Oxford University has received a landmark £80m donation from a charity that will transform its newest college and establish a major new scholarship programme for graduate and undergraduate students.

The college in central Oxford, located in the heart of the University’s science area, will be named ‘Reuben College’, in recognition of the donation coming from The Reuben Foundation.

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Due to welcome its first students in the autumn of 2021, Reuben College, which is the university's 39th college, has already attracted a line-up of academic Fellows.

Its initial research themes are: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; Environmental Change; and Cellular Life, which includes ongoing work in understanding Covid-19 and the current pandemic.

The £80m gift expands the existing Reuben Scholarship Programme, which was established in 2012 for disadvantaged undergraduate students. The Programme will now also include Oxford-Reuben graduate scholarships for students at Reuben College.

Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said: “Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the Reuben family, Reuben College will join the storied ranks of Oxford Colleges. For generations to come, the lives of young people will be transformed as they learn to engage in research that pushes at the frontiers of knowledge.

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"Now, more than ever, our society needs a new generation of highly educated researchers to address the global challenges that transcend national borders. This gift represents a vote of confidence in Oxford, a vote of confidence in the power of research to solve societal problems, and above all, a vote of confidence in the future.”

On completion next year, Reuben College will offer accessible and modern facilities, with flexible spaces for quiet study, group meetings, seminars and workshops, public events and social occasions.

The college’s students will have access not only to world-leading academics, but also to the specialist knowledge and expertise of library and museum staff located in the buildings.

Reuben College will also include a Digital Innovation Studio equipped with cutting-edge technologies and digital resources to support learning, knowledge exchange and public engagement.

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The Reuben Foundation said: “The current pandemic has shown us just how vital it is to have access to the very best medical research and academic thinking. Fortunately, in the UK we have some of the finest minds in the world working in some of the most pre-eminent academic institutions.  

"We hope that this endowment for the Reuben College will help keep Oxford University at the global forefront of research in the vital areas of Environmental Change, AI and Machine Learning and Cellular Life, thereby helping to improve the lives of millions of people long into the future.”