Driving forward excellence in research: the University of Oxford

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Driving forward excellence in research the
University of Oxford

• Professor Andrew Hamilton FRS

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Oxfords size and shape in students 1 December
2009
3
Development of Graduate EducationStudents as of
1 December
Growth 1999-2009
20,076
Total
5,053
16,588
Postgraduate research Postgraduate
taught Undergraduate
65
3,639
3,641
2,614
1,621
1,304
11,328
11,382
0.5
11,211
11,332
1999
2009
Source OSS
4
Increasingly InternationalBy nationality
Overseas
EU (excl. U.K.)
Total number international
International as a percentage of total
1996 2009
6
4
10
1,050 1,633
Undergraduates (full-time)
8
6
14
1996 2009
34
16
50
2,549 4,781
Postgraduates (full-time)
43
20
63
2003 2009
17
14
31
1,188 2,015
Academic staff
20
20
40
Source OSS for students OpenDoor database for
academic staff. Student data as of December 1
staff data as of July 31.
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A significant Collegiate University
BudgetRevenues 2008-9

• The University of Oxford
• 60 departments
• Numerous centres

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Collegiate Experience
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Strategic Plan Research

1. Retain and recruit researchers of the highest
   distinction and quality
2. Support divisions and departments in the
   development and implementation of their research
   plans
3. Provide and develop a supportive research
   environment in which scholars, at every stage of
   their career, can flourish
4. Maintain research strength across the
   disciplinary range and encourage further
   interdisciplinary research initiatives
5. Participate...in national and international
   debates on future research assessment
   exercises.....
6. Enhance administrative services and support
   designed to facilitate research excellence and
   knowledge transfer
7. Support international research and collaboration
8. Ensure that research is carried out in accordance
   with applicable ethical standards

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Expansion of our research enterprise
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Main source of Research Funding
GovernmentUniversity research income 2008-9
Industry
Government
100 451 million
60
25
8
7
UK charities
Other sources

• UK
• HEFCE block grant 24
• Research Councils 23
• Government departments/ 8 National Health
  Service
• Europe
• European Commission 4

Source University of Oxford Research Services
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External research
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External Research
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Wellcome Trust
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Oxfords research funding from international
sources has grown strongly in recent years

• Income from international sources now accounts
  for gt20 of Oxford research income
• Average annual growth 21 pa - compared to 13
  pa for domestic sources

Some of the major drivers for this growth
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Investment in Interdisciplinary and Cutting-edge
Research
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Investment in Interdisciplinary and Cutting-edge
Research
Im on the verge of a major breakthrough, but I
am also at that point where chemistry leaves off
and physics begins, so Ill have to drop the
whole thing
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Oxford Future Energy
Technology
Fundamental Science
Applied Science
Chemistry for Energy
Nuclear materials
Offshore energy
Laser plasma interactions
Solar / Photovoltaics
Transport
Lower Carbon Futures
Culture
Policy
Socio-political
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Oxford Future Energy
Technology
Fundamental Science
Applied Science
Chemistry
Plant Sciences
Mathematics
Materials
e-Research Centre
Physics
Engineering Science
Oxford Martin School
Smith School for Enterprise the Environment
Environmental Change Institute
Culture
Transport Studies
Policy
Socio-political
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Technology
Organic Photovoltaics
Technology Society
Nuclear Energy Materials
Future of Cities
Globalising Tidal Power
Oxford Martin School
Future of Humanity
Carbon Energy Reduction in Transport
Ethics Governance
Energy Environment
Culture
Policy
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Transport
Materials
Catalysis
New materials
Lightweight electric motors
Thermo-fluids
ECI
Smith School
Policy
Fuel efficiency
Low carbon infrastructure
Futures modelling
Scenarios
Engineering
Transport Studies
Institute for Carbon Energy Reduction in
Transport
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Solar and photovoltaics
Materials
Synthesis
Catalysts
Thermo photovoltaics
Transparent conducting oxides
Scale-up
Electronic properties
ECI
Physics
Markets policy
Device development
Real-world testing
Modelling
Mathematics
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Investment in Technologies to Support the
Research Effort
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Interconnectivity
Chemistry
Plant Sciences
Mathematics
Materials
e-Research Centre
Physics
Engineering Science
Oxford Martin School
Smith School for Enterprise the Environment
Transport Studies
Environmental Change Institute
Diverse strengths
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Dynamic, re-configurable network to respond to
scientific, economic and societal drivers
Chemistry
Plant Sciences
Mathematics
Materials
e-Research Centre
Physics
Engineering Science
Oxford Martin School
Smith School for Enterprise the Environment
Transport Studies
Environmental Change Institute
Diverse strengths
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Dynamic, re-configurable network to respond to
scientific, economic and societal drivers
Chemistry
Chemistry for Energy
Plant Sciences
Applied Mathematics (incl. modelling)
Mathematics
Materials
e-Research Centre
Physics
Solar/PV
Nuclear Materials
Offshore energy
Engineering Science
Oxford Martin School
Departmental, Divisional and University
initiatives
Transport
Smith School for Enterprise the Environment
Transport Studies
Low Carbon Futures
Environmental Change Institute
Diverse strengths
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The Humanities a research success story
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Humanities

• With the support of its specialist Research
  Facilitators, Humanities has developed a
  culture of applying for research grant funding
• Sharp increase in research income and the
  funding of research overheads
• Diversification of its pool of funders,
  increasing the number of different award sponsors
  from 24 to 34 in the past year
• The Division entered in 15 units of assessment in
  RAE 2008, ten of which were top in the UK
  according to the Research Fortnight power table
  French, German, Middle Eastern and African
  Studies, Asian Studies, English, History,
  Philosophy, Classics, Theology, and Music.

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Oxford University Isis Innovation Ltd

• Isis Innovation Ltd, established in 1987, 100
  owned by the University
• Isis helps researchers who wish to commercialise
  the results of their research
• Three business divisions
• Technology Transfer for Oxford - identify,
  protect, market, licence, spin-out, seed funds,
• Oxford University Consulting - access to Oxford
  academic expertise
• Isis Enterprise - access to our expertise in
  technology transfer innovation management
• Supported by Networks Oxford Innovation
  Society, Isis Angels Network
• Income last year 7.5m Isis has 65 staff in
  total
• Since 2000 - 55 spin-outs raising 270m 500
  licensing/option deals

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Some of our success factors (1)

• Centuries-old tradition of scholarly enquiry and
  academic culture within the Collegiate University
• Grouped into learning communities, with a
  teaching-research nexus
• Vibrant international character
• Ability to attract or recruit the best
  researchers and faculty
• Ability to attract and retain the best students
  at graduate and undergraduate level

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Some of our success factors (2)

• Multi and cross-disciplinary teaching,
  scholarship and research
• Infrastructure - capital investment, Oxfords
  libraries, museums and collections, maintenance
  and refurbishment programme
• Inspired and inspiring academic leadership
• Capacity to win competitive peer review funding
• Good levels of independent funding through
  development activity

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Some of our success factors (3)

• A light touch central management regime
• High quality administration/academic-related
  support services
• Long tradition of knowledge exchange and
  technology transfer
• Promotion of academic values academic freedom,
  subsidiarity, collegiality, parity of esteem, and
  disciplinary diversity

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(No Transcript)
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Isis Innovation Ltd
Extracts from Isis Annual Report 2010
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Things you may not know about the University of
Oxford
The Oxford you hear about it is real
The Oxford you may know less well

• A dynamic research-intensive university with many
  departments and centres
• Home to a medical sciences division that on its
  own would rank as 5th largest UK university by
  research income
• Educator of world leaders over 30 overseas
  presidents and prime ministers
• An international university

• The oldest university in the English-speaking
  world, based around colleges
• Renowned for its strengths in the humanities, its
  libraries and museums
• Educator of British leaders 26 British Prime
  Ministers
• A British university

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What are Colleges?
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Growing collaboration across disciplines and
with industry
Opportunity. Risk. Innovation. Impact. Tackling
the toughest challenges of the 21st century.

• Founded 2005 with 100 million gift from Dr James
  Martin new 50 million challenge fund
• Goal formulate new concepts, policies, and
  technologies that will make the future a better
  place to be
• 15 interdisciplinary institutes focused on major
  21st century challenges
• Including environmental change, migration,
  emergent infections, the future of humanity

• 13.75 million, 5 year agreement with Man Group
  Plc, worlds largest publicly traded hedge fund
• Endows a professorship and funds research
  programme
• In addition Man has located its internal RD
  laboratory on the floor below the Institute
• Leads to formal (seminars) and informal (lunch)
  exchange between academics and practitioners

Opened 2007
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Launch of major fundraising campaign

• Priorities
• Supporting students and the life of the
  University
• Supporting academic staff and programmes
• Supporting infrastructure and buildings
• Target
• Min. of 1.25 billion
• Launched in May 08 with 575 million committed
  just passed 1000 million
• Significant gap to close vs. American peers

• Aim
• Raise the funds to liberate
• Oxford people to achieve
• their greatest aspirations
• Scope
• Joint campaign across the Collegiate University
  universities, departments, libraries, museums
• Global in reach

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Oxfords international collaborations in Tropical
Medicine
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Collegial and interdisciplinary Research Fora

• 2007 Security, Energy, Cancer, Democracy
• 2008 Climate Change, Forced Migration, Global
  Health, Materials Characterisation, Water, India
• 2009 The Material World, The Islamic World,
  China, North American Studies, Integrated
  Quantitative Biosciences, Economic Impact of
  Research, Research Integrity, Medical Physics
• 2010 Pathways to Drug Discovery, Digital
  Humanities workshop on images, Digital
  Humanities linking data