Blavatnik Family Foundation – Blavatnik Family Foundation

The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction Announces Longlist for 2023

Posted on September 6, 2023 (September 6, 2023) by Christine Ongsueng

This year’s judges have announced the 13 books that make up the Baillie Gifford Prize Longlist for 2023. The judges are: literary editor of Financial Times, Frederick Studemann (chair); award-winning author Andrea Wulf, theatre critic for The Guardian Arifa Akbar, the writer and historian Ruth Scurr, journalist and critic Tanjil Rashid, and Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts Andrew Haldane. Tune in to the latest episode of the Read Smart podcast this Friday! Judges, Arifa Akbar and Ruth Scurr will be delving into the 13 longlisted works as well as their insights into the judging process. Catch up on all previous episodes of the podcast by visiting our website, Spotify, and Soundcloud. The announcement of the six books shortlisted for this year’s prize will take place on Sunday 8 October during a live event at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. The winner will be announced on Thursday 16 November at an award ceremony at the Science Museum. The award ceremony and the Read Smart podcast are generously supported by the Blavatnik Foundation. The announcement will also be live-streamed across the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction social channels.
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BLAVATNIK FAMILY FOUNDATION GIVES ADDITIONAL $40 MILLION TO YALE INNOVATION FUND

Posted on September 6, 2023 (September 7, 2023) by Christine Ongsueng

The Blavatnik Family Foundation, whose historic gift in 2016 helped create what has become Yale’s flagship life science accelerator, has made an additional $40 million donation that will increase the number of research awards available to Yale scientists, support a wider range of biomedical innovations, and reach deeper into the Yale community to support new and innovative research. Run by Yale Ventures, a campus-wide initiative that supports innovation at Yale, the Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale creates a bridge between early-stage, innovative research and the development of high-impact biomedical products and health technologies through the support of start-ups and industry partnerships. Since its launch, the Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale has stimulated biomedical entrepreneurship across the Yale community. So far, it has supported 63 distinct projects through more than $20 million in direct funding for research and fellowships. This funding has resulted in the creation of 19 spinoff companies that have raised $254 million in venture and non-dilutive funding, 3 projects that have achieved FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) status, and 4 clinical trials have been initiated. […]

YALE VENTURES WELCOMES THE 2023-2024 COHORT OF BLAVATNIK FELLOWS IN LIFE SCIENCE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT YALE UNIVERSITY

Posted on July 20, 2023 (July 20, 2023) by Christine Ongsueng

Yale University is thrilled to announce the selection of three outstanding scientists as Blavatnik Fellows for the 2023-2024 academic year. Natalie Makableh, Manuel Mohr PhD, and Elias Quijano PhD, have been chosen to participate in the Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship program. The fellowship nurtures entrepreneurial skills in the life sciences and connects the emerging business leaders with groundbreaking innovations from across Yale University. The Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship initiative is part of the university’s commitment to foster innovation and bridge the gap between academia and industry. This program, made possible by the generous support of the Blavatnik Family Foundation, provides a unique opportunity for experienced life sciences professionals to collaborate directly with Yale faculty to transform cutting-edge research discoveries into successful ventures that will have a significant impact on society. […]

Ken Burns’ The U.S. and the Holocaust Receives Emmy Nominations

Posted on July 13, 2023 by Christine Ongsueng

We are thrilled to announce that The U.S. and the Holocaust, a documentary film by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, and Sarah Botstein, has been nominated for three Emmy Awards! The nominations include Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program, Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series, and Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program. The Foundation, alongside other generous donors, is honored to have supported this incredibly important film that delves deep into America’s response to one of the most significant humanitarian crises in history. […]

Harvard Business School Announces Its 2023-2024 Blavatnik Fellows Harvard Business School

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Christine Ongsueng

Harvard Business School (HBS) has announced the 2023-2024 cohort of Blavatnik Fellows. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship was launched in 2013 as part of a gift to Harvard University from the Blavatnik Family Foundation. The fellowship offers HBS alumni and Harvard-affiliated postdocs the opportunity to work closely with leading biotech industry and biomedical authorities, receive mentorship, and join a community of entrepreneurs shaping the future of science. To date, Blavatnik Fellows have created 35 companies in biomedical industries, including: a novel enzymatic RNA synthesis platform, an immune system-driven dendritic cell therapy to combat cancer, new molecular technologies for the delivery of transdermal formulations, a lipid-targeting drug to treat cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, and a tumor oxygen sensor for personalized oncology care. […]

The Better Angels Society, Supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation, Introduces New President

Posted on July 3, 2023 (September 8, 2023) by Christine Ongsueng

The Better Angels Society, the non-profit dedicated to sharing American history through documentary films and supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation, today announced the appointment of Katherine Malone-France as the next President and CEO, effective August 15, 2023. Malone-France will succeed Amy Margerum Berg, who has served as President since 2016. Malone-France was selected following a national search led by trustees Peter Thoren and Greg Golkin. She is currently the Chief Preservation Officer at the National Trust, where she has successfully expanded the scope of preservation efforts and fostered stronger connections between historical knowledge and civic engagement. […]

Remembering the Yiddish literature great, Sholem Aleichem

Posted on June 23, 2023 (July 3, 2023) by Christine Ongsueng

It’s doubtful that anyone outside the world of Yiddish literature has ever heard of Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich, but even non-Jews have heard of Sholem Aleichem, which was Rabinovich’s pen name. The commissioning of the statue and its placement was the brainchild of Dr. Mark Zilberquit: a Moscow-based author publisher and founder of the Yiddish Heritage Preservation Foundation, whose goal is to preserve Yiddish language and culture which was the common denominator of the majority of European Jews before the Holocaust. This foundation was among the donors to the project, as was the Blavatnik family whose foundation engages in international philanthropy – mostly in education and culture – and is well known for its sterling support of London’s Tate Gallery. […]

Imperial War Museum London reveals opening date of new war galleries

Posted on June 13, 2023 (June 19, 2023) by Christine Ongsueng

Imperial War Museums (IWM) is to open its new war-focussed art galleries in November at Imperial War Museum London, it has announced. The permanent galleries are said to be the UK’s first to “explore how artists, photographers and filmmakers together bear witness to, document and tell the story of conflict, and the public’s understanding of war”. The Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries will open at IWM London on 10 November 2023, ahead of Remembrance Sunday. […]

Behind the scenes as the National Portrait Gallery reopens

Posted on June 7, 2023 (June 7, 2023) by Christine Ongsueng

The cost was originally supposed to be £35.5 million. In fact it has come in at just over £41 million. But that overspend, Cullinan says, was deliberate, after the gallery received an “extra” £10 million donation from Leonard Blavatnik, the industrialist who has become Britain’s most generous arts benefactor. “Doing what we wanted to do for £35 million was always going to be tight,” Cullinan says. “The extra money from the Blavatnik Foundation enabled us to concentrate on quality.” […]