After the award: Growing interest in the Gränby Oncology Model
12 December / 2025
The Gränby clinic dared to do something no one in Sweden had tried before, and was awarded the Vitalis Grant 2025 for its work delivering cancer treatments in a shopping centre. Applications are now open for anyone who wants to submit an entry to become this year’s grant recipient.
The oncology clinic at Gränby Shopping Centre broke new ground by offering advanced cancer treatments outside the hospital setting. At the Vitalis conference in 2025, Deputy Head of Operations Maria Andersson Ödman received the Vitalis Grant for the work at the Gränby clinic and for delivering subcutaneous injections in patients’ homes.
– If I had said five years ago that we would start giving treatments in a shopping centre, people would probably have thought I should be locked up, she says jokingly, recalling the events from six months ago:
– I was pleasantly surprised and took it as confirmation that we are on the right track.
The grant led to media attention and gave Maria and her colleagues an opportunity to highlight the challenge that the number of cancer patients eligible for treatment is increasing. Between 2020 and 2025 alone, the number of cancer treatments in Region Uppsala increased by 43 percent.
– We therefore need to find new ways of working – hospital capacity is not enough. This is a challenge across the country now that medicines are improving and more older people can tolerate going through treatment.
A new clinic in Tierp
The Gränby clinic is starting to reach capacity. In the coming days, Region Uppsala will open a new clinic at the Tierp primary care centre. The plan is to be able to receive between six and ten cancer patients per day.
– This means patients in the northern part of the region will have care closer to home, she says.
In the longer term, the work also involves being able to deliver certain treatments in primary care to a greater extent than today.
– Once we are up and running in Tierp, that is our next step.
The grant has meant a great deal to the staff. Maria did not hesitate about what the 60,000 Swedish kronor from the grant should be used for.
– They feel enormous pride in being part of this development – it has brought new energy into the project. They have worked hard, so we spent every krona on the staff and treated them to dinners.
Regions inspiring each other with new ideas
Several other Swedish regions have reached out following the attention, including larger regions such as Skåne and Stockholm. Next up is a visit from Gävleborg.
– Even though all regions are different, we can exchange ideas and others can be inspired to find their own approach.
The meetings with other regions have also given Maria Andersson Ödman new ideas:
– Right now we are looking at how we can offer even more care in patients’ homes. That, together with the primary care initiative, is in the pipeline.
Why should you apply for the Vitalis Grant?
– It strengthens collaboration within the group, you get a chance to reflect on what you have actually achieved and give yourself a bit of credit. And if you win, it is a strong confirmation that you are on the right track, says Maria Andersson Ödman.
The Vitalis Grant is awarded annually to staff in healthcare and welfare who are using digital technology in new ways to develop innovative solutions that are easily accessible by users. This may involve a product, project, method or working approach. The grant is awarded in partnership with Danoffice IT.
The application deadline is 13 March.