15 Apr 10

Oxford Thinking: The Campaign for the University of Oxford, has topped the £800 million mark in less than six years with the latest donation to the Campaign to support vital medical research.

The £110,000 gift - from Richard Simcox and his chemical company Roemex Ltd - will establish the first UK group dedicated to research into Fibrodysplasia Ossifcans Progressiva (FOP), a rare condition which turns muscle to bone.

It adds to thousands of other donations made to the collegiate University from across the globe since August 2004.

Professor Andrew Hamilton, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said: 'To have raised £800 million in such a short time, in a difficult economic climate, is testament to the extraordinary generosity of Oxford’s donors, and their faith that this University is capable of tackling the issues most important to them.

'We are grateful to the many thousands of alumni, individuals and foundations that have chosen to support our work. They come from 80 different countries, and have made gifts from a few pounds to tens of millions, for a whole range of different areas of the University’s activity. Every gift has been valuable.

‘While many donors have fond memories of, or connections to, Oxford, many others donate because they identify Oxford as the best place in the world to tackle the issues that are important to them – whether those are health problems, environmental challenges, developing new technology, better understanding the world around us, or teaching the finest minds of the next generation.’

Oxford Thinking: The Campaign for the University of Oxford was launched on 28 May 2008 with a goal of a minimum of £1.25 billion and is the largest fundraising campaign in European university history. A total of almost £802 million has now been raised, despite the challenging economic climate.

Those wishing to find out more about Richard Simcox’s and Roemex Ltd’s donation for research into FOP can view the news article on the Campaign website.

Those interested in making a gift to the University of Oxford can visit the Campaign website's Ways to Give page.

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