Carl-Henrik Heldin, chairman of the Board of the Nobel Foundation, said on Friday that the basic structure of the Nobel Prize is unlikely to change much as doing so would mean stepping away from Alfred Nobel’s will.
Prof. Heldin, who is a noted cancer researcher and Director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Uppsala, was delivering a lecture and interacting with scientists, researchers and students at an event organised by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE). Prof. Heldin spoke about the challenges in keeping the prizes relevant and prestigious in the modern era.
Annually, the prizes are given for physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace – the categories specified by Nobel – and economic sciences, established by the Sveriges Riksbank in memory of Nobel. ‘‘I don’t think that will change much. And in terms of how the prize-awarding committees work, they have from the start been very careful about following the selection process,’‘ Prof. Heldin said.
The major task of the Nobel Foundation is to maintain the reputation and prestige of the prize, he said, but there are other challenges as well.
Competition from other prizes is one. Some are larger than the Nobel in terms of the money involved. Again, there are others who may use the name of ‘Nobel.’ ‘‘Nobel is a family name in Sweden, so we cannot prevent that. Other people may carry out activities in the name of Nobel and it is difficult for us to control that,’‘ he said.
Another challenge is ensuring that the Nobel Prize has a secure financial standing over the long-term. For this, investments have to be made, taking into account ethical concerns and sustainability, Prof. Heldin said.
Alfred Nobel was particular that the prizes go to those ‘‘who have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.’‘ So the primary concern remains the careful selection of the Nobel laureates. The foundation is also involved in the development of outreach activities to take advantage of the interest in the Nobel prizes and laureates and use that as a vehicle to engage people and make them aware of the essence of science and culture, Prof. Heldin said.
