On 21–22 September, researchers from WCMM Lund, Gothenburg, Linköping and Umeå gathered for the second WCMM National Team Meeting, a national forum created to connect researchers at the early stages of their careers.
With a mix of scientific discussions, practical workshops, career perspectives and plenty of opportunities to meet across centre boundaries, the meeting was designed to do more than share knowledge. It was about building relationships that can grow into collaborations, friendships and new opportunities.
From research to real-world impact
The meeting opened with a focus on one of the central ambitions of WCMM: translating research into benefit for patients and society.
Gunilla Westergren-Thorsson, Director of WCMM Lund, and Johan Zelano, Director of WCMM Gothenburg, welcomed the participants together with Jan Nilsson, Chairman of the University Board at Karolinska Institutet. Their session on translational perspectives explored what it takes to move discoveries beyond the laboratory and towards real-world impact.
A lively panel discussion brought different perspectives together and set the tone for two days of open exchange.
A clean sweep for WCMM Lund in the poster competition
The afternoon shifted from the stage to the poster boards, where participants presented their research and exchanged ideas with colleagues from the other WCMM centres.
WCMM Lund made a particularly strong impression in the poster competition, taking all three top places. After all meeting participants had voted, WCMM Lund researchers were awarded first, second and third place for best poster.
Building a research career and everything that comes with it
The second day turned the focus towards the many questions that arise during an academic career.
Participants could choose between sessions on funding and grants, career paths and science communication. From writing stronger grant proposals and finding your way through the research funding landscape to recognising career opportunities and exploring careers in research and industry, the sessions offered practical advice for navigating the next steps.
Science communication was also high on the agenda. A session on science communication and trust, followed by a pitch presentation workshop, challenged participants to think about how to communicate their research beyond their immediate scientific field.
Looking beyond the lab
Research careers are about more than experiments, publications and grants. The program therefore also made room to discuss the human side of working in research.
The session The Healthy Mind Platter invited participants to reflect on work-life balance and the different elements needed to create a sustainable working life. Later, Göran Hansson, Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and KAW Representative, offered an entertaining and thought-provoking perspective on scientific achievement with his talk How to win the Nobel Prize.
And between the sessions? Plenty of time to talk.
A social program, dinner and informal conversations created space for participants to continue discussions from the day, exchange experiences and make connections outside their usual research networks.
Creating connections that last beyond the meeting
WCMM Fusion is part of a national initiative supported by additional funding from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation for 2025–2028. The initiative provides opportunities for PhD students, postdocs and research staff across the four WCMM centres to meet through seminars, conferences and networking activities.
The ambition is simple: to bring people together early in their careers and create the conditions for interaction across centres, disciplines and research environments.
After two days in Stockholm, participants left with new contacts, new perspectives and hopefully, a few ideas that will travel back with them to Lund, Gothenburg, Linköping and Umeå.
A big thank you to all participants and speakers who contributed to making WCMM Fusion 2026 such an inspiring meeting! Your engagement, openness and enthusiasm brought the programme to life and made the two days in Stockholm a valuable opportunity to connect, learn and share across the four WCMM centres.
A special thank you also goes to the cross-centre organising committee: Oscar van der Have, Selin Ercan, Jente Zijlstra, Saliha Özuygur Ermis, Ana-Maria Matota, Oskar N. Hansson, Lisa Karlsson and Charbel Sader, for bringing the meeting together and creating such a welcoming and engaging program.
Because a stronger national research community starts with researchers meeting each other.