Professor Olli Kallioniemi receives the first Brain Gaingrant
The first Brain Gain grant has been awarded to Professor Olli Kallioniemi, an internationally renowned medical researcher. For the past nine years he has been Director of the Science for Life Laboratory in Sweden.
The five-year €2,500,000 grant will allow Kallioniemi to establish a research group in stages during 2024-25 at FIMM – Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland at the University of Helsinki. During this transition time and beyond, he will continue strong ties to Sweden and the SciLifeLab data program.
The Brain Gain is a joint programme of the Finnish Medical Foundation, the Sigrid Juselius Foundation and the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation. The Programme aims to bring internationally renowned, experienced medical researchers from around the world to Finland.
“Artificial intelligence is changing everything, including medicine”
With the help of a grant from the Brain Gain Programme, Olli Kallioniemi will be able to explore the possibilities provided by artificial intelligence in the promised land of registers – Finland.
“Artificial intelligence will revolutionise the entire field of medicine, from public health to diagnostics and treatment decisions,” says Professor Olli Kallioniemi.
“This is the big picture that I want to highlight as a researcher. None of us yet knows what will change and how, but it’s already certain that many things will change. So now is an important moment to look ahead.”
Kallioniemi thanks the Brain Gain Programme grant for making his return a reality.
“The utilisation of AI in medical research is also a broad and diverse field, and a traditional professorship in medicine at a university does not cover such a job description. The grant will allow for transition and, with time, the creation of a new role.”
Finland at the forefront of medical AI research
Kallioniemi believes that Finland has much to learn from its western neighbour, where AI research is well advanced.
“Although research is not funded as much in Finland as in Sweden, Finland’s advantages include much more accessible research data and registers.”
The University of Helsinki is well placed to conduct internationally pioneering research into the use of AI in medicine. This is the belief of Kallioniemi and his future supervisor, Professor Jari Koistinaho, Director of HiLIFE – Helsinki Institute of Life Science,
”We have both register and artificial intelligence expertise”, says Koistinaho, who is delighted that the experienced researcher is returning to Finland.
“Olli has previously worked for a long time in our FIMM unit. We know him as a creative and transversal researcher. I think it’s great that he’ll be able to move away from administrative tasks and back into research.”
Brain Gain fills a gap in the field of research funding
Finland currently has no competitive resources to attract Finnish researchers who have forged a research career abroad to return to cutting-edge research in their home country. The Brain Gain Programme fills an important gap in the research funding landscape by providing an opportunity for top researchers returning from abroad.
“Research is long-term work, and long-term funding, for example for five years, is essential if we are to compete for internationally renowned researchers,” says Katriina Aalto-Setälä, Chair of the Board of the Finnish Medical Foundation.
“Kallioniemi is an excellent example of a top researcher who has made his mark around the world, and bringing him back to Finland will enrich the Finnish medical research field and thus advance Finnish research.”