Dear friends,
The open sea and the horizon of the Swedish west coast taught the famous Swedish troubadour Evert Taube to see far. He grew up on an island from where he looked to the sea, and the whole world became his. The island was a meeting place for sailors who came to the island from different countries and cultures. To translate was a life necessity, just like the joy of discovering new things and the desire for adventure.
As a west coast resident with a view towards the same horizon, I think it is exciting that SIGHT is now taking the step into an exciting collaboration with shared ownership between Karolinska Institutet, Uppsala University, Umeå University, and Gothenburg University, the administrative host being Karolinska Institutet. We are expanding our Swedish research and education base – with even wider eyes on the world – and it is needed given the serious prevailing challenges.
We look forward to this transition, and at the same time want to take the opportunity to express gratitude for our nearly six years at The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. Our visitors from Sweden and all over the world have greatly appreciated being able to come to the stronghold of science in Sweden, from where the world’s foremost scientists have received a telephone call as laureates of the Nobel Prize. The environment and the personalities depicted on the walls have been a great inspiration. I want to thank the Academy for hosting us during these intense years and, I would like to give special thanks to professor Göran K Hansson, former secretary general, for inviting us and initialising SIGHT at the Academy.
A few days ago, when we gathered in the Nobel Room at the Academy as the latest cohort of ten SIGHT Fellows received their diplomas after two intensive years together. It was an emotional finish of a unique programme – but also just the beginning of many inter-disciplinary collaborations that we believe will leave an imprint in the future – for global transformation of people´s health and planet sustainability.
Soon one of the world’s largest global health conferences will be held in Bangkok, PMAC 2023 with the overarching theme “Setting a New Health Agenda – at the nexus of climate change, environment and biodiversity”. SIGHT is glad to be involved in organising the programme, and happy for side meetings, where SIGHT-Fellows will participate.
Thank you all for being with us during SIGHT’s years at the Academy, and we will keep you posted about the continuing global health activities in the new and exciting platform with the four universities.
With these few words, I want to wish you all peaceful and invigorating holidays soon to begin, and please, look for your own horizon.
Keep safe!
Peter Friberg, SIGHT Director
