Africa Oxford Initiative

Since its inception, Reuben College has had a strategic partnership with the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx). AfOx is a cross-university initiative for academic and research collaborations that supports the University of Oxford in engaging with African research potential and excellence.

It facilitates the development of equitable and extensive collaborations between Oxford and African institutions through various channels, which advance Reuben’s interdisciplinary approach to generate new insights into the biggest global questions.

The AfOx scholarship programme has an ambitious mission to develop skills in exceptional leaders across the African continent. It provides the University of Oxford with the opportunity to take part in this exciting initiative and contribute to the future of our global society. We are delighted to have partnered with AfOx to support these extremely talented and driven scholars in their education.

- Professor Lord Tarassenko (President, Reuben College)

Collaborations cut across all College themes

They include:

  • Support for research collaborations through AfOx visiting fellowships and other mobility schemes to promote engagement with Africa. Reuben College provides affiliation for AfOx visiting fellows. The new prestigious Schmidt Africa AI in Science Faculty Fellowship Programme, developed in collaboration with Reuben College and led by Professor Ben Lambert (Official Fellow, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning), is a testament to the success of the strategic partnership with AfOx.
  • Joint events for knowledge exchange, such as the flagship annual Diagnostics Conference. Many Reuben College Fellows also have joint projects with African researchers. Gatherings for sharing ideas and knowledge about Africa-focused research with speakers from varied academic disciplines advance Reuben’s global outlook.
  • Championing a culture of innovation and enterprise. Reuben’s outward-facing, global vision, with innovation and entrepreneurship at its heart, is a founding partner of AfOx Innovation Platform, which supports outstanding African talent in building science-led ventures. Watu Wamae (PhD) is the Head of Innovation at AfOx and Official Fellow in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Reuben College.
  • For graduate college students, our College continues to support talented and determined future leaders from Africa. AfOx, supported by the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme, supports exceptional African graduate students (many of whom are at Reuben College) to access world-class education at the University of Oxford.  

We are proud to have over 21 Alumni from Reuben College within the AfOx community. With the support of the Mastercard Foundation, we are increasing the number of African graduate students in Oxford. Our partnership co-developing the Africa Health Innovation Platform has seen over 80 innovators connected with industry to solve intractable health challenges.

- Kevin Marsh (Co-Director, Africa Oxford Initiative)

Find out more

AfOx supports the work of universities and research institutions across Africa and facilitates the development of equitable and extensive collaborations between Oxford and African institutions.