The 2026 Chalmers Impact Award goes to Andreas Hellström for his work with Kraftens hus – where innovation methods from the university have helped develop support for people affected by cancer.
Andreas Hellström is awarded the Chalmers' Impact Award for his work with Kraftens hus. Photo: Josefin Hardinger.
One in three Swedes will receive a cancer diagnosis during their lifetime. As healthcare improves and more patients are cured, the need for support for those living with the consequences of their illness or treatment also grows. The question of how to address this planted the seed for Kraftens hus.
Andreas Hellström, senior lecturer at the Department of Technology Management and Economics, began collaborating with Regional Cancer Centre West back in 2010, building on the national cancer strategy.
‘When we involved patients and their loved ones in developing cancer care, many said: “As long as I was being treated in the oncology department, everything was fine. But what happens afterwards?”’ says Andreas Hellström.
Those diagnosed with cancer in midlife, with families, jobs and children at school, found that phase very tough.
‘If healthcare takes care of the tumour – what happens to the rest of life? That was one of the starting points for this work, alongside a strong commitment from cancer patients.’
Applying innovation principles
Work to develop Kraftens hus began in 2016, and the first centre opened in Borås in 2018. It offers psychological, social and physical support for people affected by cancer, as well as an opportunity to meet others with similar experiences. Kraftens hus was established as an independent, non-profit initiative outside the healthcare system, and visitors do not need a referral.
Andreas Hellström works with innovation and development and approached the task using the same methods he had used in other sectors.
‘I think the decisive factor was that we took the principles of innovation from a university of technology and applied them to a welfare challenge. We started with questions about problems, needs, resources and expertise. That is what has made a difference.’
Other organisations involved were also invited to take part, with the aim of identifying gaps in the welfare system and exploring how to address them.
‘The difference here is that the result was a new organisation and a new way of organising support for people affected by cancer. We started with a strong commitment from organisations across society, but no one really owned either the solution or the issue.’
“Since the co-creative innovation process that began in 2016 and led to the opening of Kraftens hus in Borås in 2018, Andreas Hellström has used action research to translate Chalmers’ research into tangible societal benefits for people affected by cancer. Kraftens hus – Sweden’s first support centre designed by and for people affected by cancer – has developed from a local innovation into a national movement with activities in several locations, a digital platform and a national organisation. The model has had an impact on Swedish cancer policy and on long-term collaborations between civil society and the public sector, and the underlying approach has also inspired development for another patient group in Norway. Kraftens hus is thus a clear example of how action research at Chalmers can help initiate, develop and scale up social innovation with lasting benefits for health, welfare and society.”
Action research
People affected by cancer helped develop both the activities and the organisational structure.
‘They have not just been informants – they have been co-creators. Our entire understanding of the needs comes from them. They have helped define the needs, develop the concepts and shape how the organisation should operate. They also decided that it should have physical premises. I did not see that as a given at the outset.’
The work has also used what is known as action research – a research method in which researchers and practitioners work together to solve real-world problems while developing scientific knowledge.
‘The innovation process and the research process are not two separate things. We make no secret of being involved in driving development. I do not think we could have gained the same understanding by going around conducting interviews or sending out surveys. You must try things out, see where things start to come apart and where you gain momentum. We develop knowledge by also driving innovation.’
A new way of approaching the task
Research was part of the work from the outset, and the process was carefully documented so that the experience could be shared with others. According to Andreas Hellström, this has also helped Kraftens hus develop from a local innovation in Borås into a national organisation. The work has also led to scientific articles, including on innovation in the welfare sector.
‘Citations and highly ranked journals are great, but it is also rewarding to see the work have an impact on society and actually lead to change.’
He believes that Chalmers’ role, and his own, in developing Kraftens hus was important precisely because they approached the task differently from established organisations.
‘An approach based on broad participation, starting from the needs of people affected by cancer and enabling them to be co-creators, is an important part of it. Then it is about how we mobilise the relevant organisations. Chalmers has no interests of its own in these issues beyond developing knowledge and innovation. Academia can therefore provide a useful neutral forum for developing knowledge.’
Growing nationally
From its first centre in Borås, Kraftens hus has grown into a national organisation with local associations and meeting places in several parts of Sweden, as well as a digital Kraftens hus. A national association, Kraftens hus Sverige, supports the local operations and the establishment of further centres (see fact box). Andreas Hellström also explains that Kraftens hus is highlighted in the agreement on cancer care between the Government and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, and in the National Board of Health and Welfare’s report on the future of cancer rehabilitation, as a concrete example of how civil society can play a new role.
The research is now continuing in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet, Uppsala University, Regional Cancer Centre West and the University of Borås, focusing on how social innovations can be evaluated.
Andreas Hellström will receive the Chalmers Impact Award at Chalmers’ annual academic ceremony on 5 November.
Kraftens hus is Sweden’s first support centre designed by and for people affected by cancer. The concept was developed through a co-creative innovation process facilitated by researchers at Chalmers.
It is a non-profit initiative operating outside the healthcare system. The first meeting place opened in Borås in 2018. Today, there are also meeting places in Gothenburg, Stockholm, Östersund, Visby, Kungsbacka and Skövde, and an initiative is being established in Uppsala. Kraftens hus Digitalt also offers online activities and discussion groups. The national association, Kraftens hus Sverige, supports the local operations.
Through a research collaboration with UiT The Arctic University of Norway, the approach has also inspired a new rehabilitation centre in northern Norway for people with rehabilitation needs.