Stockholm  - The foundation that funds the awards known as the Alternative Nobel Prize said Wednesday a university in Malaysia is to host the first Right Livelihood College.

Jacob von Uexkull, founder of the Right Livelihood awards, os to sign the agreement Thursday setting up the college with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) based in the city of Pinang, 200-kilometres north of Kuala Lampur, the foundation said.

"There are now 133 Right Livelihood Award laureates from 57 countries - 133 experts and leaders whose pioneering knowledge can help change the world for the better," von Uexkull said.

The Swedish-German philanthropist created the awards in 1980, using the income from the sale of his valuable stamp collection to initially fund the prize.

The college was to organize lectures and seminars at partner universities. It was also to host a secretariat that was to be headed by Professor Anwar Fazal, a 1982 Right Livelihood Award winner.

The 2008 award winners included Swiss-born Monika Hauser, founder of German-based Medica Mondiale, Amy Goodman of the United States founder of the daily grassroots global TV/radio news hour Democracy Now, and Krishnammal and Sankaralingam Jagannathan of India and their organization Land for the Tillers' Freedom. (dpa)