The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies looks ahead with a new CEO

The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies has appointed Fredrik Oldsjö as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 October 2026. With a CEO now in place, the foundation enters a new phase in its development as a long-term and strategic research funder supporting research relevant to the Baltic Sea region and Eastern Europe. The role encompasses the foundation’s entire operation, including research funding, asset management, organizational development, collaboration, and communications.

Fredrik Oldsjö most recently served at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, where he was Head of the Management Office, Deputy University Director, and Acting Head of Human Resources at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH.

“The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies plays an important and distinctive role as a research funder. We now see opportunities to further develop the foundation’s working methods and strengthen the conditions for the research and doctoral education it supports. As CEO, Fredrik Oldsjö will play a central role in this development work, in close collaboration with the Board and the foundation’s secretariat. His experience of strategic leadership and management within academia will be of great value to the foundation’s continued development. The Board are very pleased that Fredrik has accepted the position and will lead the foundation,” says Lars-Erik Edlund, Chair of The Board, The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies.

Since our establishment in 1994, the foundation has financed research, doctoral education, and academic infrastructure relevant to the Baltic Sea region and Eastern Europe, while also contributing to the development of Södertörn University. Through its long-term support, the foundation has helped build research environments and create conditions for doctoral education, skills supply and the sustainable renewal of the research community.

The latest review of the foundation’s research-funded activities conducted by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (2026) shows that the research financed by the foundation is of high international quality and maintains a clear thematic and regional focus on the Baltic Sea region and Eastern Europe. The findings demonstrate the value of the foundation’s long-term funding while also providing a basis for continued development.

“At a time of major geopolitical and societal change, the need for scientifically grounded knowledge about the Baltic Sea region and Eastern Europe is greater than ever. Research is essential to our ability to understand a region whose development affects Sweden in so many ways. I look forward to working together with the Board and the staff of the foundation’s secretariat to create strong conditions for research, doctoral education, and the development of internationally competitive research environments at Södertörn University. Long-term and responsible asset management is essential if the foundation is to fulfill its important mission over time. I want to contribute to the continued development of the foundation as a whole, strengthen cooperation with our partners, and increase the visibility of the research and new knowledge made possible through the foundation’s funding,” says Fredrik Oldsjö, newly appointed CEO of The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies.

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