Oxford University has joined forces with a technology company to address humanity’s greatest challenges in an alliance bringing a multi-million pound investment.

The university's alliance with the US-based Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) , includes an investment of £130m from the institute.

The partnership has been confirmed in a signing ceremony which took place at Oxford's Clarendon Building.

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It will bring together the university’s world-leading researchers and talented students with experts, scientists and entrepreneurs based at EIT’s new campus in Oxford.

The alliance is focusing on accelerating innovation in health and medical science, food security and sustainable agriculture, climate change and clean energy, and government innovation in the age of artificial intelligence.

(Image: Scott Brownrigg) EIT, founded by Larry Ellison, announced its plans last year to establish a campus at Oxford Science Park.

It will include 30,000 sq m of research laboratories, supercomputing facilities, an oncology and preventative care clinic, plus educational and meeting spaces.

Construction of the campus is under way and due to open fully in 2027 at a cost of more than £1 billion. 
 
The strategic alliance builds on the Ellison Scholars programme announced by EIT last year.

This programme will recruit 20 undergraduate and postgraduate students from around the world each year, providing a full scholarship for Oxford University.

(Image: John Cairns) Larry Ellison, chairman of Oracle Corporation and Chief Technology Officer, said: 
“At EIT, our mission is to have a global impact by fundamentally reimagining the way science and technology translate into end-to-end solutions for humanity’s most challenging problems.

"This long-term, strategic partnership with the University of Oxford is at the heart of delivering on that goal. By collaborating on transformational, world-class research programmes harnessing new technology and compute capability we will together deliver positive impact on society at scale.”
 
Professor Sir John Bell, President of EIT Oxford, said: “This new alliance between the University of Oxford and the Ellison Institute of Technology comes at an exciting time in the technological revolution.

"By combining world-class research with long-term capital investment and state-of-the-art facilities, we will tackle some of society’s biggest challenges. Whether it’s advancing new approaches for healthcare or solving the issues of food security, we will make progress using the brightest and most creative human minds available.”
 
Professor Irene Tracey, CBE, FRS, FMedSci, Vice-Chancellor, University of Oxford, said: “The long-term partnership between University of Oxford and the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) is a unique opportunity to bring together great minds to address humanity’s most pressing challenges.

"EIT’s generous support for our talented students and world-class research will be transformative in empowering future leaders and accelerating successful research through innovation into economic and societal impact. We welcome EIT and congratulate Larry Ellison on his vision.” 

The Ellison Institute now owns the Eagle and Child in St Giles. Its ownership of the pub is not connected with the alliance.
 

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

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