Fred Kavli – focus on the big, the small, the complex

FRED Kavli, who died in 2013, was a Norwegianborn US citizen, physicist, entrepreneur, business leader, innovator and philanthropist dedicated to supporting research and education that has a positive, long-term impact on the human condition. He established The Kavli Foundation to advance science for the benefit of humanity.

Based in Southern California, the foundation includes an international community of basic research institutes in the fields of astrophysics, nanoscience, neuroscience, and theoretical physics. Located on three continents, the institutes are home to some of the most renowned researchers.

The foundation has also established and supported an international programme of conferences, symposia, endowed professorships, and other activities. This includes being a founding partner of the biennial Kavli Prizes, which recognise scientists for their seminal advances in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience.

Kavli said: “The Kavli Institutes will pursue science at astronomical scales – the universe; at the most infinitesimal scales – atoms and molecules; and in the most complex of all things – the human brain.”

He would also frame these scientific areas as the biggest, the smallest and the most complex.

“I have selected these areas of emphasis because I believe they provide the greatest opportunity for major scientific breakthroughs and will have long range benefits for humanity.”

The foundation has a series of science prizes to recognise scientists for their seminal advances in astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience. Consisting of a scroll, a gold medal and a cash award of $1 million (R13.9 million), a Kavli Prize in each of these areas is awarded every two years.

They are presented by the King of Norway in Oslo and are a partnership between The Kavli Foundation, the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research. – The Kavli Foundation