Campaign chair Per Uhlén: “An effective way to do good”
Recently appointed chair of Uppsala University’s jubilee campaign, Per Uhlén feels confident about achieving the fund-raising goal of SEK 1 billion.
“Supporting Uppsala University is an effective way to do good. We just have to get that message across.”
Per Uhlén is Managing Director and member of the board of Aktinova Företagsutveckling AB. He took up his position as chair of the campaign committee in autumn 2025 and has now started up operations along with the other eight members of the committee.
“We have a really good group, I think. We have people from different backgrounds and with different experiences and all of us have many contacts. In various ways, we can help open doors for the Development Office, which is in charge of the work on the campaign. They’re doing an incredible job and our primary task is to provide them with support,” says Uhlén.
His commitment and that of the committee is based on a recognition of Uppsala University’s stature and significance, both in Sweden and internationally.
“Contributions that are good for Uppsala University are good for society. Public funding is the University’s bedrock, of course, but philanthropy and donations have become increasingly important,” Uhlén says.
Many people want to do good
In his experience, there are many people all over Sweden and throughout the world who want to do good and have the resources to do so, but are uncertain how to go about it.
“Our experience shows that donations to Uppsala University are an effective way to do good. Nothing is lost in the form of administrative add-ons for processing the donation. And as a donor, you can choose to support the purpose you care about most.”
When you make a donation to the University, you are also offered the opportunity to personally follow the progress of the project you are supporting. This is something most donors appreciate. Uhlén also emphasises that as a donor you are free to choose for yourself whether or not your name is made public in connection with the announcement of the donation.
“If you prefer not to become public, naturally that choice will be respected, but you can also receive attention for your gift. There’s great flexibility.”
Option of establishing a foundation
Uppsala University also offers a unique advantage through the Uppsala University Foundations Management of Estates and Funds (UAF), which is entrusted by the University with managing foundations established to support the University’s activities.
“If you put your donations into a foundation with UAF, you can be sure it will be managed very efficiently,” Uhlén says.
Uppsala University does not just accept donations for research. As a donor, you can also support other parts of the University’s core activities such as education, culture and cultural heritage. One example is the Codex Argenteus, or Silver Bible, which is on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, where a donation contributes to preserving and displaying the book in the best possible way. Another is Uppsala University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award, which was established in 2021, with Per Uhlén himself as one of ten donors.
Collaboration between University and the wider community
Uhlén has long been active at the intersection between the University and the business sector. In the 1990s he was Managing Director of Anders Diös in Uppsala and chairman of the Uppsala Chamber of Commerce, a role that involved many contacts with both the University and local government.
He also chaired Uppsala University’s holding company for 17 years. Collaboration between the University and the wider community is therefore a commitment that runs deep with him.
“These days there is an explicit desire on the part of both the University and the surrounding community to collaborate so as to achieve results for important purposes.”
Ambitious goal
The goal set for the campaign committee is to raise SEK 1 billion in donations during the jubilee campaign between 2021 and 2027. To put this in perspective, during the previous seven-year period SEK 115 million was raised. The bar has therefore been raised very substantially.
“When the campaign was launched in October 2024, the University was half way to its goal. Getting all the way to a billion is a great challenge, as we see it, but we believe it can be done, mainly thanks to the effectiveness of the Development Office. That’s where the heavy lifting is being done,” says Uhlén.
As campaign committee chair, he aims to show the great social benefit of donations to Uppsala University.
“It’s good for the University, and that means it’s good for Uppsala and Sweden too. There are many examples of important initiatives that would not have been possible without donations, so they make a positive difference in a way that is very clear.”
Annica Hulth
Facts: Per Uhlén
- Chair of Uppsala University’s campaign committee in support of the jubilee campaign “Boundless Knowledge”.
- Managing Director and member of the board of Aktinova Företagsutveckling AB. Previously Managing Director and CEO of Anders Diös AB, Deputy Managing Director of Skanska Sverige AB and Managing Director and CEO of Diligentia AB.
- Former Chair of the Board of Directors of Rikshem AB, Bonnier Fastigheter AB, Destination Uppsala AB and Uppsala University Holding Company AB.
- One of the founders of Uppsala University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award in 2021.
- Master of Science in Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Master of Science in Business and Economics from Stockholm University.
Facts: Campaign committee
- Uppsala University has established an external campaign committee to support the jubilee campaign “Boundless Knowledge”. It consists of individuals with experience of leading positions in the business sector, organisations and society.
- Through their own contributions and by inspiring others to become involved for the benefit of Uppsala University, they help to expand the University’s networks and inspire more people to contribute to the University’s research, education, innovation, culture and cultural heritage.