Are you a student at KI interested in research?

A good place to start would be attending SiF’s events to hear from researchers and peers who are currently involved in research! You could also check out our blogs and read about different student experiences in research, as well as read about KISS and FoLäk to gain advice on where to start with your research journey.

Not at all, there are many labs at KI that are willing to guide students with no prior research experience. As long as you’re passionate about research and eager to learn then you will find someone who is willing to supervise you. Of course, it is important to communicate this to researchers when you’re looking for an internship, as some labs may be looking for more experienced interns.

Yes, you absolutely can! Typically students conducting internships go to the lab after class or when they have available time, as most labs are quite flexible. But it’s always important to discuss and communicate with your supervisor how often you can come in before and during your internship.

The best way to get a lab internship is typically by approaching lecturers/professors in person, either after lectures, seminars or labs, this way you can express your immediate and genuine interest. It is also possible to find lab internships through approaching researchers at various events such as the ‘Research Project Fair’ or SiF’s Research Colloquium. Last but not least, the simplest but usually least fruitful way to get an internship is cold emailing labs, the response rate of labs is typically low and most may not even respond. However, SiF has a supervisor list with emails of researchers who are willing to supervise students, which may be more helpful in finding a lab that will respond. Nonetheless, the more labs you email the higher the probability that one lab might respond to you and do not be afraid to send follow-up emails.

All of KI’s labs can be found through KI’s website: https://ki.se/en/research/research-areas-centres-and-networks/research-groups

Most lab internships are unpaid, but there are paid research programs at KI which you can apply for, such as KI Summer School (KISS) and FoLäk.

KISS (KI Summer School) is a summer program hosted by KI’s Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC) for undergraduate students (first-cycle students). It runs for 7 weeks, during which students attend an introductory week and complete a 6-week research project at a lab of their choice with project presentations at the end. For more information, visit this website: https://education.ki.se/student-at-ki/support-and-resources/become-a-phd-student/ki-summer-school-in-medical-research

FOLÄK is an elective course for medical students at KI who want to learn more about research. FOLÄK 1 runs every other Monday, 18-20, February to December, and includes a four week lab internship during the summer. If you have completed FOLÄK 1, you can apply to FOLÄK 2. This course runs every other Tuesday 18-20 also February to December, plus an eight week lab internship during the summer. FOLÄK is supposed to prepare medical students for a career in research and make them well equipped for pursuing a PhD. The curriculum consists of lectures from researchers at KI and some instruction of lab skills and how to read and write scientific papers. There is virtually no homework. You apply to FOLÄK in the fall at antagning.se. Any medical student can apply, but you need to have at least 28,5 course credits to be able to attend.

You can read more about FOLÄK 1 here:

https://utbildning.ki.se/bli-student/program-och-kurser/forskningsintroducerande-kurs-for-studenter-pa-lakarprogrammet-folak-del-1

And FOLÄK 2 here:

https://utbildning.ki.se/bli-student/program-och-kurser/forskningsintroducerande-kurs-for-studenter-pa-lakarprogrammet-folak-del-2