After 20 years and 8 million Swedish kronor to students, the Chalmers Mastercard program and the partnership with the bank Ecster come to an end.
In 2002, the Chalmers Mastercard program began with the idea of supporting Chalmers students while strengthening the Chalmers community. The then Handelsbanken Finans, which later became Ecster, donated 0.5% of the card's turnover back to Chalmers students. The credit card program became popular and reached its peak in 2012 when it raised half a million kronor during the year.
Chalmers Mastercard has been an appreciated program, and 8 million kronor have been collected over the years. The funds have been distributed to various student projects and scholarships for international students. Among the student projects were teams competing in various student competitions around the world, such as Chalmers Formula Student, Chalmers Vera team, teams from the IGEM chemistry competition, and a multitude of degree projects.
Many student project
Several student projects applied for funding to test and implement innovative and business-like solutions to various societal problems, both locally and globally. An example of a student project is from the course 'Sustainable Development in a Southern Context,' which traveled to Kisumu, Kenya, in 2012. The project's goal was to connect a problem in the local population's daily life with a solution that improves their quality of life. After field visits and lectures, the group decided to focus on the water hyacinths that pose a significant problem in Lake Victoria and explore whether the plant could be transformed into a resource for the lake's population. The students developed a biodegradable sanitary pad, which was also inexpensive to produce.
In 2016, Sofia Andersson and Ellinor Wennberg presented their thesis, which focused on studying the impact of introducing computers to rural schools in South Africa. An exciting project that could also provide insights into how computers affect learning here in Sweden.
In 2020, Chalmers student Moa Strålman, in collaboration with Engineers Without Borders, received support for her thesis project, working with local hospitals in Tanzania to reduce mortality rates. The project spanned several years and resulted in the renovation and expansion of hospitals.
Difficult to replace
It has proven difficult to replace such a unique program in the Nordic region. Therefore, we will end the Chalmers Mastercard program and will not offer similar card programs. Chalmers will provide other opportunities to support our education and research in the future.
A big thank you to everyone who has supported the program over the years; it has been of great benefit to our students, allowing them to undertake extraordinary projects over the years!