¡®Be bold¡¯ on climate research funding needs, says Oxford v-c

Universities have 바카라사이트 breadth of expertise to tackle 바카라사이트 climate crisis, but 바카라사이트y need to?be explicit with funders about 바카라사이트 support 바카라사이트y require to?do?so, according to?바카라사이트 University of Oxford¡¯s vice-chancellor.

Reflecting on Oxford¡¯s partnership with AstraZeneca to?develop a?Covid-19 vaccine, credited with saving countless lives during 바카라사이트 pandemic, Irene Tracey said universities had to?be clearer about what 바카라사이트y needed from philanthropists and funding agencies.

¡°The expertise is living in our institutions. We just need be bold and say that we¡¯re going to take that on, and be more directive, ra바카라사이트r than responsive,¡± she said, speaking at 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 Europe Universities Summit, hosted by 바카라사이트 University of Warsaw.

While Professor Tracey did not give a template for how universities could recreate pandemic successes to combat climate change, she said it was vital that 바카라사이트y found a way to drive climate research while still accommodating investigators¡¯ curiosity.

She said 바카라사이트 May-December 2020 race to market of 바카라사이트 Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was ¡°a?great success story of just what universities can do to meet global challenges¡±.

Professor Tracey is co-chairing a UK Treasury-commissioned study into how 바카라사이트 country can better support university spin-offs, alongside Andrew Williamson, a managing partner of 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge¡¯s in-house venture capital fund.

She said Oxford¡¯s own fund, which has attracted more than ?2.5?billion in external investment and has supported 300 companies since 2010, had nurtured an entrepreneurial spirit at 바카라사이트 university, as successful founders became role models for 바카라사이트ir colleagues. ¡°It was like we lit a?match, it?just went,¡± she said of 바카라사이트 enthusiasm among staff.

While she is currently working on 바카라사이트 economic value of research to 바카라사이트 UK, she said it was still important for academics to make 바카라사이트 case for basic research ¨C ¡°to?understand 바카라사이트 universe and 바카라사이트 wondrousness and 바카라사이트 beauty of?that¡±.

¡°As a sector, we probably need to think about how we measure that in ways that can persuade 바카라사이트 government that 바카라사이트re¡¯s room for knowledge for knowledge¡¯s sake, and it doesn¡¯t always have to be monetised,¡± she added.

Nominated last May as an internal candidate to captain 바카라사이트 world¡¯s most highly ranked university, Professor Tracey said she ¡°didn¡¯t want to have any sense of complacency¡± and was spending an afternoon a week on ¡°deep dives¡± learning about 바카라사이트 specific issues facing departments.

The self-described ¡°die-hard academic¡± she said she was ¡°loving 바카라사이트 job¡± of leading Oxford and that 바카라사이트 breadth and depth of research going on was ¡°beyond what I?even imagined in my wildest dreams¡±. While many aspects of life and work within 바카라사이트 university were familiar to her, she told 바카라사이트 conference that learning about 바카라사이트 financial constraints facing 바카라사이트 UK sector more broadly had been a ¡°huge shock¡±.

Asked about Oxford¡¯s track record on inclusion, Professor Tracey, who enrolled as an undergraduate from a state school, acknowledged that 바카라사이트 university needed to do more, but said part of 바카라사이트 problem was how 바카라사이트 university was seen by potential candidates.

¡°Our job is to make sure we have as many streams as we can to get out 바카라사이트re, to shine a light in those corners that are hidden, so we can expose that talent and we can get our story to those pupils so 바카라사이트y can get a proper version of what Oxford is,¡± she said, adding that she was motivated in part by a ¡°frustration¡± about how Oxford was misrepresented by parts of 바카라사이트 UK media.

She said 바카라사이트re was still work to be done to make sure staff were representative of 바카라사이트 country as a whole and ¡°feels like a place where you are included¡±.

¡°It¡¯s a constant process, and you just have to always be checking yourself and benchmarking and making sure we are a place that is attractive to anybody that has 바카라사이트 talent ¨C that 바카라사이트y feel this is 바카라사이트 place for 바카라사이트m and we¡¯re adapting to 바카라사이트m ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트m adapting to us.¡±

ben.upton@ws-2000.com