Celebrating researchers creating value through excellent research: The Innovator of the Year 2026 award to Guro E. Lind
During this year's annual innovation celebration, Inven2 brought forward researchers and innovations that demonstrate how research from the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital can be developed into solutions with significant value for patients, business and society. Three awards were presented during the celebration: the Innovation Award 2026, the Innovator of the Year and the Audience Award.
The Innovator of the Year 2026 award went to Professor Guro Elisabeth Lind, head of the Epigenetics Group at the Department of Molecular Oncology at the Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital.
The jury emphasizes that Lind has shown for many years how excellent research can be translated into innovation - with a clear aim that the research should benefit patients. She has been involved in innovation projects at OUS since before Inven2 was established, back then through Medinnova.
Her work is characterized by professional thoroughness, future-oriented thinking and high implementation ability. The research group she leads works on the cancer epigenome, especially DNA methylation, with the goal of developing biomarkers for clinical use.
The group has made particular progress in developing a test for diagnosing and monitoring bladder cancer. An ongoing multi-center study includes six hospitals in Norway, more than 700 patients and around 9,000 urine samples. The goal is to finish analyzing the samples during the year.
- Guro Elisabeth Lind is a very good example of a researcher who combines scientific quality with the ability to build teams, drive projects forward and develop solutions with clinical relevance. She shows what it takes to bring research closer to patients, says Lise Rødsten, project manager for Guro Lind's projects in Inven2.
Links:
Original news article from Inven2 (in Norwegian)
Feiret forskere som skaper verdi av fremragende forskning (inven2.no)
From OUS Innsikt (in Norwegian):
Årets innovatør Guro Lind: – Jeg var 17 år og solgt (oslo-universitetssykehus.no)
Epigenetics Group, headed by Guro Lind
Department of Molecular Oncology
