A new year lies ahead, and at the Carlsberg Foundation we are proud to designate 2026 as our anniversary year. It is precisely one hundred and fifty years since brewer J.C. Jacobsen founded the foundation through his ‘Charter and Deed of Gift’, dated 25 September 1876.

J.C. Jacobsen placed great value on the flourishing science of his time. By establishing the Foundation, he sought to secure the strength and position of science well into the future. In his own words, the Carlsberg Foundation was to work ‘for the benefit of science and for the honour of Denmark’.

For 150 years, we have taken pride in supporting Danish science for the benefit of Denmark. In the coming year, we will celebrate both independent basic research and the Danish foundation model, which was created—and gained international recognition—with the establishment of the Carlsberg Foundation as the world’s first enterprise foundation.

Professor Lasse Horne Kjældgaard, CEO of the Carlsberg Foundation, states:

“It is with great pleasure that we at the Carlsberg Foundation begin 2026 by celebrating 150 years as a significant contributor to independent basic research in Denmark. Not only was the Carlsberg Foundation established as the first private research-funding foundation in Denmark; over time it has evolved into both an institution and an idea that has come to play a role in Danish history. Because the founding of the Carlsberg Foundation has left an imprint that extends far beyond the foundation itself, we have chosen to focus our celebrations on what the brewer established us to support - namely the research and science that he himself was so deeply engaged in and placed great trust in. In that spirit, we have planned a number of activities that, in different ways, place basic research and its significance over the past 150 years at the centre.”

Research centres and new books

As early as autumn 2025, we began marking the 150th anniversary by launching the call ‘Carlsberg Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Centres’. These centres, which aim to promote interdisciplinarity and collaboration within the Danish basic research landscape, will be publicly announced in autumn 2026.

The anniversary year will also include several new publications. In spring, Strandberg Publishing will release a new book that takes readers on a journey through 150 years of scientific activities supported by the Carlsberg Foundation. 

Through examples ranging from bold research ideas and colourful research personalities to large-scale scientific initiatives and groundbreaking advances within the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences, the book illustrates how independent basic research has paved the way for the development that shapes our society today. The book also, through its long temporal scope, provides excellent insight into the long-term focus that characterizes basic research.

In addition, the book features a series of conversations between science journalist Lone Frank and both early-career and established Danish researchers, who share their reflections on the remarkable nature of basic research.

To mark the anniversary, another new book will also be published, telling the story of a number of the breweries that have, over time, become part of Carlsberg. The book provides both an industrial and cultural-historical introduction to the many breweries that largely emerged in the wake of the industrial revolution and the increasing scientific approach to brewing. The book, also published by Strandberg Publishing, is written by historian Nils Arne Sørensen.

Conference on the Danish foundation model

In connection with our anniversary, we will also bring together some of Denmark’s most influential voices for a conference on the role of enterprise foundations in society.

When brewer J.C. Jacobsen established the Carlsberg Foundation through his ‘Charter and Deed of Gift’, he also laid the ground for an entirely new form of corporate ownership. This was fully realized after his death, when Carlsberg Brewery was transferred into the ownership of the foundation.

Today, enterprise foundations play a central role in Danish society. They help preserve ownership of some of Denmark’s largest and most important companies, while at the same time supporting society through charitable and public-benefit grants. As such, they serve as a model for many foundations abroad.

“We would like to use our 150th anniversary to celebrate and discuss the Danish foundation ownership model, which emerged in direct continuation of the establishment of the Carlsberg Foundation. Not least because the foundation inspired the creation of a large number of other Danish foundations, which have come to play a major role in the strong position of Danish research today. Together with stakeholders from the Danish foundation sector, politicians, business leaders, public commentators, and critics, we will focus the conference on a number of key issues relating to the industrial foundation as a model of ownership,” says Lasse Horne Kjældgaard.

The conference on the Danish foundation model will take place on 26 August 2026 and will be open to the public.

Podcast series, anniversary beer, and live events – follow us on our channels

On our website, social media channels, and in our newsletter, you can keep up to date with our anniversary activities. These will also include extensive science communication in the form of live events, digital science history stories, and a new podcast series. As a tribute to the Carlsberg Foundation’s origins in the Carlsberg brewery, a special anniversary beer will of course also be brewed, with its name and flavour profile to be revealed at a later date.

The year will also feature an updated edition of ’De klogeste og skarpeste. Historien om Carlsbergfondet, bryggeriet og vores øl’ by Professor Emeritus Ditlev Tamm, originally published in 2018. The new edition will be released by Gyldendal in autumn 2026.