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Higher Education

Higher Education
July 14, 2025
Largest Fund of Its kind to Support Vulnerable Kids & Families

Struggling and vulnerable families and children are to be given a better start in life after a new government fund was announced today (Monday 14 July), which will provide them with the support and funding needed to access a better education, a safe home, and the caring supportive environment they need to flourish. The Better Futures Fund will support up to 200,000 children and their families over the next ten years by bringing together government, local communities, charities, social enterprises, investors, and philanthropists to work together to give children a brighter future. The launch is backed today by groups including Save the Children UK, The King’s Trust and Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government.

Higher Education
June 25, 2025
Blavatnik Family Foundation Makes $25 Million Donation to USC to Build Virtual Production Center

The family foundation of longtime showbiz investor and film producer Len Blavatnik has donated $25 million to USC‘s School of Cinematic Arts to establish the Blavatnik Center for Virtual Production. The 15,000-square foot center will help expand the university’s virtual production curriculum that aims to give students a foundation in all aspects of using virtual production and the generative AI tools that it requires. Blavatnik, founder of investment firm Access Industries, with interests ranging from Warner Music Group to A24.

Higher Education
June 25, 2025
The Future of Filmmaking? USC Gets $25 million for Virtual Production Center

Len Blavatnik’s family foundation has made a $25 million donation to the USC School of Cinematic Arts to create a virtual production center, the university said this week. The 15,000-square-foot center will house two stages with wraparound LED walls that students and industry professionals will use to gain experience with virtual production technology, USC said. The facility will also house camera tracking, performance capture and lighting systems, as well as classrooms and labs with computers equipped with real-time 3D design software and digital asset libraries. In an emailed statement, Blavatnik cited the importance of new technologies to the filmmaking process. “USC’s pioneering approach — building a virtual production studio for the future — makes this the right time and place to invest in our industry,” he said.

Higher Education
June 20, 2025
The Blavatnik School of Government to Welcome 2025 Kyoto Prize Laureates

The Inamori Foundation has announced the recipients of the 2025 Kyoto Prize, often referred to as Japan's equivalent to the Nobel Prize, recognising transformative achievements in the fields of Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts and Philosophy. The Blavatnik School of Government will welcome the laureates in 2026 as part of the Kyoto Prize at Oxford, which unites world-class thinkers with future policymakers in a unique celebration of the breakthroughs which shape a better world. The Kyoto Prize Laureates for 2025 include Shun-ichi Amari, Azim Surani, and Carol Gilligan.

Higher Education
June 16, 2025
The Blavatnik Family Foundation Makes $25 Million Lead Gift to Establish the Blavatnik Center for Virtual Production at the USC School of Cinematic Arts

The Blavatnik Family Foundation has made a $25 million lead gift to establish the Blavatnik Center for Virtual Production at the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA).  The donation was announced today by Elizabeth M. Daley, Dean of the USC School of Cinematic Arts.  The 15,000 square foot center will be the centerpiece of the School’s curriculum in virtual production filmmaking. “Virtual production has become an integral part of filmmaking, led by the next generation,” said Len Blavatnik, Founder of the Blavatnik Family Foundation. “I’m proud to support the School and provide young filmmakers with the tools and resources needed to master these emerging technologies and lead the industry’s future.” The Blavatnik Center for Virtual Production will be a multi-use, state-of-the-art space housing two stages with wraparound LED panel walls, as well as performance capture, camera tracking, and lighting systems. The stages can be operated separately or joined together to from a large production set. The Center will also contain multiple classrooms and labs equipped with computers with real-time 3D design software and digital asset libraries.

Higher Education
May 27, 2025
Eisenhower Fellowships Names 2026 Global Scholars

The 2026 Eisenhower Global Scholars include an analyst tracking foreign direct investment with a national security lens, a writer and advisor at Bloomberg Philanthropies, a research assistant in public health and political science and a Naval Academy graduate exploring how artificial intelligence can be ethically integrated into American foreign policy. In September, these highly accomplished young leaders will begin an all-expenses-paid year of intense study and cultural immersion at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford for a Master of Public Policy degree and at the School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs at IE University for a Master in International Relations degree.

Higher Education
March 25, 2025
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Ardern to join Blavatnik School of Government’s World Leaders Circle

Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Ardern today joins Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government as a Distinguished Fellow and member of the World Leaders Circle. The World Leaders Circle is an international network of former heads of government, whose rich experience and insight shape the Blavatnik School’s work to improve governance across the globe. From training current and future public leaders to pioneering research, the network will provide an opportunity for global connection and collaboration. It is a three-year affiliation, with an annual gathering at Oxford.

Higher Education
February 5, 2025
Amal Clooney Appointed Visiting Professor of Practice at Blavatnik School of Government

The Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford is delighted to announce the appointment of Amal Clooney as a Visiting Professor of Practice. An acclaimed barrister and human rights advocate, Amal brings extensive global expertise and experience to the School community. “I am honoured to be back at Oxford, this time not as a student but as a Professor”, said Amal. “It is a privilege to have this opportunity to engage with the next generation of global leaders and to contribute to the vibrant academic community at Oxford. I look forward to collaborating with both faculty and students to advance access to justice around the world.”

Higher Education
January 21, 2025
Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Join the Blavatnik School of Government’s World Leaders Circle

The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP today joins Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government as a member of the World Leaders Circle and a Distinguished Fellow. The World Leaders Circle is a global network of former heads of government, a forum to exchange ideas and foster international collaboration among leaders. Mr Sunak said: “I’m delighted to be joining the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford and the Hoover Institution at Stanford. Both Blavatnik and Hoover do superb work on how we can rise to the economic and security challenges we face and seize the technological opportunities of our time. I have huge affection for both Oxford and Stanford. I was fortunate enough to study at both, they shaped my life and career, and I look forward to contributing to their world-leading research in the months and years ahead.”

Higher Education
November 22, 2024
Meet the Presenters: Yale Innovators Announced for the 2024 Yale Life Sciences Pitchfest

Yale Ventures is pleased to announce the 34 Yale faculty members who have been selected to present at the Yale Life Science Pitchfest on December 5, 2024. The event will showcase groundbreaking research in therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health, with presenters delivering 5-minute pitches followed by 3-minute Q&A sessions with a panel of judges. The annual event, hosted by Yale Ventures, serves as the semifinals for The Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale, an accelerator fund dedicated to advancing the commercialization of applied research and technology in the life sciences.

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Providing many of the world's best researchers, scientists, and universities with support, and funding to discover breakthroughs that solve humankind's greatest challenges.

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The Foundation contributes to renowned institutions that showcase the breadth of arts and culture, including performance, exhibition and education.

Visit the Blavatnik Archive

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.

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