Spotlight
With the support of the Blavatnik Family Foundation, the Courtauld will create two new galleries dedicated to contemporary art as part of its redevelopment at Somerset House, bringing the Foundation’s total support for the institution to £20 million. Opening in 2029, the Blavatnik Contemporary Galleries will provide space for exhibitions, commissions, and public programmes, while supporting teaching and curatorial practice. The project builds on a longstanding partnership and reflects a shared commitment to expanding access to contemporary art within a historic setting.
Columbia University and the National Technical University of Athens have launched Lab to Market: Bridging Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a five-year initiative that supports early-career researchers in translating academic work into viable, globally oriented ventures. Offered free of charge and implemented through the Columbia Global Center Athens, the program combines entrepreneurship education, mentoring and international networks, exposure to New York’s innovation ecosystem, and a competitive business plan pathway focused initially on artificial intelligence, energy and sustainability, and health technologies. With support from the Blavatnik Family Foundation, and in collaboration with partners including Columbia Business School, Endeavor Greece, and the Hellenic Institute for Advanced Studies, the initiative reflects a shared commitment to strengthening links between universities and the market—equipping a diverse cohort of young scientists across Greece with the skills, confidence, and connections needed to turn scientific excellence into meaningful economic and social impact.
The Wallace Collection in London will present Winston Churchill: The Painter, a major retrospective of more than 50 works by Sir Winston Churchill—the first substantial UK exhibition of his paintings since his death—offering audiences a fresh perspective on the former Prime Minister’s lifelong engagement with art and creativity alongside his public service. Spanning his earliest efforts during World War I through to his vibrant landscapes and interiors from the mid-20th century, the show brings together loans from private collections and Chartwell, Churchill’s longtime home, allowing visitors to see a more personal and expressive side of a figure known for leadership in times of crisis. The exhibition has been made possible by the Blavatnik Family Foundation, among other donors and supporters.
Time contributors Amal Clooney and Philippa Webb highlight a widening global justice gap—where women’s rights often exist “only on paper” and underserved communities lack legal support—and argue that artificial intelligence could be a force for inclusion if governed responsibly. Drawing on their work co-founding the Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice with the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University and the Clooney Foundation for Justice, they describe AI-powered tools that help women in Malawi understand their rights and connect to pro bono lawyers, assist threatened journalists with real-time legal support, and accelerate legal processes like protection orders in ways that make legal systems more accessible and humane. Webb and Clooney also underscore the need to pair innovation with safeguards, tracking AI’s use in courts and training judges to ensure fairness. The Blavatnik School plays a central role in shaping this work by combining research, policy engagement, and convening power to guide how new technologies serve the public good.
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.
