Lars and Astrid Alberger Foundation

In accordance with Lars and Astrid Alberger's will, a fund was established in 1957, which later became the "Lars and Astrid Alberger Foundation for Supporting Sweden's Defense".

The foundation is an independent legal entity and is managed by the Royal Swedish Academy of Military Sciences. The purpose of the foundation is to strengthen Sweden's defense against external and internal enemies. The income from the foundation will be used to

present rewards to people who have made outstanding contributions in the field of security and defense
support defense research
support writings of military scientific content

Statutes and regulations

Statutes and regulations for the Lars and Astrid Alberger Foundation can be downloaded as a pdf.

Alberger Prize

The Alberger Prize was established in 2022 for the first time in 2023. The prize is awarded annually to one or more authors of books or articles in the field of defense and security policy.

The authors' books/articles must be considered to be of importance for strengthening Swedish defense, military or civilian, or both.

Proposals for laureates may only be proposed by the Academy's review committee or an individual member of the Academy. Only for special reasons may a member of the Academy be eligible for this award and only the Academy's review committee may propose a member as a laureate.

The Academy's review committee proposes one or more laureates and the prize money to the foundation's board by 1 July. The total prize money may not exceed 30% of the annual distribution from the funds invested. The board makes a decision on the laureates and prize money each year before the end of September.

The prize is presented in a ceremonial manner at the academy's annual gathering in the same year.

Rewards

According to the foundation's statutes, the return from the foundation's assets is to be used to reward Swedes who have made extraordinary contributions to preserving Sweden's external independence and/or strengthening the Kingdom's internal security.

The Academy's Presidium interprets this regulation as actions within the areas of security policy and defence policy. For example, this may apply to inventions that are of significant importance to the country's defence and that can be made available to the defence, the publication of meritorious writings of military scientific content that are of importance to the country's defence, organisational proposals and arrangements that have been introduced in the defence and are of considerable importance, and the disclosure of acts that are directed against the country's security.

For this purpose, the Academy annually invites authorities and organizations within the defense sector to propose a reward to deserving individuals. Proposals for individuals for reward must be submitted to the Academy's Permanent Secretary before 1 March. The application must be well-motivated, stating what the individual in question has achieved and the significance of the individual's performance for the country's security. After the application has been submitted, the application is reviewed by the Academy's Review Committee, which issues an opinion on the matter annually before 1 September. Decisions on which individuals will be rewarded are made by the Foundation's Board of Directors during the month of September. The individuals who have been rewarded are then invited to the Academy's celebration day to receive their rewards in a ceremonial manner.

Contribution

According to the foundation's regulations, the return from the foundation's assets shall be used to support research of essential importance for the defense of Sweden. The Academy's Presidium interprets this regulation as research or other scientific activities related to security policy and security in the broad sense. Security means everything from military activities to crisis management in connection with extraordinary events such as cyberattacks, serious crime, environmental protection. For this purpose, contributions can be applied for by individuals, institutions within administration and non-profit organizations.

Applications for grants must be submitted annually by 1 March to the Academy's permanent secretary. The application must be well-motivated, stating the purpose, product, need for financial support and timetable for the work/activity, as well as any other sources of funding that are or may be relevant. After the application has been submitted, the application is reviewed by the Academy's review committee, which issues a statement on the matter annually before 1 September. Decisions on any grants are made by the Foundation's board during the month of September.

More information about rewards and grants from the Lars and Astrid Alberger Foundation can be obtained by contacting the Academy's permanent secretary.