From the Nominator

The COVID-19 fundraising campaign at Oxford began in March 2020, following a period of intense research on the virus at the university’s Jenner Institute. In under a year, Oxford scientists, in tandem with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, developed and launched a safe, effective vaccine against COVID-19. While there are many factors in this success, philanthropy was vital in providing immediate, flexible funding, and in enabling the university to respond to new developments in a rapidly changing landscape. Almost £29 million of philanthropy has been secured for COVID-related work to date. 

As fundraising got underway, hundreds of researchers across the university were engaged with COVID-related work—from vaccine, drug and, rapid testing technology development, to mental health research. The availability of unrestricted funding was key in pursuing these activities and in ensuring that promising new lines of enquiry could be explored. 

Harnessing the goodwill of philanthropists, keeping donors informed of progress, and supporting academic colleagues so they could focus on their research while adjusting to new methods of remote working presented numerous challenges to fundraising staff across the collegiate university. It also offered new opportunities to engage with different audiences in a unified effort to end the pandemic and save lives. It was a campaign like no other, the impact of which could be transformational both in defeating COVID-19 and in preparing for future viruses.

The success of the Oxford vaccine and other COVID-related work also highlights the significance of higher education institutions in tackling major global challenges.

From the Judges

We enjoyed the collaboration, creativity, and originality it took to make this initiative a wild success. In under a year, Oxford scientists, in tandem with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, developed and launched a safe, effective vaccine against COVID-19. While there are many factors in this success, philanthropy was vital in providing immediate, flexible funding, and in enabling the university to respond to new developments in a rapidly changing landscape.