Oxford demonstrates resilience and global impact, from vaccines to artificial intelligence

Oxford has started a new academic year, and there's a great deal to be thankful for. I’ve been an alumnus for almost a quarter of century now, and I don’t think I’ve seen the University generating so much cutting-edge research or having so much impact in the world. From the vaccine, to major investments in the humanities, to research across the whole range of academic disciplines, Oxford has retained the top global ranking for strengths in both research and education. In a time of rapid technological change, the University has also been named the leading global university in computer sciences, and is a pioneer in applied artificial intelligence. And Oxford has been named the leading global university for start-ups and spin-outs, attracting a record £1.1bn of investment in the past year.

As the vice-chancellor, Professor Louise Richardson has said, Oxford has shown incredible resilience against a challenging background.

Delivering a vaccine for the world, in partnership with AstraZeneca and governments

The incredible success of the Oxford vaccine is a point of real pride, and perhaps a model the University to follow in other areas. The work of Sarah Gilbert and her team has protected hundreds of millions of people around the world, delivering over 1.5 billion doses to 170 countries. We should also take time to recognise the incredible generosity of AstraZeneca, a global company whose leadership made the choice to distribute the Oxford vaccine on a global scale and at cost. In June, Oxford hosted a meeting of G7 health ministers, at which major powers committed one billion doses to the global vaccination programme.

As Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, who was recognised for her work in leading the team at the Jenner Institute and with the Oxford Vaccine Group, commented, "No one is safe until we're all safe. From the start, we knew that we’d need to make sure there was global access to the vaccine.” 

Addressing future global health threats, and making a major breakthrough on malaria

Beyond the immediate pandemic, Oxford has announced the creation of a global health sciences centre to prepare us for future threats, in partnership with government and major technology and health groups. The University also secured generous new funding from Ineos to tackle anti-microbial resistance, which might otherwise cause 10 million deaths by 2050. New research in biological and medical sciences has ranged from a new anti-cancer drug derived from a fungus, to research on steps we should take to address the mental health effects of the pandemic on young people. Scientists at the Jenner Institute are also leading the way in creating a malaria vaccine, shown in trials to be over 77% effective, a major scientific breakthrough against the disease. Oxford has entered into partnership with the Serum Institute of India to produce 200 million doses annually of the vaccine, each costing an estimated $3.

As thoughts turn the many other challenges we face, Professor David Gann, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Development and External Affairs, is leading work with Liesl Elder and others on a new development plan for Oxford, which will help us address other major, global challenges, beyond the pandemic.

Investing in Oxford’s strength in the humanities, and celebrating a centenary for PPE

In the humanities, just over a year ago Oxford announced a transformational investment by Stephen Schwarzman, CEO and Co-founder of Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative investment firm. In the largest single donation to the University since the Renaissance, the new Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre will reshape the way Oxford teaches, researches, and shares the Humanities with the world. During the year, the University launched the Institute for Ethics within the Schwarzman Centre on AI and democracy, to tackle major ethical challenges posed by AI, from facial recognition to voter profiling, and the ongoing discourse about how AI will impact employment on a global scale.

Oxford has published research on new thinking on economic cycles and crises, on the impact of humanities skills in business, on a principles-based approach to trade, on the impact of maths education on cognitive development, and on the role of wet markets in the origins of covid. And the University has partnered with other leading institutions to develop algorithms to help fight misinformation on private messaging apps. In the past weeks, eight Oxford academics have been named fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences, including economics experts as well as researchers in law, international development, geography and social policy.

We also celebrated the centenary of Philosophy, Politics and Economics as a degree this year, and launched an alumni group to provide networks for Oxford alums to engage with the latest thinking and contribute to initiatives in these fields. Over the past 100 years, the degree has evolved and expanded, and our alumni contribute to a diverse range of professions, vocations and communities in over 150 countries around the world. The University hosted a panel to discuss the development of the degree with prominent alumni including former US presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, novelist Monica Ali, and journalist Mary Ann Sieghart, hosted by broadcaster Evan Davis.

Meanwhile, the Blavatnik School of Government has marked the first five years of the Government Outcomes Lab, working on how governments can foster effective cross-sector partnerships. Blavatnik is also leading work on the shifting roles of US, Europe and China in the tech world, on which it has been joined by Ciaran Martin, who had previously led the UK's National Cyber Security Centre. Saïd Business School has made major contributions to thinking on the response to and recovery from the pandemic, and supports entrepreneurship across Oxford. The business school recognised the service of Peter Tufano, Peter Moores Dean, who stepped down at the end of June 2021. "Dean Tufano’s leadership has been transformational," Professor Sue Dopson at Saïd commented, “and we will continue our collective commitment to tackle world-scale problems.”

Leading the world in computer sciences, and a global role on artificial intelligence

In a time of rapid technological change, data, machine learning and artificial intelligence have become another major strength. Oxford has been ranked first in the world for computer science, for the second year running. The University has recently announced the creation of the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science, alongside the news last summer of the opening of the first new college in 30 years. Reuben College is to be led by Lionel Tarrasenko, a leading expert in the application of signal processing and machine learning to healthcare, and will have a focus on artificial intelligence, alongside environmental change and cellular life. Recently, over 30 Oxford academics were named Turing Fellows, working on the application of data science to real-world challenges in areas from seismology and volcanology to immunology, neuroscience, mental healthcare and finance.

To provide further opportunities for alumni to support this work, we’re planning to launch a new network on artificial intelligence, in partnership with the Oxford AI Society, as the first of a number of network groups on deep tech.

Oxford as a European and global innovation hub, from AI to quantum and vaccines

Oxford’s success in turning research into impact and opening new business opportunities has been impressive. Oxford University Innovation has recorded a record-breaking year in over £1.1bn of external investment and more than 30 new companies added to the portfolio, being named the leading global technology transfer group. Oxford Science Enterprises, the investment partner of the university backed by groups including Google Ventures and Sequoia, has a growing portfolio of over 100 companies, including Vaccitech, co-inventor of the Oxford Vaccine and Base Genomics, creator of early-stage cancer detection technology.

Supported by both of these groups, and by many at Oxford and across our alumni community, the University has been named the best UK university for start-ups and spin-outs. Among very many deep tech success stories, Oxford-based Exscientia floated on the Nasdaq this month as a global pharmatech company using patient-first artificial intelligence. Similarly, exciting work is underway by Oxford Quantum Circuits, led by CEO Ilana Wisby and pioneering quantum computing as a service.

As a report by London Economics identified, the university as a whole contributes around £16bn a year to the UK economy, generating £10 in value for every £1 invested in research and knowledge exchange.

Supporting our students and graduates, and celebrating the role of alumni

Oxford students have borne a significant burden in the pandemic, whether spending most of a year learning remotely, or starting their working lives with a background of uncertainty. Against those challenges, the response from the university, our alumni, friends and partners has been incredible. We’ve seen a record level of giving and fundraising, a significant amount of which has gone to students facing financial stress, often channelled through Oxford’s colleges to their students and recent leavers.

Alumni of the university have played critical roles in all of this, whether as academics and researchers at Oxford, in leadership roles within our corporate partners or in governments around the world, as donors, investors, entrepreneurs, advisors, supporters and ambassadors. The University has recently awarded honorary degrees to six prominent leaders, including Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, Professor Anna Deavere Smith and Jeanette Winterson CBE, from the world of politics and policy to the arts and sciences. We also celebrated the centenary of the first degrees for women at Oxford, an important milestone. And we were proud to welcome to the Oxford alumni board two new representatives of our global alumni community in Magdalena Ewen and Vanshica Kant.

We brought together hundreds of alumni in our bi-annual Meeting Minds virtual conferences this year, with discussions on AI and the geopolitical power struggle, the potential for regenerative medicine, rhetoric in Ming dynasty China, big tech and the future of competition, on the tyranny of merit with our Chancellor, Lord Patten. And we’ve launched the Oxford Strategy Review, a student-led journal bringing together the voices of Oxford students and alumni, and addressing topics across corporate strategy, international affairs, global economy, and the future challenges we all face. 

As the vice-chancellor, Professor Louise Richardson has said, Oxford has shown incredible resilience against a challenging background. We’d like to offer the thanks of all Oxford alumni to the work of everyone at the collegiate University this year – and the very best for the year ahead.

James Dancer

Chair, Oxford University Alumni Board