Higher Education
The Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford
The School was made possible thanks to the Blavatnik Family Foundation’s catalytic gift of £75 million in 2010, one of the most generous donations in the University of Oxford’s history. Designed by the architects Herzog & de Meuron, the Blavatnik School of Government’s new building was opened in 2015 and represents the value of openness, collaboration, and transparency that are key to the School’s overall mission of improving public policy.
Since 2010, the Foundation has provided additional support for the School and its students.
The Blavatnik School of Government ©HuftonCrow
“We are profoundly grateful to Sir Leonard Blavatnik for his visionary gift, which allowed the University to establish a school of government. The complex challenges of the twenty-first century require leaders who are equipped with the skills necessary to address them. By training current and future leaders in government and public policy, the Blavatnik School of Government plays a crucial role in helping make the world a better, safer, fairer place.”
The Blavatnik School of Government’s mission is to inspire and support better public policy around the world.
The School’s vision is of a world better led, better served, and better governed. It is a global school committed to improving the quality of government and public policymaking worldwide, through three routes:
1
Teaching current and future leaders:
The School combines deep expertise with practical skills, equipping individuals to tackle the century’s most pressing policy challenges.
2
Conducting research with impact:
The School’s independent, evidence-based research addresses real life-life policy needs, from improving education to reducing corruption.
3
Engaging governments and practitioners:
The School’s convening power brings people together across disciplines and sectors to share knowledge, exchange ideas and create solutions.
Sir Leonard Blavatnik with His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales at The Blavatnik School of Government. Photo by John Cairns
The Blavatnik School of Government is one of the University of Oxford’s newest and most vibrant departments. The School combines the academic rigor of a top-ranked university in the world with an applied, real-world focus. It draws on the full range of Oxford’s expertise, from science, computing and medicine to humanities and social science.
Since 1096 Oxford has been educating leaders from other parts of the globe. Over its history, it has educated nearly 60 heads of state and government. The School reimagines Oxford’s leadership education for the 21st century.
The Blavatnik School of Government is home to world-class academics and practitioners, as well as a team of up-and-coming postdoctoral fellows, who provide the backbone of research support for the School. Students represent 50-70 different nations in any one year and range from the brightest emerging talent to senior practitioners.
The Master in Public Policy (MPP) program takes a distinctively global view of how public policy is made and implemented at local, regional, national and multinational levels. The Doctorate (DPhil) in Public Policy allows students to pursue rigorous research in a specific public policy issue. The School also delivers executive education for senior policymakers working on some of today’s toughest challenges.
The School’s research is proudly independent, academically rigorous and relevant to public policy. The School works with governments and practitioners to identify pressing issues and develop practical solutions. Through academic programs, courses, and workshops, The Blavatnik School of Government brings the latest research right into the classroom, and provides pathways to smart policy solutions.
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.
