{"id":2949,"date":"2019-05-20T12:54:08","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T10:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.ki.se\/rektor\/?p=2949"},"modified":"2019-05-20T17:43:53","modified_gmt":"2019-05-20T15:43:53","slug":"ana-futura-sharing-infrastructure-and-joining-forces-for-translational-research-and-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.ki.se\/rektor\/2019\/05\/20\/ana-futura-sharing-infrastructure-and-joining-forces-for-translational-research-and-education\/","title":{"rendered":"ANA Futura \u2013 sharing infrastructure and joining forces for translational research and education"},"content":{"rendered":"

Svensk version nedan<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Today we inaugurate ANA Futura in Flemingsberg, a building that has been revamped for the purpose of ground-breaking research and research-based education. Thanks to all of you who have helped realize this project and the best of luck to those of you who will be working in these premises. The opportunities you face are many and they are exciting.<\/p>\n

ANA Futura is the name given to the modernized building, and there could hardly be a more appropriate choice. The very concept of ANA Futura is based on a vision that emanated from the local research community and that sprang from what was perceived as a lack of a common research infrastructure. The new premises should promote collaboration rather than fragmentation, and they should aim for a seamless interaction with the hospital based on shared aims and ambitions. And importantly: deeply embedded in the vision for ANA Futura is the realization that education will profit from a tight coupling to excellent research.<\/p>\n

Tight coupling<\/strong><\/h4>\n

We are not talking about just good intentions and statements befitting festive speeches: in ANA Futura, laboratories for educational purposes are well integrated with research laboratories. A tight coupling between education requires physical proximity between the two. This physical proximity is much in evidence in ANA Futura and makes this building a test bed for the ambitions incorporated in KI:s brand new Strategy 2030.<\/p>\n

Strategy 2030<\/a> was adopted by the University Board (Konsistorium) on 15 April 2019. It explicitly states that education and research must be closely interconnected and that education and research at KI must stimulate one another. A close link between research and education whets the students\u2019 interest in research, facilitates the recruitment of doctoral students and helps students adopt a scientific approach. Strategy 2030 also calls for a focus on pedagogical development to which ANA Futura will certainly contribute.<\/p>\n

Serve as a hothouse<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The vision of ANA Futura fits squarely within the vision of our new strategy also in other respects. ANA Futura aims to serve as a hothouse for translational research, in close interaction with the Karolinska University Hospital. Important areas for translational research include transplantation, regenerative medicine, cell therapy, infections, gastroenterology, cancer, neurology, and oral health, to name just a few. In a recent blog<\/a> I highlighted the need to strengthen our interaction with the Karolinska University Hospital, our other collaborating hospitals, and the health care services at large. With ANA Futura in place the Flemingsberg campus will figure even more prominently in this endeavor.<\/p>\n

In 2018 alone, 60 percent of our personnel and approximately 80 percent of our experimental research activity moved into new facilities.\u00a0 In this transition, ANA Futura represents the last chapter thus far. By tearing down the physical walls and redesigning working spaces, ANA Futura has removed many of the barriers that once hindered natural interaction between research groups, and even separated students from researchers.<\/p>\n

Most important aspect<\/strong><\/h4>\n

ANA Futura is a fine construction. But we should remind ourselves that the most important aspect of a building is not the building itself, but those that work and study there. You are the ones who should now aim for the vision and realize the ambitions embedded within it. You are the ones that must take advantage of the infrastructure put before you. And you are the ones who should ensure that you have fun when working here. Excellent research comes with high ambitions, a richness of perspectives, a keen attention to quality and ethics \u2013 and a great deal of fun!<\/p>\n

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Thanks<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Many have contributed to making this project a reality. It is not possible to name them all. To get to where we are today required the vision and coordination of KI\u2019s department heads. <\/em>Moving forward, it will now take the leadership of Maria Eriksdotter, Dean of KI South, to help lead and coordinate the further development of ANA Futura. <\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We should also acknowledge the invaluable contribution of our professional staff, including project coordinator Lars Frelin and the numerous working groups who move<\/em>d 350 employees from:<\/em><\/p>\n