Who we are
We are an organisation of many different cultures and backgrounds, with staff from over 25 nationalities speaking as many languages. But whether we are pharmacists, data scientists, system developers, or communicators, we all have one thing in common: a deep belief that the work we do matters. Helping to make the use of medicines safer and protect patients from the harm that medicines can cause gives us purpose and keeps us focused.
Benefits of working at UMC
• Job satisfaction and fulfillment
• Room for professional growth
• Hybrid work opportunities
• 37 hour week with flexible working hours
• Generous holiday allowance
• Additional parental allowance
• Subsidised dental care
• 5000kr health promotion benefit
Doing good is what we care about
As a self-funded, mission-driven, not-for-profit organisation,
we value patient safety above all else.
Where we come from
The WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring was established in 1968 to prevent the repeat of tragedies such as the thalidomide disaster, where a sedative was given "off-label" to pregnant women for morning sickness caused serious birth defects. A global database was set up to collect information about unexpected side effects from medicines and alert countries to potential problems. In 1978, this database was transferred to the new WHO Collaborating Centre in Uppsala.
What we are today
Uppsala Monitoring Centre is a nonprofit organisation on a mission to improve medicine and patient safety globally. We develop science and technology to strengthen national pharmacovigilance and regulatory systems, and provide products and services to help industry achieve compliance. All profits after costs go to the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring to build and support national safety surveillance systems for medicines and vaccines.
Work with us
Job openings
Whether you’re looking for a good cause, or a job with real-world impact where you can apply your STEM skills to address global challenges, UMC is the place for you. Open positions are listed here and on LinkedIn.
Master’s thesis opportunities
We welcome applications from students for either postgraduate research or internships. We offer a supportive work environment and opportunities for professional growth in a challenging scientific field with global impact.
A day in the life of...
System developer, Vanja Wallner
My day invariably starts off with coffee and a 15-minute stand-up meeting, where all our devops teams come together to discuss what they did yesterday and what they are going to do today. My team works with a system that many countries rely on for collecting and analysing their national safety data. There are many interconnected parts to a system like this where we are always working on a different part of the puzzle, whether that is writing code for a new application or fixing bugs. It's incredible to think sometimes that in my own small way, I’m helping to make medicines safer the world over, country by country, piece by piece.
