Mats Paulsson foundations

For people’s health and better lives

The Mats Paulsson Foundations is the collective name for three separate foundations: the Mats Paulsson Foundation, the Mats Paulsson Foundation for Research, Innovation and Societal Development, and the Stefan Paulsson Cancer Foundation. Together, the foundations support charitable initiatives that promote people’s health, well-being, and quality of life. Since their establishment, the foundations have distributed approximately SEK 293 million in grants to research, healthcare, education, social initiatives, and other activities that contribute to a better life for more people.

matspaulssonstiftelserna.com

The Mats Paulsson Foundations

The Mats Paulsson Foundations is the collective name for three separate foundations established by Ekhaga’s owners. A common denominator across the foundations is their commitment to supporting charitable initiatives that promote people’s health and contribute to better lives.

Founded by Mats Paulsson, the foundations have distributed approximately SEK 293 million in grants since their inception to support charitable causes that promote health, well-being, and quality of life.

Rooted in a broad commitment to society and a genuine interest in people’s well-being, the purpose of the foundations is to support public-benefit initiatives and contribute to development and positive change. Each foundation has its own purpose statement, defining the specific areas it is intended to promote.

Taken together, these purposes enable the Mats Paulsson Foundations to support a wide range of initiatives through grants, including scientific research, education, healthcare, social welfare, culture, and other activities that directly or indirectly create value for people’s health and better lives.

Applications for grants can be submitted through the foundations’ website, matspaulssonstiftelserna.com. To evaluate incoming applications, the foundations have established both a nomination committee and a research and innovation council.

The Mats Paulsson Foundations award grants within two main categories:

Other grants – support that makes a difference in everyday life

Other grants are awarded to non-profit organisations, schools, and, in certain cases, public-sector organisations. These grants support initiatives within healthcare, social welfare, children’s and youth activities, culture, sports, and mental health. A common denominator is that they fund clearly defined projects with concrete objectives that contribute to improved quality of life and greater social inclusion. Since 2005, SEK 35 million has been distributed within this category.

Scientific research – Innovation with impact

The Scientific Research category supports innovative research projects of high scientific quality and clear near-term societal relevance. Through an annual call for proposals, the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Engineering (LTH) at Lund University, as well as Malmö University, are invited to apply for grants. The projects must demonstrate strong innovation potential and may include both research initiatives and strategic research infrastructure, with a particular focus on life science, Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP), and cancer research.

The Göran Grosskopf award for scientific excellence

Oskar Hansson med Göran Grosskopf och Mats Paulsson.jpg

Oskar Hansson recognised for groundbreaking Alzheimer’s research

In the spring of 2025, Göran Grosskopf stepped down as Chairman of the Foundations after many years of dedicated service to life science and research development in southern Sweden. To honour his contributions, the Göran Grosskopf Award for Scientific Excellence was established. The inaugural award was presented to Professor Oskar Hansson for a groundbreaking research study aimed at enabling earlier detection and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

The three Mats Paulsson Foundations

The Mats Paulssons foundation

The foundation promotes people’s health and well-being through support for the elderly, people living with illness, children and young people, as well as initiatives in culture, the arts, and preventive social programmes. Since 2003, the foundation has supported more than one hundred projects aimed at improving quality of life through initiatives in areas such as children’s and youth activities, sports, culture, healthcare, and medical research.

Mats Paulsson Foundation for Research, Innovation and Societal Development

The Foundation was established in 2011 through a private donation from Mats Paulsson. It is the owner of Medicon Village, which since its inception in 2012 has developed into Scandinavia’s largest life science research park. Since 2019, the Foundation has prioritised support for research projects with strong innovation potential and clear near-term societal relevance at Lund University and Malmö University.

Stefan Paulsson Cancer Foundation

The Foundation was established in 2008 in memory of Stefan Paulsson. Thanks to gifts, donations, and other contributions, the Foundation is able to award grants to research projects related to various forms of cancer, as well as initiatives that support families living with a cancer diagnosis. The Foundation owns Stefan’s Cabin in Sälen, where families affected by cancer are offered an opportunity to relax, spend time together, create new experiences, and enjoy valuable moments with one another in a supportive environment.

Karin Peterson

Head of Operations The Mats Paulsson fountations

Long-term stewardship that creates societal value

The foundations’ managed capital consists primarily of donations from Mats Paulsson himself, together with contributions from other donors. The capital is invested in assets that provide a reasonable return while maintaining a high level of security. The investment strategy aims both to generate direct returns for grant distribution and to support the long-term growth of the foundations’ capital. The returns generated by the foundations’ capital, together with surplus from Medicon Village and additional donations received, form the basis for the grants awarded by the foundations. In this way, the positive development of the foundations’ holdings contributes to societal benefit and supports people’s health and quality of life.