The Brain Research Fund was established when May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser’s Centre for the Biology of Memory became a Kavli Institute in 2007.

To secure long-term funding for research at the institute, Fred Kavli and The Kavli Foundation initiated the creation of a dedicated fund with one clear purpose: to raise and manage funds for the institute’s research.

Since its founding in 2008, the Fund has contributed NOK 82.4 million (approximately USD 7.8 million) to research at the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience at NTNU.

The Fund is chaired by Jan Morten Dyrstad, who has led the Board since its founding. Current board members (as of October 2025) are Rune Haglund, Gunnar Kavli Nilsen, Anne Lise Ryel, and Birgit Skarstein.

Two full-time employees are dedicated to the Fund’s communication and coordination of fundraising.

The mission of the Brain Research Fund is to ensure responsible management of the fund’s assets and to provide an annual distribution of 3–5 % of the Foundation’s net market value (as reported in the previous year’s financial statements) to NTNU, in support of the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience.

From 2025 onward, the board may “decide to make an extraordinary, strategically motivated allocation exceeding the ordinary 5% limit of net market value” (Amendment to the Fund’s Articles of Incorporation).

For 2025, the Fund has decided to allocate NOK 2.5 million specifically for the National Health Association Centre for Dementia Research which will be established in autumn 2025 in collaboration between the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and the Norwegian Health Association (Nasjonalforeningen for folkehelsen).

The intention is to provide similar annual allocations for the next four years.

The Fund’s investment strategy states that its assets shall be invested in global equities, global bonds, and money market instruments, with an allocation of 70% in equities and 30% in fixed income.

By investing in low-cost, globally diversified index funds, we achieve broad, cost-efficient diversification as well as strong protection through regulation, transparency, and liquidity.

Day-to-day management is handled by a professional asset manager, who provides monthly reports to the board on portfolio development.

Nearly 40% of the Fund’s capital has come from returns on financial investments.

Anyone who wishes to contribute to brain research can do so by donating to the Brain Research Fund.

We are deeply grateful for all contributions – large and small – from both companies and private individuals.

Every gift helps us support the world-class research that brings us closer to understanding the most complex organ we have: the human brain.

You can support us by giving a donation via bank transfer or Vipps. The foundation's bank account number is 4202.17.13168. IBAN: NO1442021713168 SWIFT/BIC for Sparebank 1 SMN: SPTRNO22. You can also Vipps the desired amount to 696680.

If you are considering making a bequest, donate a memorial gift or gift us a large amount, we kindly ask you to contact us at kontakt@hjerneforskningsfondet.no to ensure all the formalities are in order before making the donation.