About The Oxford Trust
The Oxford Trust is an independent charitable trust founded in 1985 by entrepreneurs the late Sir Martin and Lady Audrey Wood, co-founders of Oxford Instruments, the first, and some say the most successful, spinout company from the University of Oxford.
Their mission is simple: to encourage the pursuit of science. They do this through their three connected programmes: STEM education, engagement, and innovation. While the Trust focuses on the enterprise strategy, its education and engagement programmes are delivered through Science Oxford.
Their innovation programme supports economic growth in the Oxfordshire region by encouraging enterprise.
The Trust operates two innovation centres – the Oxford Centre for Innovation in the city centre and the Wood Centre for Innovation in Headington to provide flexible and cost-effective office, technical workspace, R&D labs, co-working and virtual office space as well as 1:1 business advice to support science and tech start-ups and spinouts.
Over the last 39 years, the Trust has helped dozens of science and tech companies flourish and grow, including Mirada Medical, Perspectum Diagnostics, Navenio, and recently, Ultromics and Habitat Energy.
The charity has a simple but effective charitable business model, embodied in The Oxford Trust’s site in Headington. Their innovation centre provides cost-effective and flexible office, lab and technical workspace to support local science and tech start-ups.
The income from the centres is invested in their STEM education and engagement programmes under Science Oxford, which aim to cultivate a positive attitude to science and lay the foundations of science learning.
The strength of the Trust’s charitable business model is that it is self-sustaining and supports both ends of the science spectrum, from inspiring children about the wonders of science to helping start-ups to develop and grow.
