Billionaire hedge fund manager Chris Rokos has made a record £190m donation to the University of Cambridge to establish a new school of government that will bear his name. The gift is believed to be the single largest donation to any UK university in modern times.
The funding comprises an initial £130m, with a further £60m available subject to matching by the university. The Rokos School of Government will open in temporary accommodation this autumn, offering master's and PhD degrees, before moving permanently to the Cambridge West Innovation District. The institution aims to rival Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government, which was established in 2010 with a £75m donation from Leonard Blavatnik.
Rokos, 55, who attended a state primary school before winning a scholarship to Eton College and studying mathematics at Oxford, said: “I was fortunate to be given the opportunity of an education which transformed my life, and I would like to give something back to Britain. My hope is that, in time, the influence of the Rokos school of government across the world becomes an important element of that soft power, which has been a great asset to the UK.”
According to Cambridge, the new institution is a response to growing turbulence in domestic and international politics, increasing political polarisation, and long-term structural changes in the economy. Rokos said new challenges require new responses, adding: “For me, there can be no better home for the Rokos school of government than Cambridge University, with its long tradition of scientific innovation and synergistic culture.”
Vice-chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said the school would become a place where current and future leaders, together with experts from across the university, generate insights and solutions for a rapidly changing world. Rokos, who founded Rokos Capital Management in 2015, is estimated to be worth £2.6bn, according to last year's Sunday Times rich list.
