Christer Gilén: Proud to contribute to scholarships

Jenny Widén

Linköping became the place that provided him with the academic foundation to last him throughout his career. He chose to study for an MSc in Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering, and it was in the newly built C Building’s lecture halls and during late nights with course literature that his fascination with the power of technology took shape.

After graduating and having had five interviews, he went back to his childhood city of Stockholm where he began a long career at Ericsson. In various roles, for more than four decades, he followed a technological development that greatly changed the world – from early telecommunication systems to today’s digital landscape. When he retired in December 2021, it was with a feeling of having been part of a journey through one of the most transformative stages of technology.

Using his savings to do good

Jenny Widén

Christer says that the idea of using his savings to do good came to him a few years before his retirement. A cousin of his started it all by reminding him that perhaps it was time for him to write his will. Christer had always been careful with money, and started saving while still at school. This enabled him to buy his first car in 1970; a used 1964 BMW, paid for in cash.

After discussing with his advisors at the bank and spending free time searching the internet, he soon ended up at the LiU fundraising team. He felt that since he did not have any heirs, giving something back to the university that had laid the foundations for an interesting life was the right thing to do.

In 2019, he did just that and, after thorough discussions with representatives from the University, donated SEK 100,000 to the LiU Jubilee Foundation. Through this foundation, he set up scholarships to reward theses and dissertations with the potential to contribute to society, either in trade and industry or in the public sector.

Theses and dissertations making a difference

Doing a degree project solely with the purpose of obtaining a degree, without it leading to any greater good, does not impress Christer. A number of students have since received, at an annual award ceremony, scholarships for master’s theses or degree projects that have opened up perspectives in the areas covered by the scholarship: “Economic governance, organisation and innovation” and “Statistics and machine learning”. These are areas that have aroused Christer’s curiosity over the years. He believes that reading the many student theses and dissertations is a way for him to not only maintain ties with the academic world but also to constantly learn new things. For example, when he read their work on statistics and machine learning, he began to understand in depth what could be positive about artificial intelligence, AI.

Jenny Widén

The response to the scholarships in his name was stronger than Christer could have imagined from the beginning. An evaluation he asked LiU to do showed that it was not just the money that mattered to the students. Several of them pointed out that the attention received and the pride they felt that a committed alumnus had taken the time to read and take an interest in their work was worth even more.

Christer recalls what it felt like to meet the students on campus in Linköping, listen to their amazing presentations and sense their dreams for the future. It was a reminder of both the students’ and the university’s vigour – and being able to contribute made him feel proud.

Set up his own foundation

The good experience of the “test balloon” in the form of his first donation convinced Christer Gilén to move on to the next level. He therefore set up his own foundation, managed by LiU, with a nominal capital of SEK 5 million.

The intention is that the money will be used to continue awarding scholarships to ambitious students. The return on capital will also go towards LiU’s research and education within his areas of interest. Christer also says he has changed his will. It now stipulates that most of his future estate will go to the foundation. He assures us that he feels really good about this.

The conversation with Christer Gilén has truly shown how the ties between alumni and higher education institutions can deepen over time, and how generosity combined with personal commitment can have long-term ripple effects.

Jenny Widén