Media

Oxford research funding scheme scores rapid $100m success

28 April 2010

An ambitious initiative to raise major research funding at Oxford University has defied the economic downturn by raising $100m to support groundbreaking research on key global problems - and the challenge has been met well within the year deadline originally set. Last year, Dr James Martin, one of the world's most influential computer scientists and already a major benefactor of the University, issued a tough new pledge: he committed to donate up to $50m if other donors would match it. A year later, and in the face of the deep international financial crisis, the University has gained the full amount.

The new funding pledges will support nearly 20 critical projects on subjects as diverse as the future of cities, brain manipulation, and vaccine design. The research will explore urgent questions like: 'How do we combat chronic disease in a growing and ageing global population?' 'What's needed to ensure food and fuel security in the 21st century?' and 'How can we stop economic shocks happening in future?'.

Thirty different donors (including individual philanthropists, charities, corporations and research bodies) have had their gifts to the University matched following Dr Martin's pledge.

Dr Martin commented: 'When the matched funding scheme was announced, many people said this is crazy timing as this is the worst economic crash in recent history. The Oxford Vice-Chancellor and I disagreed with them. Some foundations and wealthy individuals give money in bad times if the cause is exceptionally important. The James Martin 21st Century School at Oxford has demonstrated that it can identify the most serious dangers and opportunities of our future. Some great people from across the planet have been attracted to the School's vision and this will lead to inspired thinking.'

Dr Martin made the $50m pledge on top of an original donation made in 2005, to set up the James Martin 21st Century School with an endowment of $100m. The latest matching funding offer was to inspire new research and opportunities at the School for collaborative thinking to address the global problems and opportunities now facing humanity. Donors whose gifts have been matched by Dr Martin include George Soros and Adrian Beecroft.

Mr Beecroft, former Chief Investment Officer at Apax Partners, who is helping to fund research pushing the frontiers of computing, said: 'I was excited by James Martin's pledge and it provided me and the other donors with the incentive to raise $1million, the amount needed to qualify for the matched funding. We are delighted that the project we offered funding for is going ahead. Pushing the boundaries in computational science will benefit researchers in astrophysics as well as those working in climate science and medicine.'

The James Martin matched funding challenge has significantly contributed to the University's fundraising campaign - Oxford Thinking - which recently passed the £800m mark.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Professor Andrew Hamilton, said: 'James Martin and the donors whose funding he has matched have placed their confidence in Oxford University as the best place to tackle the global challenges of the 21st century. I am delighted that their vision and commitment will enable more collaborative and high-impact research to be developed across Oxford.

'Dame Vivien Duffield, Chair of the Campaign, said: 'James Martin's pledge was an inspired way to spur philanthropists, charities and funding bodies to give to Oxford. I am also delighted that the Clore Duffield Foundation is a donor to the James Martin 21st Century School's research programme. The University's fundraising campaign - Oxford Thinking - now exceeds £800 million, a considerable achievement by any measure but particularly at time of such economic uncertainty.

Director of the James Martin 21st Century School, Dr Ian Goldin, said: 'These new resources will enable us to advance our capacity to tackle some of the biggest and most complex challenges of our time. These include climate change, financial crises, global demographic shifts, poverty and health.'

At 6.30pm this evening (Wednesday 28 April), Dr James Martin will be delivering the 13th annual Commonwealth Lecture at The Royal Institution of Great Britain on the theme 'Science and Technology: Impacts on Society in the 21st Century'.

For more information or to request interviews with Dr James Martin, Dr Ian Goldin (Director of the James Martin 21st Century School) or the researchers from the projects listed below, please contact the University of Oxford Press Office on +44 (0)1865 280534 or press.office@admin.ox.ac.uk

Photographs of Dr James Martin and the Vice-Chancellor meeting in Oxford at the weekend are available to the media to download at. http://photovibe.net/ext.php?skin=2838&Action=EF&id=2838&setpwd=jm10

Notes to Editors

  • SUMMARIES OF RESEARCH PROJECTS TO RECEIVE MATCHED FUNDING
  • Economic modelling in a rapidly changing world
    The institute will look at the challenges facing economic analyses, policy, modelling and forecasting when large unanticipated shocks occur, and explore ways of improving such analyses to help avoid future crises.

    (Quote from donor George Soros)'
    This partnership with the James Martin 21st Century School demonstrates the commitment of INET (Institute for New Economic Thinking) to promoting new paradigms in economics and, more broadly, creating a better understanding of the challenges facing humanity. Oxford is a leading academic institution and a hub of critical thinking, through this partnership we will reach and inspire the next generation of leaders in the environment where their ideas are being shaped.

    (Quote from lead researcher, Professor Sir David Hendry)
    'I am delighted at the establishment of a new institute at Oxford University to explore the issue of modelling economic behaviour in a rapidly changing world. Recent events have shown that economies are subject to large shocks that alter previous relationships and lead to poor forecasts. Oxford's expertise can play a key role in advancing research to confront such issues.

    Plants for the 21st century
    The research will address questions in two main areas of global concern - crop production and species conservation. Both programmes aim to generate scientific resources and information that will enable policy makers, conservation biologists, multinational companies and individuals to use land in a way that will maximize crop outputs and protect 'hotspots' of species diversity.

    (Quote from lead researcher, Professor Jane Langdale)
    'We are very grateful to James Martin because his promise of matched funding led to one of our donors, Intercontinental Hotels Group, increasing the amount donated.  Importantly, the establishment of the new institute provides us with the opportunity to apply our fundamental knowledge of plant biology to questions of global concern - specifically how to maximize crop yields in order to feed the growing population whilst protecting land areas that are hotspots of species diversity.

    Solving the challenges of 21st century computational science (Donor:Adrian Beecroft)
    The programme will look at ways of extending the methods in computing and data processing that have been developed in astrophysics and cosmology to aid researchers in fields as diverse as oceanography, climate science and medicine.

    (Quote from lead researcher, Professor Pedro Ferreira)
    'We are excited that our programme in the frontiers of computation and data analysis in cosmology is being supported by the James Martin 21st Century School. This is a great opportunity for the Beecroft Institute of Particle Astrophysics and cosmology to pursue links with a wide range of institutes and research teams.

    Population dynamics and environment
    The research will unite demographers, economists, anthropologists, philosophers and environmentalists to address the complex interactions of environmental (including climate change) and demographic change over the next 50 years.

    (Quote from lead researcher, Professor Sarah Harper)
    'Over the next 50 years the age structure of the world will shift towards a far older population. This, alongside global warming, will comprise perhaps the two greatest challenges for our planet in the 21st century. Yet the policies to tackle these two huge issues will at times conflict. Oxford researchers will investigate the wide range of impacts brought about by these future challenges and make policy recommendations for how government, business and society need to respond and prepare.'

    Future of cities
    The research will explore the social and technological changes that cities will face over the next 50 years and the implications for current decision-making by the private sector, governments and civil society. In particular, the programme will focus on ageing, migration, climate change and governance in looking at how cities can become more flexible to face these challenges.

    Global migration futures
    The research programme will use new and existing data sets and an innovative scenarios methodology to understand the shape and likely evolution of migration systems, and the new challenges they pose for global governance.

    Biodiversity
    The new Institute will support research activities across the natural and social sciences, making Oxford a global focus for ecological and biodiversity research.

    Stem cells
    The matched funding will secure the recruitment of new stem cell biology fellows and establish a fully-equipped and staffed core facility creating a large and unique critical mass of stem cell scientists from different disciplines.

    Vaccine design
    This programme seeks to design and develop promising new vaccines against infectious diseases of global health importance such as pandemic influenza, malaria and meningitis, using a broad multi-disciplinary set of approaches ranging from structural biology, genomics and mathematical modelling to immunology, clinical trials and health economics.

    Global economic development
    The Institute will explore why some countries have participated in the world economy while others have not, and inform future policy debate on how developing countries can grow their economies. 

    Mind and machine: manipulating the brain and its ethical implications
    The programme aims to develop and apply technology that will allow intervention in brain function. The researchers will also address the ethical, legal and social implications of conducting such research and developing such technologies.

    Global health care innovation
    The new research centre will develop innovative affordable global strategies for chronic and complex disease management.

    Geoengineering and carbon dioxide removal
    The research will examine the engineering processes and associated risks of schemes to geoengineer the climate in the context of economic, ethical and governance questions.

    Nuclear energy for the 21st century
    The research will establish an understanding of the key materials problems which limit the exploitation of nuclear power in the 21st century.

    Globalising tidal power generation
    The research programme will look at the harnessing of energy from tidal sites and shaping public policy and debate in the tidal energy sector.

    Modelling and predicting climate change
    The research programme will develop mathematical techniques to enable next-generation earth-system models to predict anthropogenic climate change with increased reliability.

    Developing low-cost photovoltaics
    The research will develop, via interactive collaboration between mathematical modelling and physical experiments, new ideas for both fabrication and operation of more efficient and cost-effective photovoltaic devices.

    Ubiquitous and extreme computing
    The research focuses on future computing from "extreme" (very large) to "pervasive" (in everyday devices).  Specific topics will include optimal energy-efficient computation, ubiquitous sensing, ubiquitous web data and human-led security for pervasive systems.

    Biodiversity and Emerging Infections
    The research programme seeks to define and explore the links between biodiversity and infectious diseases, with the aim of providing evidence-based advice to policy makers involved in health, biodiversity management, and urban and rural planning. 

  • James Martin 21st Century School
    The James Martin 21st Century School was established in 2005 at the University of Oxford through a gift of $100m from Dr James Martin. The aim of the School is to foster innovative thinking, deep scholarship and collaborative activity to address the most pressing risks of, and to create new opportunities for, the 21st century. Through its research grant programme and wide-ranging impact activities, as well as strategic leadership at its core, the School drives some of Oxford's most innovative, interdisciplinary research on the future. The School's interdisciplinary teams of researchers work on a wide range of topics of global significance in the broad areas of medicine and health, energy, climate change and the environment, and social and political transformation. See www.21school.ox.ac.uk
  • Oxford Thinking, the Campaign for the University of Oxford
    The Campaign for the University of Oxford is one of the largest campaigns in the world, aiming to raise more than £1.25 billion in order to transform the University for many generations to come. The theme of the Campaign is Oxford Thinking, and has three strategic priorities based on the academic priorities of the collegiate University. These are grouped into three main areas which have equal importance: supporting students; supporting academic posts and programmes (both existing and new); supporting buildings and infrastructure. See www.campaign.ox.ac.uk
  • Profile of Dr James Martin
    Dr James Martin is a Pulitzer nominee for his book The Wired Society: A Challenge for Tomorrow (1977), and one of the world's foremost authorities on the social and commercial ramifications of computers. He was ranked 4th in ComputerWorld's 25th Anniversary Edition's most influential people in computer technology. Dr Martin is a social entrepreneur in the fields of technology, education and international development. In the early 1990s Dr Martin was a member of the US government's software Scientific Advisory Board. He is founder and Chairman Emeritus of Headstrong, which develops ultra-complex systems for corporations. Dr Martin has written over 100 books, and his latest, The Meaning of the 21st Century (2006), has recently been made into a film. In addition to a DLitt from the University of Oxford, Dr Martin has honorary doctorates from universities on all six continents. www.jamesmartin.com
  • The Commonwealth Lecture
    The Commonwealth Lecture is organised by the Commonwealth Foundation in partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the Royal Commonwealth Society and the Royal Over-Seas League. The Commonwealth Lecture aims to stimulate understanding, discussion and debate on the Commonwealth and its role in world affairs. For more information about tonight's lecture, contact www.commonwealthfoundation.com/

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