University of Oslo receives millions in last will and testament
UiO has been willed 11.69 million NOK over the last two years.
Universitas recently obtained access to several documents from the Oslo County Court, showing UiO has inherited money from a very generous doner. The deceased was divorced and had no kids. The individual willed their whole fortune to UiO.
«No connection»
The amount was well over two million kroner. The documents from the Oslo County Court say the money should be used to finance a project at the Rikshospitatlet orthopaedic department.
The dean at the Institute of Clinical Medicine, Frode Vartdal, confirmed the gift, and says it’s very rare the facility gets gifts from wills. He also says the individual did not have any connection to the faculty.
«Our guess is that the person chose this facility since we have experiences with financed research projects,» he said.
«Extremely rare»
During the last five years, the Faculty of Medicine at UiO has received 11.69 million NOK in wills from two different people. UiO didn’t receive any willed money between 2013 and 2016.
UiO Deputy University Director Tove Kristin Karlsen also says this is something that happens very infrequently. She says there are various reasons why the university receives money through wills.
«We are aware of organizations like the Norwegian Cancer Society and other organizations receiving gifts from wills, and some of this money comes to UiO as yearly research support,» she said.
Universitas has also been in contact with Oslo Metropolitan University, to see if they too have received money from wills. They said they don’t know about any occasion when individuals have willed money to the institution.
