The only formal qualifications to be a supervisor is a PhD or equivalent qualification and to have an affiliation to KI. The supervisor may, however, delegate some of the practical supervision to other members of the research group or other collaborating partners who do not hold such a qualification. The main supervisor with an affiliation to Karolinska Institutet is eligible for financial reimbursement (distributed to the supervisor’s department. The supervisor should possess the knowledge and skills required to supervise the project in question within the medical program and be able to provide a suitable environment and sufficient resources for the student to complete the project. It is possible to simultaneously supervise three students on similar projects if co-supervisors are also available. Each student will have only one formal supervisor.

What types of projects are suitable?

The formal criteria are specified by the KI board of education. In short, the project must follow a scientific approach and it must be related to the goals of the medical program. The project can be based on empirical data (qualitative or quantitative) collected on a series of individuals. The project must follow a scientific approach with a clear specification of the hypotheses or research questions, description of methods, presentation of results, and discussion.

Distribution of financial resources

The department of the main supervisor with a KI affiliation (i.e., exists in the KIMKAT database) will receive a fixed payment per project. The amount will be the same for all projects (i.e., will not vary depending on characteristics of the project) and will be 12.000:- per project. Payment will be made during the academic semester directly following the semester where the project is completed. In addition, clinical projects with supervisors employed within the RegionStockholm, or having an SLL agreement, will have ALF teaching resources distributed to the clinic. ALF funds (approximately 25.000:- per project) is paid directly to the clinic from RegionStockholm.

How do I register my interest?

We have developed a web-based project database where researchers (a university affiliation is not required) interested in supervising a student are welcome to upload a general description of their research group. Students are encouraged to search the database and contact potential supervisors to further discuss possibilities for supervision. The primary purpose of this database is to facilitate initial contact between students and researchers who are potentially interested in supervising students. Uploading a project proposal does not imply any obligation on the part of the supervisor.

Project proposal form

When you and a student have agreed on a project, you as supervisor must submit the project proposal via a digital form "Project proposal form" to us. We will review the project proposal and get back to you and the student within a few weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can one supervise several students simultaneously?
A. Yes, this is possible. Maximum three students are recommended to work on related projects with the same (or separate) supervisors. Each student is, however, examined independently and needs to have an individual aim.

Q. Can some of the practical supervision be delegated to staff without a PhD?
A. Yes, provided pedagogic and scientific quality is maintained.

Q. Will MEB provide assistance with, for example, study design and statistical analysis?
A. No, following discussion with supervisors we decided not to allocate resources to such support.

Q. Can a student start before T8?
A. No, not officially.

Q. What can I do if I want a student for the upcoming term but haven’t found one?
A. Students are expected to provide us with details of their chosen projects (by returning the “project proposal form”) by March (for the autumn term) or October (for the spring term). We make contact with those students who have not yet reported to us that they have identified a project/supervisor. If you provide us with your contact details (and preferably a link to your project in the database) we can forward the information to the students. We are not able to provide contact information for the students. We suggest you also review the description of your project in the database and add any details you think might make it more attractive to students. The medical students take their education seriously and we suggest you describe not only the research project but also how you will contribute to their education.