In June 2023, we spoke with Marianne Brismar and Turid Oom about the Knut and Ragnvi Jacobsson Foundation. The foundation supports entrepreneurs and researchers with unique potential to make positive impacts in society through their innovative endeavours. Now, in a follow-up interview with Turid Oom, we provide insight into the past year’s scholarship award ceremony. During the memorable event, the outstanding achievements of the scholarship recipients were recognized and celebrated.
The foundation’s background stems from Marianne’s father, Knut Jacobsson, who founded the company Atlet. Having faced a challenging journey himself, he aimed to support entrepreneurs and researchers upon achieving success.
On November 14th, the annual scholarship award ceremony took place in Gothenburg, honouring both this year’s and previous years’ recipients.
“By listening to the scholarship recipients, we embark on an inspiring journey from vision to actual implementation. It’s incredibly gratifying to witness their progress and realize how smart ideas can make a difference and shape our world. When this year’s recipients take the stage to share their research and innovations, it’s not just to receive a diploma and a check ranging from 100,000 to 600,000 SEK, but rather the key to realizing their groundbreaking research and innovations. This is not just a ceremony; it’s like a celebration filled with community and warmth.,” as Turid Oom.
In 2023, a total of 3,150,000 SEK was awarded, with one-third of the scholarship funds going to entrepreneurs and two-thirds to researchers. This time, two entrepreneurs and five researchers were granted scholarships. In total, the foundation has rewarded 69 individuals whose ideas and projects have been transformed into groundbreaking products and services benefiting society.
Four of the 2023 recipients are Petra Apell, Filip Henriksson, John Zelano, and Toshima Parris, whose innovations and research can contribute to the benefit of patients in various fields.
Radiation-protective textile for secure surgeries
Petra Apell, with her company Texray, has developed the world’s first radiation-protective textile to shield personnel exposed to radiation during surgeries. Current products are cumbersome, but with Texray’s patented technology, safety and comfort can be enhanced, improving the working environment for healthcare professionals. Approximately 1000 products have been sold to date, indicating increasing interest.
For her scholarship, Petra will pursue a doctoral education in industrial economics at Chalmers University of Technology.
Apps aiding patients in following their treatments
Filip Henriksson, co-founder of Empowered Health, noticed during his studies in life science business development that many patients struggled to adhere to their treatments. Together with his colleague Theodor Jikander, they developed a technology platform and digital tools to support patients in remote care.
The goal is to increase patients’ adherence to treatments across various diagnostic areas. The platform includes treatment programs, needs-based education, dynamic questionnaires, as well as chat and video features to create a cohesive care journey for the patient. The applications facilitate both patients and healthcare professionals, enhancing clarity and motivation for more effective and qualitative care.
Empowered’s apps are used by over 3,000 patients monthly, prescribed by clinics offering their unique care services through white-label applications. Empowered Health targets healthcare clinics, pharmaceutical companies, and researchers aiming to implement digital workflows and enhance remote treatment data collection.
The company is now gearing up to introduce its product to the American market in 2024. In preparation for this endeavour, Filip will participate in the Management Acceleration Programme at INSEAD.
Register-based monitoring of epilepsy medication
Johan Zelano is a neurologist and researcher at the University of Gothenburg/Sahlgrenska University Hospital. In Sweden, there are approximately 70,000 people with epilepsy. Medications are administered to reduce the risk of epileptic seizures, and while two-thirds may become completely seizure-free, one-third may not be entirely helped. There is no way to know in advance which medication helps which patient. The evaluation period is so long and the number of medications so vast that conventional comparative studies are not feasible.
In Johan’s research, he instead utilizes registry data that store a diagnosis code indicating why a patient with epilepsy visited a doctor and which medication was prescribed. By examining the medications patients take over an extended period, Johan and his research team have compiled large amounts of data that can indicate which medication is suitable for different patients. Long-term side effects are now being examined. One of the goals is to develop a commercial product that can use registry data to identify side effects and be used to cost-effectively monitor medications, potentially increasing their safety in use.
The scholarship will now be used to develop effective research methods.
Research on treatment alternatives for triple-negative breast cancer
Toshima Parris, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg and the Sahlgrenska Cancer Centre, is researching new treatment alternatives for patients with triple-negative breast cancer, a highly aggressive and difficult-to-treat form of breast cancer that cannot be treated with hormone therapy or targeted therapy. Unfortunately, about 30% of patients diagnosed with this type of cancer experience a recurrence within 3 years after diagnosis. Toshima is collaborating with a chemist in Italy to research how to develop new treatments using old medications. Toshima will use the scholarship for her research project “Stem Cells as Targets for Treating Aggressive Breast Cancer.”
Learn more about the Knut & Ragnvi Jacobsson Foundation here: https://www.familjenjacobssonsstiftelse.se/
The application period for 2024 runs from March 1st to July 31st and can be accessed via this link: https://www.familjenjacobssonsstiftelse.se/ansokan/a

