the elbow and hand, and reduces the duration of sick leave. Th is programme heals tennis elbow better than cortiso-ne injections. Th e method can benefi t the patient, the employer and society in general.”

Oral damage remains after giving up snuff In his thesis , Mats Wallström tested a cessa-tion programme on 50 patients with a history of heavy long-term snuff use.

A second tissue sample was taken from the same area of the mouth in 20 of the patients who took part in the programme and were tobacco-free after six months.

“We could see that the mucous membranes were still not normal six months after giving up, neither in a clinical examination nor under the microscope,” says Wallström.

He believes that this group of people should also be monitored after giving up snuff , as there is a suspi-cion that the risk of cancer is higher in former tobacco users, and previous research indicates that nicotine can aff ect the development of cancer.

HIV virus hides in the brainStudies of the spinal fl uid of patients given anti-HIV drugs have resulted in new fi ndings suggesting that the brain can act as a hiding place for the HIV virus. Around a tenth of patients showed traces of the virus in their spinal fl uid but not in their blood – a larger proportion than previous-ly realised, reveals a thesis written by Arvid Edén.

“Antiviral treatment in the brain is complicated by a number of factors, partly because it is surrounded by a protective barrier that aff ects how well medicines get in. Th is means that the brain can act as a reservoir where treatment of the virus may be less eff ective.”

Stem cell therapy – a future treatment for lower back pain?

Lower back pain affects many people and may be caused by degeneration of the discs between the vertebrae. Treatment for the condition using stem cells may be an alternative to today’s surgical procedures. Th is is the conclusion of a thesis written by Helena Barreto-Henriksson. Th e thesis describes how she and her colleagues studied cell division in the disc, and the possibility of infl uen-cing the disc through cell transplantation.

“The advantage of such treatment over today’s surgical approaches is that it would be a much simpler and less serious procedure for the patient.”


Best thesis at the Sahlgrenska Academy 2009: Christer Fransson, Prevalence, extent and severity of peri-implantitis

Best thesis at the Institute of Biomedicine: Malin Johansson, Th e MUC2 mucin – A network in the intesti-nal protective mucus

Best thesis at the Institute of Clinical Sciences: Ann De-Wahl Granelli, Pulse oximetry: Evaluation of a poten-tial tool for early detection of critical congenital heart disease

Best thesis at the Institute of Health and Care Sciences: Pia Alsén, Illness perception and fatigue after myocardial infarction

Best thesis at the Institute of Medicine: Anna-Karin Sjögren, Th e Importance of Isoprenylation and Nf1 Defi ciency in K-RAS-induced Cancer

Best thesis at the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology: Erik Portelius, Targeted Abeta proteomics – A tool to study the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease

Best thesis at the Institute of Odontology: Nina Khosravani, On the Innervation of Salivary Glands and Treatment of Dry Mouth – An Experimental and Clinical Study

A special ceremony in May saw prizes being awarded to seven Sahlgrenska Academy researchers for the best theses of 2009. Th e seven prizes are awarded each year to doctoral students who have completed their research and written theses of a particularly high standard. In addition to a prize-winner from each institute, a prize was given for the best thesis for the entire Academy in 2009. Best thesis of the Academy received SEK 60,000 the others received SEK 15,000 from Dr Arnt Vestby Research Foundation and a special diploma.

Th e prize for best thesis went to Christer Fransson, who showed that bone loss around dental implants is far more common than previously realised.

“I felt very grateful, proud and honoured to be given this magnifi cent prize. It’ll encourage me to continue to combine teaching with clinical research.”

Best theses of 2009

The prize-winners for the best theses. Standing, left to right: Erik Portelius, Ann De-Wahl Granelli, Nina Khosravani and Pia Alsén. Seated, left to right: Christer Fransson, Malin Johansson and Anna-Karin Sjögren

18 RESEARCH

Enhancing our competitiveness

We need a clear

19RESEARCH

visionUlf Smith was Vice Dean of Research at the Sahlgrenska Academy from 2008 until May 2010. Among other things, he worked on increasing the Academy’s ability to attract strategic funding.

“We can get better at this,” says Smith. “One important success factor is bringing together groups of researchers to create broader expertise and competence in ongoing research projects. We must therefore have a clear strategy for how we ensure nationally and internationally competitive research.”

His ideas have won support on the Academy Board, which agrees that there is a need for a more radical vision for the Academy’s future development.

What is needed?“We’ve initiated and planned closer collaboration between basic and clinical research, which will benefi t the Academy, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Region Västra Götaland and, ultimately, patients,” says Smith. “Th e next step is to create translational centres to serve as creative meeting places for basic researchers and clinical personnel where they can resolve the big healthcare issues. Our work on such centres is progressing, and I look forward to seeing the results.”

Sven Enerbäck takes overSven Enerbäck took over from Ulf Smith as Vice Dean on 1 October 2010.

“It’s an exciting and challenging job. One important aspect is to continue the work begun by Ulf on further integrating basic research into more patient-oriented clinical research,” says Enerbäck, who believes that his most important tasks for the future are to protect research and help create a research environment which is creative, open and welcoming.

In this way, he can make it easier for new researchers to establish themselves and develop their research at the Academy.

“I’m also looking forward to fi nding new ways of supporting established research at the Academy. And it’s important that we get better at landing external research funding.”

How will you achieve that?“By looking to push the quality of our research even higher, making us more competitive. But our researchers need support in the application process to achieve this. We have therefore recruited a research adviser to the Academy with the role of assisting researchers during this process.”

Enerbäck also notes that while the Academy needs to faci-litate high-quality research, much of the responsibility for achieving this still rests on the individual research group.

Vice Dean Sven Enerbäck

20 RESEARCH

New centresStrategic investment in Sahlgrenska Cancer Centre Together with Lund University, the University of Gothenburg has been awarded government funding to develop a strate-gic research fi eld in cancer, 2010-2014. Professor Göran Stenman heads the centre at the Sahlgrenska Academy, which brings together researchers from a wide variety of fi elds – pathology, molecular medicine, urology, surgery, viro-logy and oncology. Th e research ranges from basic research into cancer genetics and tumour biology to more clinically applied, patient-based research.

“Th e idea is to develop a leading research fi eld in cancer nationally and internationally and signifi cantly increase levels of external research funding and the recruitment of leading researchers and clinicians to the fi eld,” says Stenman.

Gillberg Centre to contribute new knowledge“Th e creation of the Gillberg Centre is a tribute to neuropsy-chiatric R&D work at the University of Gothenburg,” says the centre’s director, professor Christopher Gillberg. “It spells a sharper focus on patient groups’ needs for better under-standing, better treatment and clearer strategic investment in clinical and basic research in the fi eld.”

Th e Gillberg Centre at the Sahlgrenska Academy is to serve as a platform for research and the development and esta-blishment of new examination, investigation and treatment methods for conditions such as autism, ADHD and anorexia nervosa. Th e centre is being fi nanced largely with funding from the Birgit and Sten A Olsson Foundation for research into mental handicaps.

University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care (GPCC) opensTh e GPCC was opened in February by health minister Göran Hägglund. Th e new centre is part of the government’s stra-tegic focus on particularly eminent research environments. Th e govern-ment has awarded funding of SEK 90 million over a fi ve-year period for this multidisciplinary research programme looking into person-centred care for long-term illnesses.

“Person-centred care focuses on the individual, not the illness, and starts with the patient’s experience of his or her situation,” explains the centre’s director, professor Inger Ekman. “By starting from the patient’s story rather than restricting our eff orts to samples and tests, we can create more personal care and understand behaviours and symptoms from the individual patient’s perspective.”.

RED10 research evaluationA total of 45 institutes at the University of Gothenburg were covered by the RED10 research evaluation during the year. RED10 stands for Research Evaluation for Development 2010 and is part of the Vice-Chancellor’s action plan to strengthen the University of Gothenburg. It began in December 2009 and is due to be completed in February 2011.

Research developments

Health minister Göran Hägglund opens the GPCC.

21RESEARCH

Professor Jan Borén tops the list of the researchers at the University of Gothenburg who won the most research funding in the period 2002-2010.

Other activities during the yearMedical conferences hosted2010 was a record year for Gothenburg in terms of confe-rence numbers, with the autumn especially busy. A variety of medical congresses were hosted by representatives of the Sahlgrenska Academy together with medical organisations. One example is the EADV dermatology conference, which brought around 6,000 clinicians and researchers from around the world to Gothenburg to learn about the latest advances in Swedish and international research in the fi eld. Th e SICOT/SIROT conference for orthopaedic surgeons was also well-attended, with around 3,000 participants from various parts of the world, making it the largest orthopaedic meeting ever held in Sweden.

Permanent exhibition on Per-Ingvar BrånemarkTh e spring saw the opening of an exhibition on Per-Ingvar Brånemark and the discovery of osseointegration.

Professor emeritus Per-Ingvar Brånemark was behind one of the Sahlgrenska Academy’s most successful and commercially exploitable research breakthroughs. He developed a method of ancho-ring implants directly into the bone, which he termed osseointegration. A permanent exhibition has been put together in the Academicum building telling the story of the discovery and what it has led to.

Th e largest source of external grants in 2010 was the Swedish Research Council. Other major sources included the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, the EU, the Swedish Research Council Formas and the Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation.

Th e Sahlgrenska Academy received a total of SEK 106 million from the Swedish Research Council’s Scientifi c Council for Medicine and Health for medical research, four research assistant posts and a collaborative project.

In addition, the single largest grant from the Swedish Research Council’s Scientifi c Council for Humanities and Social Sciences went to professor Lena Hartelius, who was awarded SEK 11.8 million, more than any other researcher at the Academy during the year. Hartelius and her team are looking into various forms of speech disorder in adults and children.

Another large grant was won by professor Jan Borén, who landed SEK 10.5 million from the Swedish Research Council’s Scientific Council for Medicine and Health. He heads a research group looking at blood fats and atherosclerosis.

Th e Swedish Research Council’s Co l l abora t ion Grant fo r Translational and Multidisciplinary Research was awarded to researcher Marie Lagerqvist, who received a grant of SEK 3.9 million for research into oestrogen’s protective eff ects on the bones.

New grants

Professor emeritus Per-Ingvar Brånemark attended the opening of the exhibition.

22 RESEARCH

Professor Milos Pekny

Docent Lotta Delve

Th e following is a selection of the larger grants won from other sources:

Maria Falkenberg Gustafsson awarded SEK 15 million by ERC

Docent Maria Falkenberg Gustafsson was awar-ded SEK 15 million by the European Research Council (ERC) as part of its Starting Grant 2010 scheme for researchers at the start of their careers who are looking to establish themselves as independent researchers in Europe. Gustafsson is studying the DNA molecules found in the mitochondria, small units inside cells whose role is to form the molecule ATP that cells need as their source of energy. A number of rare but often very seri-ous diseases are caused by mitochondrial dysfunction.

AFA grants for two occupational health projects

Docent Lotta Delve and researcher Ralph Nilsson lead two of the projects that will be sharing grants of around SEK 5 million from AFA Insurance. Dellve was awarded around SEK 2.9 million to study how managers in healthcare and elderly care are aff ected by media pressure, while Nilsson received around SEK 2 million to study the incidence of cancer among seamen.

ERC awards Claes Gustafsson SEK 11 million

Professor Claes Gustafsson from the Sahlgrenska

Academy and Nils-Göran Larsson from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne were awarded a joint ERC Advanced Investigator Grant to look into the regu-lation of the expression of mitochondrial DNA over the next fi ve years. A more in-depth understanding of this process will increase the chances of fi nding treat-ments for mitochondrial disorders in the future.

programme in regenerative medicine. Professor Milos Pekny won SEK 5 million to create new strategies for rehabilitation and recovery from brain injuries

Prestigious grant for bone marrow research

Professor emerita Elzbieta Jankowska and researcher Ingela Hammar were awar-ded SEK 6 million by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investi-gate the sensory and motor functions of the bone marrow in a three-year research project also involving researcher Henrik Jörntell from Lund University and professor David Maxwell from the University of Glasgow.SEK 5 million for

research into recovery from brain damage

AFA Insurance awarded grants totalling SEK 60 million to 11 research projects in a fi ve-year R&D

23RESEARCH

Senior lecturer Marie Berg

Docent Jenny NyströmProfessor Lars Barregård

Docent Joakim Larsson

Grant from Formas for sustainable development

Professors Lars Barregård and Gerd Sällsten and docent Joakim Larsson landed grants for research into sustainable develop-ment from the Swedish Research Council Formas. Sällsten won SEK 2.3 million for research into long-distance and local air pollution’s effect on the risk of myocardial infarc-tion in Swedish men and

women. Barregård recei-ved SEK 2 million for his R&D project on cadmium and diabetes, while Larsson was awarded SEK 5 milli-on for his project looking at how exceptionally high emissions impact on the development of antibiotics and the spread of antibiotic resistance.

EU funding for perinatal care research network

This project, which has received EU funding for four years, aims to learn more about how care can be improved during preg-nancy and childbirth. Th e project group currently includes 31 researchers in various fields from nine

EU countries. Th e project has been awarded EUR 100,000 per year for four years, making a total of around SEK 3.6 million. Senior Lecturers Marie Berg and Ingela Lundgren have been appointed to the management committee and are conducting research within the project’s focus areas.

Five researchers share SEK 11 million from FAS

Five researchers from the Academy shared grants from the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (FAS). Th e largest grant went to profes-sor Annika Rosengren for research into cardiac prevention. She was awar-ded SEK 3 million for the Gothenburg part of PURE, a global study of the individual and social determinants of health.

SEK 2 million from the Inga-Britt and Arne Lundberg Research Foundation

Th e Inga-Britt and Arne Lundbe rg Re s e a r ch Foundation awarded a grant of SEK 2 million to docent Jenny Nyström, who is researching rare kidney disorders in a colla-borative project combining clinical and laboratory work locally, regionally and together with researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.

24 RESEARCH

the Reeve-Irvine Research Medal by the Reeve-Irvine Research Center at the University of California. She was honoured for her research into the spine’s sensory and motor functions.

Distinctions and prizes

Prize to Kaj Blennow for research into Alzheimer’s

Th e European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECPN) awarded its major prize to professor Kaj Blennow in recogni-tion of his research into Alzheimer’s disease and of the high scientific stan-dards he has maintained for decades.

Th ese imbalances can cause parts of cancer genes to merge to form new genes which, in the long term, could be targets for cancer treatment.

Silver medal to heart researcher Annika Rosengren

Every year the European Society of Cardiology Congress, the world’s largest conference for cardiologists, awards medals and hosts lectures to honour eminent scientists and pioneers in diff erent areas. One of these is the Geoff rey Rose Lecture on Population Science, and in 2010 professor Annika Rosengren was chosen to

Th e following are just some of the researchers who won recognition in 2010.

Sven and Ebba-Christina Hagberg Award to Maria Falkenberg Gustafsson

Docent Maria Falkenberg Gustafsson was one of the year’s two recipients of the Sven and Ebba-Christina Hagberg Award “for her ground-breaking studies of DNA replica-tion in mitochondria. Th e mitochondrion is the cell’s power plant, and disruption in its function can cause a range of diseases”.

Elzbieta Jankowska wins American research medal

Professor emerita Elzbieta Jankowska was awarded

Birgit Thilander honoured by City of Gothenburg

A ceremony in June saw professor emerita Birgit Th ilander receiving the City of Gothenburg Order of Merit 2010. She was chosen for her eminent research into orthodontics and for her role in the building up and development of the Institute of Odontology.

Fredrik Persson wins Assar Gabrielsson Award

Medical doctor and r e s e a r c h e r Fr e d r i k Persson received the Assar Gabrielsson Award for his thesis on the genomic imbalances in tumours.

25RESEARCH

speak about her research into the changes in cardio-vascular disease’s prevalence and prognosis, as well as how these can be explained.

Sven Enerbäck wins Swedish Society of Medicine prize

Th e 2010 Swedish Society of Medicine’s Anniversary Prize went to professor Sven Enerbäck for his ground-breaking research into fat metabolism and fat cell differentiation, the results of which have not only improved treat-ment for obesity but also thrown light on the mecha-nisms behind other major common disorders such as adult-onset diabetes.

Göran Bondjers appointed honorary professor in Vietnam

Professor Göran Bondjers was appointed honorary professor at Hanoi Medical University, Vietnam’s oldest university. The appointment was made in recognition of his many years of work to pave the way for research education at the university.

Prestigious accolades for Tomas Albrektsson

2010 brought seve-r a l i n t e r n a t i o n a l accolades for professor Tomas Albrektsson, inclu-ding becoming the first Swedish doctor to receive an Honorary Fellowship in Dental Surgery and beco-me a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.

Line Löken wins British prizeTh e Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship is a distinction in biomedi-cine that is awarded to the most promising new post-doctoral researchers from EU countries. The prize fi nances a four-year period of study at the University of Oxford, where Line Löken will be part of a research team headed by professor Irene Tracey.

K Fernström Prize, which is awarded to young, promising and successful researchers. He received it for his research into how bacteria in the gut aff ect obesity and diabetes.

Fredrik Bäckhed awarded the Eric K Fernström Prize

Re s e a r c h e r Fr e d r i k Bäckhed was one of six people to receive the Eric

Equality Prize to Anna Westerståhl The Swedish National Union of Students’ Equality Prize for 2010 went to medical doctor and resear-cher Anna Westerståhl in recognition of her many years of work on gender and LGBT issues, and her endeavours to integrate these into teaching at the Sahlgrenska Academy.

26 RESEARCH

Publications that made the headlines

New explanation for cardiac arrest“We don’t yet know how common this disorder is – this is something that the future will hold now that we are in a position to make the correct diagnosis,” says professor Anders Oldfors, who headed up the research study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

The article details how a young man suffered a cardiac arrest but survived thanks to the work of the ambulance paramedics. An investigation at Sahlgrenska University Hospital led to the discovery of not only a new disorder but also how a defect in the protein glyco-genin can lead to an energy crisis in the muscle cells and cause cardiac arrest.

Medicine residues may threaten fi sh reproduction

Resea rche r s a t the Sahlgrenska Academy and Umeå University disco-vered that traces of many medicines can be found in fi sh that have been swim-ming in treated waste water. Published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, the study shows that levonorgestrel – which is found in many contraceptive pills, inclu-ding the morning-after pill – can impact on the envi-ronment and constitutes a

risk factor for the ability of fi sh to reproduce.

“If we know how our medicines aff ect the envi-ronment, we will be in a better position to choose environmentally friendly alternatives, though we must always put the health of patients first,” says Joakim Larsson, one of the researchers behind the study.

Stress in middle age may contribute to dementia

“Th is is the fi rst study to show that stress in middle age can lead to dementia in old age, and confi rms simi-lar fi ndings from studies of animals,” says researcher Lena Johansson.

Based on data from a study which followed women for 35 years, this is the fi rst research in Sweden to indi-cate a link between stress

and dementia. Th e research, published in the scientifi c journal Brain, is based on a major population study of women from Gothenburg.

“Th is study could result in a better understanding of the risk factors for demen-tia, but our results need to be confi rmed by other studies, and further research is needed in the area.”.

Body´s bacteria aff ect atherosclerosisNew fi ndings suggest that bacteria in the mouth and intestine can affect the development of athe-rosclerosis. The results, which could lead to new treatment strategies, were published in the distinguis-hed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS.

“We found that the bacteria Pseudomonas luteola and Chlamydia pneumoniae

27RESEARCH

were present in all athero-sclerotic plaques and that several bacteria were found in the plaques and, prima-rily, the mouth but also the gut, of the same patient. Th ese results would suggest that the bacteria can enter the body from the mouth and may ultimately contri-bute to infl ammation of the plaque,” says researcher Fredrik Bäckhed.

Abnormalities in certain genes play a role in autism

The prestigious journal Nature published an artic-le stating that autism can be partially explained by abnormalities in certain genes. Co-authored by professor Christopher Gillberg (a member of the Autism Genome Project international research group), the article reve-als that a survey of 1,000 individuals with autism and 1,300 without showed

that copy number variants (CNVs) – sub-microscopic abnormalities in the chro-mosomes – are heavily over-represented in autistic people.

The study also provides evidence that other genes that are important for synapse development and communication between the nerve cells play a role in the origin of autism in some cases.

70-year-olds smarter than they used to beToday´s 70-year-olds do far better in intelligence tests than their predeces-sors. It has also become more difficult to detect dementia in its early stages, though forgetfulness is still an early symptom, reveals new research based on the H70 study published in the revered American journal Neurology.

“The improvement can partly be explained by better nutrition, better treatment of high blood pressure and other vascular diseases, and not least the greater intellectual requi-rements of today’s society, where access to advanced technology, television and the Internet has become part of everyday life,” says one of the authors, medical doctor Simona Sacuiu.

28 COOPERATION AND INNOVATION

“Our contribution to society and industry

29COOPERATION AND INNOVATION

Olle Larkö mentions the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) at the University of Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law as a university-wide resource for research, education and collaboration in the fi eld of innovation and entrepreneurship:

“Th e IIE helps our researchers to start up busi-nesses based on research results that may be ripe for commercialisation. Its advisers can give them information about protecting their intellectual property, which can be important. Our resear-chers also have opportunities to link up with other partners in the University of Gothenburg, Chalmers University of Technology, Region Västra Götaland and industry.”

Larkö reports that the Academy recently recruited professor Maria Anvret to strengthen and develop its work in this area. She is used to dealing with these kinds of issues and has the right background for the role.

How can we develop this cooperation in the longer term?“We need to fi ne-tune and look after our good relations with our partners,” says Larkö. “Many of these relations have been built up over a long period of time and are important to us. From a national perspective, it’s important for universities to work with local government to share their research and avoid doubling up – for example, sharing local patient databases or collaborating on biobanks.”

Olle Larkö, Dean of the Sahlgrenska Academy, believes that one of the faculty’s most important roles is to interact with the outside world so that the knowledge generated can be shared and put to good use. Th is requires good relations with a variety of partners, both in Sweden and abroad.

“I see our collaboration with the likes of Sahlgrenska University Hospital as an absolute necessity for the furthe-ring of research, education and care.”

Larkö gives special mention to the fora in place for discus-sing strategic R&D issues. Th e cooperation concept includes application and innovation so that the Academy’s research results can be made commercially viable and benefi t patients.

Concrete resultsTh e Academy is involved in various initiatives to facilitate the application and commercialisation of medical, technical and care-related research results in Gothenburg. Inger Ekman, director of the University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care (GPCC) and Vice Dean of the Sahlgrenska Academy, off ers a concrete example of the application of research from the GPCC at Sahlgrenska University Hospital with good results:

“Our research has led to better care for the individual patient and fi nancial savings for the healthcare system in the form of shorter care periods and faster rehabilitation from long-term diseases.”

Dean Olle Larkö

must increase and become more evident”


Our partnersCooperating with the outside world and providing informa-tion about our activities are part of the University’s mandate. Th e Sahlgrenska Academy naturally works closely with Region Västra Götaland and the Swedish Dental Service as well as industry in the region. Cooperation is a natural part of the daily work of research and teaching staff , but there is also a more formalised relationship regulated by a regional agreement between the University of Gothenburg and Region Västra Götaland.

Regional cooperation bodiesBesides the over-arching cooperation body Hälso-SAM, there is a cooperation body for each of the Sahlgrenska Academy’s specialist fi elds:

and healthcare in the fi eld of imaging and visualisation, as well as researchers from the Sahlgrenska Academy, Chalmers University of Technology, the University of Borås and the region’s medical technology industry. Th e seminar was inten-ded as a means of fi nding new ways of working together and building links that can result in good solutions for the BoIC. Th e conclusion from the seminar is that a working party should be set up to organise the academic contribution to the development of the centre.

Hälso-SAM

Medi-SAM Odont-SAM Vård-SAM

Imaging & Intervention CentreOne example of an area where cooperation is essential for a good result that benefi ts society is Region Västra Götaland’s investment in a new Imaging & Intervention Centre (BoIC) at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Th e centre, which will use virtual technology to promote advances in diagnostics, treatment and research, is expected to be ready in 2015, and operational planning work is in full swing. In September the Sahlgrenska Academy and MedTech West held a three-day seminar “Imaging R & D in Western Sweden” which brought together leading representatives of Swedish research

Initiatives that bring together industry, healthcare and researchGothia Forum for Clinical Research is a meeting place and resource centre for research collaboration in the Västra Götaland region.Medtech West is a centre for research, development and innovation in the fi eld of medical technology.The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) at the School of Business, Economics and Law is the University of Gothenburg’s platform for knowledge-based business development.Sahlgrenska Science Park has been tasked with promoting innovation by giving researchers advice and support when embarking on business start-ups.GöteborgBIO aims to create a solid base for long-term growth in the biomedical fi eld in the region by translating cutting-edge academic research into innovations in industry and applications in healthcare.Gothenburg International Bioscience Business School (GIBBS) is a unique master’s programme in medically-oriented business development. The aim is to train students in innovation and entrepreneurship in preparation for roles as managers and entrepreneurs at biomedical companies.


New research magazineTh e Sahlgrenska Academy and Sahlgrenska University Hospital produced a joint research magazine for the fi rst time in 2010, SAHLGRENSKA. Th e theme for the magazine was the heart, and the

articles provided an insight into what the two organisations together have to off er when it comes to research and high-quality healthcare. Th e magazine was sent to around 3,000 people in leading positions across Sweden and was also handed out to staff and patients.

A creative environment for clinical researchUnder the slogan “A creative environment for clinical research”, the Sahlgrenska Academy and Sahlgrenska University Hospital took a joint stand at the Swedish Society of Medicine’s annual meeting, held in Gothenburg in 2010. Th e idea was to focus on an area where we are strong and so garner attention and attract researchers and other staff . Th e stand presented examples from ongoing clinical research into multimodal sensory stimulation, a fi eld of neuroscience, and visitors were also able to meet active researchers from other fi elds.

Media relations and popular scienceTh e Sahlgrenska Academy works actively on media relations and was highly successful in communicating research news

during the year. Th e website presented around 160 news items from our activities, around 80 of which were distribu-ted as press releases to the media in Sweden and abroad. Some news about clinical research was presented in collaboration with Sahlgrenska University Hospital’s information depart-ment. In June, for example, the media were invited to a press seminar in connection with the 5,000th kidney transplant at the hospital. Our information department arranged 250 separate contacts between the media and researchers or other staff at the Academy during the year.

Researchers from the Sahlgrenska Academy participated in numerous popular science events. A radio programme on the national station P4 had researchers from the Academy on hand to answer listeners’ medical questions. As part of the International Science Festival in Gothenburg, a Public Health Day was arranged for adults and an “Ask the Doctor” session for children of school age

The interior of the joint Sahlgrenska Academy/Sahlgrenska University Hospital stand at the Swedish Society of Medicine’s 2010 annual meeting in Gothenburg..


Region Västra Götaland and the Sahlgrenska Academy are behind a new simulator centre opened at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in 2010 which enables staff and students to learn and practise new methods effectively, both individually and in groups.

Th e Public Health Day spanned everything from the key role of nature and gardens in the rehabilitation of stress-related illnesses to the latest research fi ndings on how to maintain wellbeing as we grow older. Th e “Ask the Doctor” panel welcomed almost 120 children with questions about how the human body works. Th e Academy’s participation in the festival was a joint eff ort with Sahlgrenska University Hospital and the Nordic School of Public Health (NHV).

The faculty’s management attended many meetings and events during the year. These included the huge Expo 2010 international fair in Shanghai in which more than 200 countries and international organisations took part.

Popular science lectures are much appreciated and well atten-ded events. Th e Sahlgrenska Centre for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research organised a series of seminars for the general public during the spring, and heart disease was the theme for fi ve diff erent lectures in the Researchers Speak programme during the autumn which attracted a combined audience of 1,800 people.


Professor Richard W Price

Professor John R Riordan

Th e Sahlgrenska Academy Board awarded honorary docto-rates to professors Richard W Price and John R Riordan in 2010 in tribute to their contributions and research in the Academy’s research fi elds. Th ey received their doctoral hats at the University’s conferral ceremony in October 2010.

Professor Richard W Price from the University of California, San Francisco was awarded an honorary doctorate for being a world authority in neurological AIDS research. His defi ni-tion of the AIDS dementia complex has created inter-national diagnostic criteria, and his research into how HIV attacks the brain and how antiretroviral therapy prevents this is world-leading.

Th e Sahlgrenska Academy began collaborating with Price’s research group in San Francisco and groups from Australia and Italy in 2000. Th e collaboration has been successful and has generated both funding and scientifi c articles. Richard W Price was also a visiting researcher at the Institute of Biomedicine in spring 2009, during which time he was a source of inspiration for infection specialists and virologists at the Academy engaged in HIV-related research.

He also contributed to increased collaboration within the faculty between neurochemists and Alzheimer’s researchers.

Professor John R Riordan from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was also awarded an honorary doctorate in 2010. In the words of the Academy Board: “John R Riordan excels in his scientifi c integrity and scientifi c standards. His discovery of the CFTR ion channel and exploration of its structure and function have led to fantastic advances in cystic fi brosis research. He has a well-established relationship with the Academy as both visiting researcher and super-visor, and his ambitiousness has infl uenced and inspired research at the Academy.”

Riordan’s research concerns cystic fi brosis, one of the most common hereditary diseases, which has a severe progno-sis and demands substantial healthcare resources. Since his discovery, Riordan has been a world-leading researcher in the fi eld and has paved the way for new insights into CFTR. He has collaborated with the University of Gothenburg since the late 1990s and was a visiting researcher at the Academy in 2001. He has also supervised doctoral students from the faculty at his laboratory in Scottsdale, USA.

Honorary doctorates in 2010


Th e Academy previously had three separate student unions: one for health sciences, one for odontology and one for medicine. In summer 2010 they merged to create Sahlgrenska Academy Student Union (SAKS).

“One reason for the merger was the abolition of compulsory student union membership in Sweden during the summer, which led to considerable fi nancial uncertainty,” explains Erik Strandmark, chairman of SAKS. “Our experience since the merger is that a combined union is more effi cient than having three separate organisations doing the same thing. We also have a clearer identity, leading to greater student infl uence, and we know more about what students need from us and how we can best help them.”

Has the abolition of compulsory student union membership had any eff ects?“Defi nitely. All 5,000 students at the Sahlgrenska Academy were union members until compulsory membership was abolished. Around 60% of them are still members. Th is is a smaller decrease than we feared, but we still have a lot of work to do to attract more members. We also need a larger number of active representatives who can infl uence decision-makers at the Academy and the University to further improve students’ situation.”.

SAKS participated in a consultation during the year on the new Rules and Regulations for studies at the University of

Three become one – Sahlgrenska Academy Student Union

SAKS chairman Erik Strandmark and Doctoral Student Council chairwoman Karolina Roughton.


Gothenburg presented by the Vice-Chancellor at the begin-ning of the year.

“Th ese are designed to assist students and teaching staff , so it felt important for us to be active in their development and ensure better conditions for students.”

Strandmark anticipates further tasks in 2011, including quality assurance of the placement period for the study programmes, as students are increasingly having to do their placements right across the Västra Götaland region due to a shortage of places locally, so having to commute to work or live somewhere else during their placement period.

“But the most important thing of all in the longer term is to establish the Sahlgrenska Academy Student Union brand at every level and market the benefi ts that the union off ers members.”

Karolina Roughton on doctoral students in 2010 Karolina Roughton chaired the Doctoral Student Council, which comes under SAKS, and also served as Doctoral Ombudsman in 2010, helping doctoral students who run into problems during their studies.

“I’m delighted that we’ve been able to help these students when problems have arisen, such as a change of supervisor,” she says. “Vice Dean Börje Haraldsson has been a major asset in this work.”

During the year, the council fought to make doctoral students’ teaching duties more evenly and fairly distribu-ted. As things stand, Roughton says, some students feel that they have so much teaching that they cannot cope with their workload, while others have no teaching at all.

“Some have also said that they’re not being paid for the work they’re putting into their teaching. We want to see the same rules and opportunities for all doctoral students at the Academy.”

How will you achieve this?“We think there should be a review of how much teaching is being done in areas where doctoral students are active, and where there is an uneven distribution, there needs to be collaboration between departments and institutes, which is not the case today. We also think that all doctoral students at the Academy should be formally employed with teaching as part of their duties. Th ese issues have been raised with the Council for Postgraduate Studies and the Academy Board,” says Roughton, who hopes that these discussions will even-tually lead to better terms for doctoral students.

36

The newly formed Sahlgrenska Cancer Centre comes under the Institute of Biomedicine, which is headed by Anders Oldfors.

“We’re proud that the centre has become a reality, thanks partly to strategic funding from the government,” he says. “We mana-ged to win this funding through teamwork between the Academy and the Faculty of Medicine at Lund University.”

Th e Cancer Centre brings most of the cancer research at the Academy together in one place, which will contribute new knowledge in the fi eld.

“I believe that researchers’ diff erent skills are important for rewarding collaborations which, in turn, can lead to new advances and, I hope, more research funding,” says Oldfors.

Th e institute also won other large grants during the year, including from the European Research Council (ERC).

“It’s important for us to win funding and prizes despite fi erce national and interna-tional competition. Another example is

Sven Enerbäck, who was awarded a much sought-after Söderberg Professorship during the year. Th is raises the institute’s profi le and helps attract researchers from other insti-tutions,” says Oldfors, citing transplant researcher Jan Holgersson from Stockholm and genetics researcher Chandrasekhar Kanduri from Uppsala as among the year’s new recruits.

Th e Vice-Chancellor’s RED10 evaluation of research at the University of Gothenburg revealed very high standards of research at the institute. It also showed that some small research groups fi nding themselves at a competitive disadvantage could benefi t from working together more, and points out a need to recruit further competitive researchers to strengthen and complement its successful research environments.

Much of the training for doctors and biome-dical analysts takes place within the institute, and a generation change is under way among the teaching staff due to retirement.

“A great deal is expected of this training, and when valuable resources are lost we have to review our staffi ng so that our teaching retains its quality,” says Oldfors.

Institute of Biomedicine

Multidisciplinary collaboration for competitive research

HeadAnders Oldfors

Deputy HeadClaes Gustafsson

Employees271 (of whom 8 co-opted)

RevenueSEK 283.3 million

Doctorates awarded27

Peer-reviewed articles283

37

“By far the most important event for us in 2010 was the award of the Nobel Prize for Medicine to IVF pioneer Bob Edwards,” says Ian Milsom, head of the Institute of Clinical Sciences.

Th e institute is still home to some of the researchers on the team behind the very fi rst test-tube baby in the Nordic region in 1978.

“Th e media were therefore very interested in quotes from our researchers, and the insti-tute also received a lot of positive attention for its previous research and for continuing to conduct extensive research into infertility today.”

Milsom says that the year also brought a wealth of publications, funding and presti-gious prizes for the institute.

“It’s always good to see colleagues gaining recognition for their work.” Milsom himself had confi rmation of the quality of research at the institute when, as representative for the Sahlgrenska Academy, he was invited by the Swedish government to take part in the Expo 2010 world fair in China.

“China has big problems with an ageing population and wants to know more about how we have handled the situation in Sweden with various age-related ailments.”

One of the institute’s goals is to have a broa-der international perspective, and this ties in well with the Vice-Chancellor’s RED10 evaluation, which highlighted the institute’s strengths and weaknesses.

“I think we have to start marketing ourselves right from the medicine programme to bring in younger faces, as well as recruit clinici-ans looking to get into research and attract foreign researchers with an international outlook. Th is is the answer to keeping our research at the highest level.”.

One challenge for the future is the increase in places in the medicine programme, which means a need for more clinical placements. Milsom says that the institute will struggle to fi nd more places for medical students, as most of this is clinical.

“We’re therefore in talks right now at regio-nal level to prepare the health service and fi nd places for more medical students.”

Institute of Clinical Sciences

In the spotlight thanks to Nobel Prize

HeadIan Milsom

Deputy HeadJan-Erik Damber

Employees238 (of whom 24 co-opted)




38

Th e year began with the opening of the University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care (GPCC) to promote research into care for long-term illnesses, fi nanced with strategic funding from the government and the University.

“Th e aim is to create a national centre of excellence within fi ve years and establish the University of Gothenburg as the leading university in care research in Europe,” says Inger Ekman, director of the GPCC and, until November 2010, head of the Institute of Health and Care Sciences.

Th e GPCC is a unique venture in clinical point-of-care research.

“We’re delighted that this multidisciplinary centre is being managed from the Institute of Health and Care Sciences,” says Ingela Lundgren, current head of the institute.

During the year, the institute worked on strengthening the research basis of its study programmes and developed teaching models for theoretical and clinical education to adapt to future healthcare.

“As part of the Vice-Chancellor’s RED10 evaluation, we found that our theses were the most downloaded at the Sahlgrenska Academy and that we more than quadrupled the number of published scientifi c articles,” says Lundgren.

Several areas of research at the institute have considerable development potential with rewarding collaborations with both other disciplines at the Academy and other facul-ties at the University.

Lundgren says that the institute plans to review how aspects of both education and research can be strengthened and made more effi cient, which makes staff planning important, not least ahead of the coming generation change. Th ere are also plans to develop and market contract education programmes internationally.

“It’s important to manage strategic research funding well and continue work on the institute’s rapid development as a leader in care sciences research and education, both nationally and internationally,” says Lundgren.

Institute of Health and Care Sciences

Leader in health sciences research and education

HeadIngela Lundgren

Deputy HeadKarin Ahlberg

Employees140(of whom 11 co-opted)


Doctorates awarded9


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Th e Institute of Medicine is the largest of the Academy’s six institutes, and this is refl ec-ted in its research funding. Of the SEK 100 million that the Sahlgrenska Academy won from the Swedish Research Council in 2010, SEK 45 million went to the Institute of Medicine.

“We drew up guidelines during the year for which collaborative projects we will prio-ritise in our long-term focus on successful research,” says Hans Carlsten, head of the Institute of Medicine. “To achieve this, I believe in international recruitment to raise standards and bring new perspectives to our research activities. We have therefore launched a visiting researcher programme to raise our international profi le, with nine researchers linked to the institute. We are also recruiting successful researchers from Germany and Italy to permanent posts.”

2010 saw the climate of cooperation within the institute continue to bloom and an increase in employees’ enthusiasm. Carlsten puts this down to many factors, including

good internal work on the institute’s research strategies, mutual respect between research groups, and many researchers being success-ful in terms of high-profi le publications and prizes.

“Th e institute’s departments also need to work more closely together,” he says.

To increase collaboration within the institu-te, a series of seminars was launched during the year where diff erent research leaders discussed their research projects.

Th e RED10 evaluation made its mark on the year, with extensive work on self-assessment at the institute. Th e conclusion was that there are research groups with considerable potential for international success in their fi elds and that there is a good atmosphere in the institute.

“I think that we have strong foundations and have come a long way towards being a leading European medical research body in our focus areas,” says Carlsten.

Institute of Medicine

Good relations – a recipe for success

HeadHans Carlsten

Deputy HeadHenrik Sjövall





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“It was a joy to see the opening of the Gillberg Centre, which will promote continued advances and new knowledge in neuropsychiatry and developmental neuro-logy in areas such as autism, ADHD and anorexia nervosa,” says Agneta Holmäng, head of the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology.

The institute also worked with Region Västra Götaland and Sahlgrenska University Hospital during the year to establish a regi-onal stroke centre, as the region has the potential to take stroke care to high inter-national standards.

“Th is would mean a boost for stroke care in general and greater sharing of knowledge between basic research, clinical research and specialist care, which are all found within the institute, but also through collaboration with other environments at the Sahlgrenska Academy, Region Västra Götaland and Chalmers University of Technology.”

Together with Sahlgrenska University Hospital, the institute moved another step closer to a psychiatric research and training centre to provide education of the highest quality in the fi eld of psychiatry. Th e vision for the centre is to lead the way in clinical psychiatric research and education.

On the education front, the institute is working hard to start up a four-year audio-logy programme from autumn 2011. Th e aim is to off er audiological training of a very high international standard. Th e institute is also preparing for the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education’s evaluation of its study programmes in the coming year.

“Looking ahead, we will be working with the Academy to produce a career plan for young researchers dimensioned in line with our resources,” says Holmäng. “We hope this will stimulate continued growth in external funding. One big problem in the longer term is that erosion of government funding is making us increasingly depen-dent on external funding, which naturally complicates career planning.”

Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology

Sharing knowledge for good research results

HeadAgneta Holmäng

Deputy HeadJane Carlsson





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“In 2010 we continued to focus on the new study plan for the dental surgery programme and advanced-level courses,” says Annika Ekestubbe, head of the Institute of Odontology.

It is still too early to see concrete results from the changes made to teaching, but a research project has been launched together with the University’s Faculty of Education.

“The results of this will improve our teaching, not only on the dental surgery programme but also on the dental hygiene and dental technology programmes.”

During the autumn, the institute intro-duced supplementary training for dentists who qualifi ed in non-EU/EEA countries. A total of 12 dentists are taking part in the programme.

The year also saw work on the Vice-Chancellor’s RED10 evaluation and collaboration with the Swedish Dental Service in the Västra Götaland region. A joint research council was set up at the end of the year to prepare matters for the over-arching body for cooperation between the

faculty and the Swedish Dental Service, Odont-SAM.

“Th e research council will give us more time to examine research issues before decisions are taken by Odont-SAM, such as which research areas we should prioritise in the future and how a joint skills development plan should be designed and funded,” says Ekestubbe, who is keen to see more fora for discussing strategic issues.

Th e work on the RED10 evaluation included discussion of the need to develop research strategies for the future. The Swedish Research Council has also noted that some established dental practices have no scientifi c foundation and is planning a conference on odontological research in 2011.

“In 2011 we will concentrate on what we need to develop for the future,” says Ekestubbe. “For example, therapeutic research needs to be reviewed, as shown by the national dentistry guidelines. Another challenge is to ensure renewal in our research. It’s important for us to retain complete research and teaching environ-ments at a time of generational change.”

Institute of Odontology

Developing tomorrow’s dentistry

HeadAnnika Ekestubbe

Deputy HeadAgneta Robertson


RevenueSEK 165,2 millionr



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Environment and sustainable development

Committed to sustainable development

Th e Sahlgrenska Academy works actively on environmen-tal issues through an Environmental Council consisting of environmental coordinators from all of the faculty’s insti-tutes. Its environmental management system is certifi ed to ISO 14001 and registered under the EU’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). Th e Environmental Council works systematically on environmental issues on the basis of the environmental management system and promotes continuous improvements. Th is is achieved through regular environmental audits, and the results are measured partly through the annual environmental report.

New element in environmental action plan“A draft new action plan for 2011-2015 was drawn up by the Environmental Council during the autumn, and an exciting and important new element has been added to the plan – student involvement,” says Mats Sandberg, profes-sor of biochemistry and environmental coordinator at the Sahlgrenska Academy. He hopes that this initiative will result in students becoming more involved in environmental work and participating actively in student-initiated environmental and sustainability projects.

Green light for the faculty’s environmental workTh e environmental management system underwent its annual assessment by external and internal environmental auditors from a number of the Academy’s institutes during the year.

Mats Sandberg says that the results were largely very posi-tive. Comments included: “Th e Sahlgrenska Academy has a well-structured environmental management system, and its website provides a good picture of all of this work. Management is familiar with the environmental management

system and receives regular updates. Staff work actively and enthusiastically with the environmental management system.”

Sustainable development in educationBarbro Robertsson, a senior lecturer at the Institute of Health and Care Sciences, has been active both locally and nationally to develop the Academy’s work on sustainable development in its undergraduate programmes. She led a working party on the integration of sustainable development into all study programmes in 2010 and will present the results in a report in 2011. In the autumn term, the introductory lecture on sustainable development off ered to all new students by Mats Sandberg for several years now was made more interactive and included more elements where students could take part and shape the content of the lecture.

Environmental lecture seriesA series of lectures on the environment and sustainable deve-lopment are arranged for students and staff each autumn. Th e theme in 2010 was how the environment aff ects our health.

“Lecturers from the Department of Environmental Medicine and doctoral students from the Environment & Health graduate school provided a much-appreciated and educa-tional programme,” says Sandberg.

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Th e Sahlgrenska Academy works continuously on developing managers and other employees on the basis of its operational targets. Th is includes elements such as staffi ng, recruitment and succession management.

Focus on employeeshipTen staff training programmes have been carried out since the start in 2007, and 270 people have now completed the training. Evaluations show that participants are satisfi ed, with 87% fi nding the training useful and 67% fi nding it inspiring. Th e aim is to develop “employeeship” in the faculty – to increase participation and infl uence, promote acceptance of responsibility and create opportunities for personal and professional development.

“Th e feedback from managers has also been positive – aware-ness and acceptance of responsibility in the workplace have improved,” says Christin Wackerberg, Director of Human Resources.

RecruitmentTh e recruitment process for teaching staff has been reviewed and made more effi cient during the year with the aim of improving and developing recruitment work. A website with relevant information about all recruitment cases, past and present, has been created to facilitate contact with applicants and streamline internal work.

One way of retaining skills and ensuring renewal among the teaching staff is to get students to participate in teaching assistant programmes with the aim of stimulating interest in medical research and teaching. By off ering students an opportunity to dedicate a period to research and teaching

on favourable terms, it is hoped that some of these students will choose a long-term research career. A teaching assistant programme in medicine is already established, and equivalent programmes were launched during the year in odontology and in health and care sciences.

A major eff ort has been made to recruit recent recipients of doctorates as postdoctoral students to create openings for a continued research career. Altogether, the Academy Board earmarked SEK 9 million for strategic initiatives and recruitment in 2010.

Human resources

Continued focus on job satisfaction

Leadership on the agendaSeveral of the Sahlgrenska Academy’s managers underwent the University’s compulsory management training during the year. In addition, the Academy arranged a programme in leadership and employeeship, and a joint Management Day for managers with staff and health & safety responsibilities. During the Management Day, Region Västra Götaland CEO Johan Assarsson spoke about the region’s importance for Gothenburg and Sweden.

Discussions at the faculty’s Management Day.

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Future recruitment needsAs the Sahlgrenska Academy faces a wave of retirements and has added new research fi elds, there will continue to be a major need to recruit teaching staff . A conference on strategic staffi ng is being planned for spring 2011, where the entire management of the faculty’s units will meet representatives from the Human Resources Department.

“We will be reporting back on ongoing strategic initiatives and presenting the need for new personnel going forward,” says Christin Wackerberg. “Th is is the third conference on staffi ng the Academy has organised since 2007.”

EMPLOYEES AT THE SAHLGRENSKA ACADEMY 2008-20102010 2009 2008

Number of employees1) 1617 1579 1477

Percentage change from previous year 2,4 6,9 1,1

Full-time equivalents2) 1337 1299 1251

Percentage change from previous year 2,9 3,8 3,4

Full-time equivalents by type1)

Teaching staff 405 409 382

Other teaching and research staff 506 479 458

Administrative staff 229 211 199

Technical staff 220 227 235

1) Including externally funded co-opted staff not paid by University of Gothenburg

2)Excluding externally funded co-opted staff not paid by University of Gothenburg

New recruits in 2010Th e Sahlgrenska Academy advertised 12 positions in medical research externally in 2010. Th e aim was to attract cutting-edge research in a wide fi eld by recruiting good researchers, both young and more established.

Five research assistants previously funded through the Swedish Research Council were kept on as researchers. A professorship in global health was created, and a research assistant in medical technology was appointed as part of the MedTech West joint venture with Chalmers University of Technology, the University of Borås, Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Region Västra Götaland.

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New professors in 2010A total of 13 people were appointed as or promoted to professors at the Sahlgrenska Academy in 2010, and nine as adjunct professors.

Five of these are women, and 17 are men. As at October 2010, the faculty had 235 active professors, of whom 47 were adjunct professors and 25% were female..

New professors in 2010

Rune Andersson, professor of global health

Martin Bergö, professor of molecular medicine specia-lising in molecular mechanisms for the development of cancer and premature ageing

Peter Bernhardt, professor of radiophysics

Mikael Dellborg, professor of cardiology specialising in adults with congenital heart defects

Lena Hartelius, professor of speech and language pathology

Jan Holgersson, professor of transplantation immunology

Mats Isaksson, professor of radiophysics

Gudmundur Johannsson, professor of hormonal regula-tion of metabolism specialising in neuroendocrine regulation

Jón Karlsson, professor of orthopaedics specialising in sport traumatology

Per Lindahl, professor of medical and physiological chemistry specialising in cardiovascular developmental biology

Hanns-Ulrich Marschall, professor of clinical hepatology

Martin Rydmark, professor of medical informatics and computer-assisted education

Pentti Tengvall, professor of biomaterial science specia-lising in surface modifi cations and surfaces’ interaction with macromolecules

New adjunct professors in 2010

Gerd Sällsten, adjunct professor of occupational and environmental hygiene

Lars Gerhardsson, adjunct professor of occupational and environmental medicine specialising in chemical and physical health risks

Stefan Lundin, adjunct professor of anaesthesiology and intensive care

Eva Millqvist, adjunct professor of clinical allergology

Håkan Olausson, adjunct professor of clinical neurop-hysiology specialising in neuroimaging

Lars Rosengren, adjunct professor of neurology specia-lising in stroke

Anna Rudin, adjunct professor of rheumatology and infl ammation research

Magnus Ruth, adjunct professor of ear, nose and throat disorders

Ann-Marie Wennberg, adjunct professor of dermato-logy and venereology

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Th e Sahlgrenska Academy continues to make positive progress, reporting an operating surplus of SEK 91 million for 2010. Th e surplus was due primarily to revenue growing substantially more than budgeted. Changes in accounting policies for the closing of externally funded projects also made a major contribution. Th e Academy’s six institutes all reported operating surpluses and all have positive retained surpluses in their balance sheets.

Finances

Continuing positive trend in fi nances

RevenueTh e Sahlgrenska Academy’s revenue has grown healthily in recent years and continued to do so in 2010. Revenue total-led almost SEK 2.1 billion, which is more than budgeted.

Th e faculty’s income statement suggests a decrease in grant revenue from 2009 to 2010, but this is not entirely correct, as some direct funding under the government’s research policy bill was paid out through the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency as “grants” in 2009 for technical reasons. In actual fact, the Academy’s grant reve-nue increased from 2009 to 2010.

Grant revenue is now much higher than a few years ago. Th e Academy received around SEK 558 million in exter-nal funding in 2010, compared with SEK 343 million four years ago. By far the largest source is the Swedish Research Council, while other major contributors include the EU, the Swedish Cancer Society, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, Region Västra Götaland, the Jubilee Cancer Clinic Research Fund and the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation.

Contract revenue continued to decrease, falling to SEK 62 million in 2010.

CostsTotal costs were higher than budgeted at almost SEK 2 billion, roughly SEK 100 million more than in 2009. Of the SEK 67 million overshoot, payroll costs accounted for the largest share at SEK 42 million.

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INCOME STATEMENT 2009 OCH 2010 (SEK MILLION)Revenue 2010 2009Direct government funding/advances 762 694

ALF (medical) and TUA (dental) funding 473 456

Contracts 62 90

Sales 148 145

Income from indirect costs and internal grants 70 83

Grants 561 574

Financial revenue 6 22

Accrual of ongoing contracts -11 -64

Coverage of depreciation of grant-funded assets 29 31

Depreciation of grant-funded assets -32 -41

Total revenue 2 068 1 990

CostsStaff costs -771 -733

Doctoral students/doctoral grants -73 -67

Other operating costs -283 -266

ALF (medical) and TUA (dental) funding -473 -456

Indirect costs and internal grants -192 -200

Premises costs -126 -125

Financial costs 0 0

Depreciation -45 -49

Total costs -1 963 -1 896

TransfersReceived 20 15

Paid -34 -27

Total transfers -14 -12

Years’s change in capital 91 82

CapitalTh e Academy had total administrative capital of almost SEK 240 million on 31 December 2010. Administrative capital is a measure of the wealth of public sector bodies and corresponds to the concept of equity capital in the private sector. Th is is a substantial increase since the end of 2009, when administrative capital totalled SEK 149 million. Retained surpluses increased by SEK 91 million due to the year’s surplus.

Unspent fundsTh e Academy’s balance sheet shows unspent grant and cont-ract funding of SEK 635 million at the end of the year, down SEK 4 million on a year earlier. Th e reduction is due to a large number of externally funded activities being closed in the 2010 accounts in line with the University’s new guidelines. However, the large infl ow of new revenue during the year meant that unspent funds did not decrease to any major extent. Th e combination of sharply rising revenue and lagged cost growth is one reason for the increase in unspent funds in recent years.

Th e Institute of Medicine has the most unspent grant and contract funding at SEK 223 million.

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Produced in 2011 by Sahlgrenska Academy’s Public Relation Offi ce

[email protected]

PhotographyErik Betshammar (p. 22)Sorian Binder/stock.XCHNG (p 28)Magnus Gotander/Bilduppdraget (p. 7, 13, 24-27, 31)Getty Images/Stockbyte Silver (p. 38-43)GöteborgBIO (p. 15)Claudia Maeyer/stock.XCHNG (p. 17)Håkan Moberg/Swedish Match (p. 18)Sveriges Riksbank (p. 48)Sofi a Sabel (p. 2, 45)stock.XCHNG (p. 29, 44)Sven Enerbäck (p. 21)Johan Wingborg/GU (p. 23, 26)Sahlgrenska Academy’s Public Relation Offi ce (p. 19, 36)

IllustrationsLinnea Andersson/Business Branding Marknadskommunikation

PrintGeson Hylte Tryck AB, Gothenburg

Research and Education – the key to future health

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