The Mats Paulsson Foundations double this year’s grants to 50 million SEK to celebrate Mats Paulsson turning 80

On 1 May, Mats Paulsson turns 80. To honour the founder of the Mats Paulsson Foundations on his birthday, the board of the foundations has decided to double the donation grant this year to 50 million SEK.

”My father has always had and continues to have a broad societal commitment and interest in people’s well-being. Therefore, the purpose of the foundations is to channel support to charitable initiatives that contribute to development and change, including cancer rehabilitation through Stefan’s Cabin in Sälen and the investment in the research park Medicon Village. It feels very good that we are doubling the grant for donations this year to celebrate him,” says Fredrik Paulsson, board member of the Mats Paulsson Foundations.

The Mats Paulsson Foundations consist of three separate foundations: the Mats Paulsson Foundation, the Stefan Paulsson Cancer Fund Foundation, and the Mats Paulsson Foundation for Research, Innovation, and Societal Development, of which the latter is the owner of Medicon Village.

Each foundation has its own purpose statement that specifies the areas the foundation should promote. Together, these purposes give the Mats Paulsson Foundations the opportunity to support, through grants, scientific research, education, healthcare, social assistance, culture, and other types of activities that directly or indirectly create value for people’s health and contribute to a better life.

”For example, there are about 200 different types of cancer, and research is progressing rapidly. Being able to contribute to that research is important to us. For instance, we would like to receive applications within Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP), which is a collective term for biological drugs based on cells, tissues, or genes that offer new types of cancer treatments. This will continue to be a prioritised research area for us,” says Göran Grosskopf, chairman of the Mats Paulsson Foundations.

Here are some examples of additional areas the foundations intend to particularly support:

• Research within life science and on cancer. The Mats Paulsson Foundation for Research, Innovation, and Societal Development has decided to allocate 16 million SEK to projects that promote research in medicine and other life sciences. The foundation will also allocate 15 million SEK to the L2 Cancer Bridge program, which is a successful collaboration between Lund University and the Swiss Cancer Center Leman.
• Research on Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia is classified as a global disease by the World Health Organization (WHO). Today, about 160,000 people in Sweden are affected by some form of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common. Therefore, this year, the Mats Paulsson Foundation has decided to allocate 10 million SEK to research that could lead to the development of drugs to slow down and cure the disease.
• Other specialised initiatives. The Mats Paulsson Foundation and the Stefan Paulsson Cancer Fund Foundation will allocate 9 million SEK to projects that in other ways promote care and support for cancer patients, as well as initiatives in mental health, children’s and youth activities, etc.

For more information about the Mats Paulsson Foundations, please visit: www.matspaulssonstiftelserna.com