University of Oxford and Ellison Institute of Technology join forces in a transformative strategic alliance

The University of Oxford-EIT strategic alliance is a unique partnership that will bring together the University’s world-leading researchers and talented students with experts, scientists and entrepreneurs who will be based at EIT’s new campus in Oxford.

The alliance is centred on collaboration to accelerate innovation across EIT’s four Humane Endeavours:

• health and medical science
• food security and sustainable agriculture
• climate change and clean energy
• government innovation in the age of artificial intelligence.

EIT, founded by Larry Ellison, announced its plans to establish an Oxford campus in 2023. It will include 30,000m² of research laboratories, supercomputing facilities, an oncology and preventative care clinic, plus educational and meeting spaces.  Construction of the campus at the Oxford Science Park is underway and due to open fully in 2027 at a cost of more than £1 billion.

Today, EIT is unveiling plans to invest at least £100 million in joint research programmes undertaken across the University and EIT targeted towards the Humane Endeavours. The ultimate shared aim is to ensure scientific discovery and pioneering research are turned into products for the wider benefit of society and for global impact. An innovative Alliance Faculty model will provide opportunities for academics and researchers in the University to work at EIT, with some of the world-leading scientists recruited by EIT taking up academic appointments at the University.

The strategic alliance builds on the Ellison Scholars programme announced by EIT in 2023. This student scholarship programme will recruit approximately 20 undergraduate and postgraduate students from around the world each year, providing a full scholarship for study at the University of Oxford. The first cohort of Ellison Scholars will begin their studies at the University of Oxford in October 2025.

To mark the launch of the strategic alliance, the University and EIT are also announcing the creation of the University of Oxford-EIT Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in the Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence, based in the University’s Mathematical, Physical & Life Sciences Division. Investment of an additional £30m from EIT will provide full scholarship funding for at least 100 postgraduate students, selected from across the world, to join the CDT over the next five years. The first intake of students to the CDT will take place in October 2025, with applications opening in December 2024.

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.'

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.

Professor Irene Tracey, CBE, FRS, FMedSci, Vice-Chancellor, University of Oxford

Professor Patrick Grant, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, University of Oxford, said:

'The new alliance allows EIT and the University to assemble focused, large-scale teams to take on some of the most challenging research questions facing humanity, and to accelerate research outcomes to broad societal impact. It also provides a novel and exciting shared research environment for research staff and students, giving them access to entrepreneurial support and experience, alongside flexible access to global experts and world-leading facilities.'