Background

The Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine (WCMM) at Umeå University was established in 2015 as part of a national effort by Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW) to strengthen life science-research in Sweden.

WCMM at Umeå University shares a close collaboration with Region Västerbotten and other WCMM centres in Lund, Linköping, Gothenburg and SciLifeLab.

In addition to the strong support from KAW, the centre also shares major support from Umeå university (UMU), the Medical Faculty at UMU and Region Västerbotten. During the 10-year period 2015-2024 the centre recruited and supported excellent young researchers in molecular medicine within the fields of cancer, infection biology, neuroscience and metabolic disorders including diabetes. Fellows with tenure track positions were provided with generous support packages including funding for Postdoctoral Associates and PhD Student recruitments in order to establish a research group.

The Fellows, together with additional WCMM-associated researches, are given excellent conditions for outstanding molecular and translational research through internationally recognized research environments including unique collections of longitudinal samples in existing biobanks. The Kempe Foundations and the Cancer Research Foundation in Northern Sweden supported the centre by providing opportunities for recruitments of postdoctoral researchers to the centre.

With the extended support from KAW, UMU and Region Västerbotten, the centre will continue to recruit and support excellent young researchers in molecular medicine in the coming years.

The Program for Academic Leaders in LifeScience, PALS (formerly National Molecular Medicine Fellows Programme (NMMP), is a collaborative network for Fellows within WCMM, DDLS, ScilifeLab, and since 2026 also MIMS and WIFORCE. PALS arranges yearly meetings at the different host universities in order to strengthen national collaborations.

Partners

Latest update: 2026-09-10