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Statutes for the Ludvig Holberg Memorial Fund

Established by the Ministry of Education and Research January 2004, last revised January 2008.

About the fund

1. The Ludvig Holberg Memorial Fund was established on 1 July 2003 in accordance with the decision of the Storting, in the revised national budget (cf. Recommendation to the Storting no. 260 (2002-2003)).

2. The main purpose of the Ludvig Holberg Memorial Fund is to award an international prize for outstanding scientific work in the humanities, social sciences, law and theology. The prize shall contribute to raise the status of these disciplines in society and to stimulate children and young people to develop an interest in these fields.

3. The Ludvig Holberg Memorial Fund is administered by the Ministry of Education and Research. When the fund was established, its capital was NOK 200 million. The annual returns will be allocated to the University of Bergen, which is responsible for allocation of the returns, including disbursement to the prize winner.

4. The returns shall be used for:

  • The Holberg Prize
  • A Nordic prize for young researchers (the Nils Klim Prize)
  • Events aimed at children and young people
  • Events in connection with awarding of the prizes.

 

The Ludvig Holberg Board

5. The University of Bergen shall appoint the executive board of the Ludvig Holberg Memorial Fund (the Ludvig Holberg Board). The Ludvig Holberg Board shall consist of five members nominated by the universities in Norway and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. The board members must work in different institutions, and at least one board member must work outside the university and university college sector. The University of Bergen appoints the chair of the Ludvig Holberg Board.

6. Board members are appointed for a period of four years and may be reappointed once. The government regulations concerning gender representation apply to the appointment of board members.

7. The Ludvig Holberg Board must prepare a budget for the award ceremony and other activities in connection with the Ludvig Holberg Memorial Fund every year. The budget must be approved by the University of Bergen.

8. The Ludvig Holberg Board is responsible for organising events in connection with awarding of the prizes and for ensuring that other objectives are met (cf. § 4).

Academic Committees

9. The University of Bergen shall appoint two academic committees, the Holberg Prize Academic Committee and the Nils Klim Prize Academic Committee. Each committee shall consist of five members, Norwegian and foreign nationals, who are outstanding researchers in the humanities, social sciences, law and theology.

10. The members of the academic committees shall be appointed for a period of three years and may be reappointed once. Three members of each academic committee shall be appointed one year and two the following year. If a member withdraws before the end of his/her period of appointment, a new member shall be appointed for the rest of the period.

11. The academic committees shall every year consider whether the prize for the year in question will be awarded in one or more defined academic fields. The recommendation of the academic committees on this matter shall be submitted for decision by the Ludvig Holberg Board.

Appointment of prize winners

12. The Ludvig Holberg Board shall appoint the winner of the Holberg Prize based on the recommendation of the Holberg Prize Academic Committe. The Ludvig Holberg Board shall appoint the winner of the Nils Klim Prize based on the recommendation of the Nils Klim Prize Academic Committee. The recommendations of the committees shall be based on experts' assessments.

Administration

13. The Ludvig Holberg Memorial Fund is not an independent institution, nor is it a separate legal person.

14. The fund's capital is placed as a sight deposit with the state at an interest rate equivalent to that on government bonds with a ten-year fixed term.

15. The previous year's return on the fund's capital shall be entered as income in the national budget. The amount will be transferred to the expense side of the budget and allocated as a grant to the University of Bergen.

16. If in any year the Holberg Prize Academic Committee fails to find a worthy prize winner, it can decide not to award the prize. The return on the fund's capital shall in such case be added to the fund's basic capital.

17. The University of Bergen shall administer the award in accordance with generally accepted accounting standards and more specific instructions issued by the Ministry of Education and Research.

18. The University of Bergen shall report to the Ministry of Education and Research every year about the use of the fund's assets.

Reporting

19. The Ministry of Education and Research has prepared a description of procedures for accounting and the practical handling of the fund's capital.

20. The Ministry of Education and Research shall report annually to the Storting about the use of the fund's assets. Amendment of the statutes

21. The statutes for the Ludvig Holberg Memorial Fund may be amended by the Ministry of Education and Research.

Holberg International Memorial Prize is awarded annually for outstanding scholarly work in the fields of the arts and humanities, social sciences, law and theology. The prize amount is NOK 4.5 million (Appr. EUR 570,000/ USD 800,000)

Nils Klim Prize is awarded to young Nordic researchers under 35 years within the academic fields of the Holberg Prize.

Holberg Prize School Project is a research competition for pupils in the upper secondary school.

Holberg Prize was established by the Norwegian Parliament in 2003.

15.09.2012: Deadline for Nomination to the Holberg International Memorial Prize 2013

Holberg International Memorial Prize is awarded to scholars who have made outstanding contributions to research in the arts and humanities, social science, law or theology. The Holberg International Memorial Prize for 2013 is NOK 4.5 million (approximately EUR 575,000/USD 775,000). Read more.

15.09.2012: Deadline Nomination to the Nils Klim Prize 2013

The Nils Klim Prize is awarded to a Nordic researcher under 35 who has made an outstanding contribution to research in the arts and humanities, social science, law or theology. The Nils Klim Prize for 2013 is NOK 250,000 (approx. 32 000EUR /42 000USD).Read more.