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Fred Kavli (August 20, 1927 – November 21, 2013) was a Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist. He was born on a small farm in Eresfjord, Norway. He founded the Kavlico Corporation, located in Moorpark, California. Under his leadership, the company became one of the world's largest suppliers of for aeronautic, automotive, and industrial applications supplying General Electric and the Ford Motor Company. - Det er viktigere ting i livet enn penger
In 2000 he established The Kavli Foundation to "advance science for the benefit of humanity and to promote public understanding and support for scientists and their work". The Foundation's mission is implemented through an international program of research institutes, professorships, and symposia in the scientific fields of astrophysics, nanoscience, neuroscience, and theoretical physics. The foundation awards the Kavli Prize in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience.
He was featured in the media primarily for his philanthropic efforts.
At 14, together with his brother Aslak, he began his first enterprise creating wood pellet fuel for cars. This was during the Second World War and the Nazi occupation of Norway.
Inspired by his father's 13 years in San Francisco the young Kavli wanted to move to the US. Three days after he received his engineering degree from the Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) in Trondheim he left for America on the .
Having no job or sponsor waiting for him, his visa application was initially rejected, and so in 1955 he immigrated to Montreal, Canada instead. The following year his visa was approved and he moved to the United States. He found work as an engineer for a Los Angeles business that developed feedback flight controls for Atlas missiles. He would rise to the position of Chief Engineer here.
Looking to start his own business he advertised in the Los Angeles Times newspaper soliciting financial backers with the simple but effective text "Engineer seeking financial backing to start own business".
Two years later he founded the Kavlico Corporation, located in Moorpark, California. Under his leadership, the company became one of the world's largest suppliers of for aeronautic, automotive, and industrial applications supplying amongst others General Electric and the Ford Motor Company.
In 2000, he sold Kavlico for $345 million to C-Mac Industries Inc. Kavlico is today owned by the French company Schneider Electric. Much of Kavli's wealth is a result of his real estate investments in Southern California. As a philanthropist, Kavli subsequently established The Kavli Foundation and dedicated much of his wealth to funding research institutions and programs worldwide.
On June 19, 2006, he was appointed Grand Officer, Commander with Star, of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit by King Harald V of Norway in recognition of his work on behalf of Norway and humanity. In 2008, he was also awarded an honorary doctorate, Doctor Honoris Causa, by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, in recognition of his work to the benefit and advancement of science and research. Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Kavli was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was also a former member of the U.S. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and former member of the University of California President's Board on Science and Innovation.
In 2009, Mr. Kavli received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Northwestern University. Northwestern University In 2011, he received the Bower Award for Business Leadership from the Franklin Institute, one of the oldest science education centers in the United States, and the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, which is given biennially to one or more individuals who, like Andrew Carnegie, have dedicated their private wealth to the public good, and who have sustained impressive careers as philanthropists. Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy Also, in 2011, Mr. Kavli was conferred the degree of doctor philosopliae honoris causa by the University of Oslo. University of Oslo
A Trustee of the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Foundation, in addition to supporting scientific research and education, his philanthropic activities include the Fred Kavli Theatre for Performing Arts at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, California, as well as other projects. He was divorced and had two grown children.
On November 21, 2013, Kavli died at his Santa Barbara, California home after surgery for cholangiocarcinoma, a rare form of cancer. Fred Kavli dies at 86; promoted scientific research worldwide in LA Times by Robert J. Lopez, 21 November 2013
Kavli chose to focus on these three areas of interest – "from the biggest, to the smallest, to the most complex" – because he thinks these fields are the most exciting scientific fields for the 21st century with potentially great benefits.Andrew Farrell for Forbes Magazine Online: The Man With The Million-Dollar Prize. May 16, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-16. Kavli has also noted his intent that the Prizes distinguish themselves from the Nobel Prize prizes in science. Time magazine: The Next Nobel? Consequently, one key distinction between the prizes: Kavli Prize laureates are selected by committees composed of distinguished international scientists. These committee members are recommended by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the French Academy of Sciences, the Max Planck Society, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and The Royal Society, with committee chairs chosen by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
The first Kavli Prize winners were announced on May 28, 2008, simultaneously in Oslo and at the opening of the World Science Festival in New York City. The first Kavli Prize for astrophysics was awarded to Maarten Schmidt and Donald Lynden-Bell. Louis E. Brus and Sumio Iijima shared the nanoscience prize, while Pasko Rakic, Thomas Jessell and Sten Grillner were awarded the neuroscience prize. Kavli Foundation Press Release, May 28, 2008 The four US winners of the Kavli Prize were honored by President George W. Bush and Science Advisor, Dr. John Marburger, at an Oval Office reception in the White House on November 12, 2008. (See Kavli Prize for laureates in subsequent years.)
The Kavli Foundation has made grants to establish Kavli Institutes on the campuses of the University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California Berkeley, Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, the University of Chicago, Columbia University, Yale University, New York University, Cornell University, the University of California, San Diego, Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Peking University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harvard University, University of Cambridge and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. These institutions are the beneficiaries of the Kavli Foundation to date, and the list is bound to grow in the future.
In addition to the Kavli Institutes, six Kavli professorships have been established: two at the University of California Santa Barbara, one at the University of California Los Angeles, one at the University of California Irvine, one at Columbia University, and one at the California Institute of Technology.
Seven researchers associated with the Kavli institutes have been awarded Nobel Prizes: David Gross, Frank Wilczek, Richard Axel, Eric Kandel, Edvard Moser, May-Britt Moser and Rainer Weiss.
As of October 2023, there are 13 institutes in the United States, 2 in China, 1 in the Netherlands, 1 in Norway, 2 in the United Kingdom, and 1 in Japan.
The 20 Kavli Institutes are:
The curiosity of the human being is what has brought us where we are today, and I have complete confidence that it will take us where we need to be in the future.
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