Spotlight
The Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale will support 12 faculty-led life sciences projects in 2026 that address critical challenges in oncology, neurodegeneration, diagnostics, and kidney and liver disease, advancing discoveries toward meaningful health outcomes for patients. Since 2017, the partnership between Yale and the Blavatnik Fund has supported more than 98 unique projects, spawned 46 new ventures, and enabled nine investigational new drug clearances, reflecting a sustained commitment to translating bold science into real-world solutions. Awardees in this cycle are pursuing innovations from novel therapeutics to next-generation diagnostics and platform technologies, each with the potential to reshape how disease is understood and treated. Yale’s Vice Provost for Research, Michael Crair, observed that “through the Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale, we have built a robust ecosystem of entrepreneurs that helps faculty advance discoveries with real potential for societal impact.” He further emphasized that at a time when early-stage research investment is essential, the ongoing partnership with the Foundation “ensures that promising innovations do not stall in the lab” but move closer to patients.
The Chabad Russian Center in Sunny Isles Beach, Miami has opened a new six-story, 39,000-square-foot waterfront community center designed to serve families at every stage of Jewish life, with spaces for worship, education, and communal gatherings overlooking Biscayne Bay. Built after more than two decades of community leadership and support, the facility anchors programs ranging from early childhood education to large-scale celebrations, fostering connection and cultural continuity for a diverse, growing population. The Blavatnik Family Foundation was among the key supporters whose contributions helped make this new community home possible.
The New York City Ballet will host its 2026 Spring Gala, Set in Stone: Creation & Preservation, on May 7 at Lincoln Center, featuring a newly commissioned work by NYCB Principal Dancer and choreographer Tiler Peck alongside pieces that reflect the company’s artistic breadth and heritage. The program underscores NYCB’s ongoing commitment to developing new choreography while sustaining the legacy of its founders. The Blavatnik Family Foundation has been a long-standing supporter of New York City Ballet, helping to strengthen its artistic ambitions and contributions to cultural life over many seasons. The Foundation's support also extends to "Turn It Out with Tiler Peck & Friends", the mixed-bill program curated by Peck at Sadler’s Wells in London.
Dr Iestyn Woolway of Bangor University has been named one of nine UK finalists for the 2026 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, becoming the first researcher from both Bangor University and Wales to receive this distinction. His research examines how climate change is reshaping lakes and freshwater ecosystems, advancing scientific understanding of environmental change and informing policy discussions. “I am honoured to be selected as a finalist alongside other leading researchers in the UK,” he said. The finalists will be recognised at a ceremony later this month, where the 2026 Laureates will be announced.
Providing many of the world's best researchers, scientists, and universities with support, and funding to discover breakthroughs that solve humankind's greatest challenges.
The Foundation contributes to renowned institutions that showcase the breadth of arts and culture, including performance, exhibition and education.
The Blavatnik Archive is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to preserving and disseminating materials that contribute to the study of 20th-century Jewish and world history, with a special emphasis on World War I, World War II, and Soviet Russia.
