The establishment of the Media Management and Transformation Centre (MMTC) at Jönköping International Business School (JIBS) is a result of discussions between the then Dean of JIBS, Professor Rolf A. Lundin, and the late Mr. Stig Fredriksson, a successful industrialist and publisher in charge of Jönköpings-Posten, a leading regional newspaper in Sweden.

Mr. Fredriksson was able to commit a five-year funding for a new center located at JIBS, dedicated to the research of media economics and media management through the Carl-Olof and Jenz Hamrin Foundation, which is a foundation of the family he belonged to. One of the purposes of the foundation is to encourage scientific research within the field of media.

In December 2002, a formal agreement was signed by Christina Hamrin, wife of Mr. Fredriksson and chair of the foundation and by Professor Rolf A. Lundin, to activate the endowment. In the autumn of 2003, MMTC started operation. Professor Robert G. Picard came on board as the founding Director of the center, and Professor Karl Erik Gustafsson, from Göteborg University, was recruited as a Professor of Media Economics. Later, they were joined by other senior researchers and doctoral students.

Beyond 2003, the Carl-Olof and Jenz Hamrin Foundation extended its funding for extra periods. Over the years, MMTC has also attracted funding from a range of other sources, including the EU, The Knowledge Foundation, Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council and Handelsbanken.