Posted: 26th February 2026

The University of Oxford has launched Oxford × QRT Labs as part of a major new long-term philanthropic partnership with Qube Research & Technologies (QRT), alongside Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge. The initiative forms part of a major investment by QRT across higher education, designed to support fundamental, multidisciplinary research and the next generation of scientific leaders.

Oxford x QRT Labs represents a significant investment in people - supporting students and early-career researchers working across mathematics, statistics, computer science and engineering. Through this multi-university partnership, QRT will directly fund more than 70 early-career researchers, including doctoral (PhD/DPhil) students and postdoctoral researchers and research fellows, helping to strengthen the pipeline of future scientific leaders.

For Oxford, this partnership enables targeted, long-term support for talent at critical stages of academic careers. Thanks to QRT’s generous support, Oxford × QRT Labs will help attract outstanding students and early-career researchers, giving them the time, freedom and confidence to pursue ambitious ideas and to work alongside world-leading academics. In an increasingly competitive global research environment, this kind of sustained investment plays a vital role in enabling researchers to establish independent careers and contribute to long-term scientific progress.

QRT Labs is an excellent example of how long-term, thoughtfully structured partnerships can enable ambitious research to flourish. We are very grateful for Qube Research & Technologies’ generous gift, which will ensure we can attract and support talented students and researchers to work alongside the world’s leading scientists. This kind of support allows Oxford to invest in people, ideas and collaborations that will shape science for decades to come. Professor Jim Naismith, Head of Oxford’s Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division

L-R Professor James Naismith - Head of MPLS; Dr Daniel Giamouridis - Quantitative Research Director, QRT; The Rt Hon Sir Ernest Ryder - Master of Pembroke College; Professor Jon Chapman - Head of the Mathematical Institute; Professor Frank Windmeijer, Head of the Department of Statistics and Professor Clive Siviour - Head of the Department of Engineering Science. Photo credit: Cyrus Mower 

Research supported through Oxford × QRT Labs will span both foundational questions and real-world challenges, reflecting Oxford’s long-standing commitment to excellence across disciplines. By giving researchers the space to explore complex problems - particularly those involving data, uncertainty and computation - the initiative will help lay the groundwork for future advances with broad societal relevance.

Alongside Oxford, Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge are each establishing dedicated QRT Labs centres within their institutions, supported by Qube Research & Technologies. Across the three universities, QRT Labs will operate as a coordinated programme, with shared scientific activities including seminars, workshops and events designed to encourage sustained collaboration and exchange, while preserving academic independence within each institution.

The launch of Oxford × QRT Labs highlights the transformative role that philanthropic and partnership support plays in sustaining Oxford’s research mission. By investing in people and ideas over the long term, partners such as Qube Research & Technologies help ensure that Oxford remains a place where bold thinking is encouraged, talent is nurtured, and the next generation of scientific leaders can thrive.