60 years of enabling

On May 5, 1960, Torsten and Wanja Söderberg signed the deed of donation that laid the foundation for the establishment of the Torsten Söderberg Foundation. The donors’ initiative has so far enabled 60 years of extensive research activities. Since its inception, the Foundation has allocated approximately 2 billion Swedish kronor in today’s monetary value.

Published

2020-08-12

For Torsten and Wanja Söderberg, the purpose of the donation was philanthropic. By donating part of their fortune, the couple wanted to strengthen Sweden by developing research and teaching activities. They personally decided on the direction of the foundation and that their foundation would 'promote scientific research and scientific teaching or study activities of national significance, whereby the fields of economics, medicine and law shall be given priority'.

The donation to the Foundation consisted of 20 000 ordinary shares in the management company Ratos. Ratos was the parent company of the former family business Söderberg & Haak.

During the Foundation's first 60 years, the bulk of the donation has enabled a large number of research projects in the fields of economics, medicine and law, as well as other disciplines such as the humanities. The largest recipients have been the Stockholm School of Economics, the University of Gothenburg, the Karolinska Institute and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Vetenskapsakademien.

In addition to research grants, the foundation has initiated major individual donations, such as endowed chairs at Stockholm University, Lund University, the University of Gothenburg, the Karolinska Institute, the Stockholm School of Economics, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, many in collaboration with the Ragnar Söderberg Foundation. The Torsten Söderberg Foundation has also established awards in medicine, economics, law, Nordic design and crafts, commerce, and journalism within the foundation’s main areas of focus. The awards are intended to highlight outstanding achievements in each respective field and to stimulate continued research and development.

For sixty years, the Torsten Söderberg Foundation has helped push the boundaries of research. New fields of research are constantly emerging, and many mysteries remain to be solved. Interdisciplinary efforts are often required to address the societal challenges we face today. The Torsten Söderberg Foundation continues to actively support the exciting advancement of research.  

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