2015
On Thursday 9th July 2015 the following benefactors were be admitted to the College of Benefactors during Graduation. We thank all of these donors for their exceptional support for the University of Reading and welcome them to the College of Benefactors.
BMT Group Limited
BMT Group is a leading engineering, science and technology consultancy, operating mainly in the maritime industries. The Group has a rich heritage of research and development with extensive research programmes, which aim to ensure that BMT's products and services are designed to meet current and future needs. With around 1,500 professionals located in 60 offices in Europe, Asia and the Americas, BMT produce solutions to business problems that require technical excellence, independent thinking and innovation.
BMT combines intellectual rigour and commercial insight in industries as diverse as oil and gas, defence, renewable energy, ports, risk management and maritime transport. BMT Group has been a long-term supporter of the University and, as a strong advocate of the advancement of research, has funded a Chair in Marine Informatics since 2000. The Group's constant support over the past 15 years has resulted in the development of an internationally recognised Centre of Excellence in marine informatics research. The Chair, and those supported by it, have made important contributions to ocean forecasting with its data assimilation and data dissemination being fed through to the UK Met Office, many other Met Offices internationally, and in the development of a wide range of marine services in conjunction with BMT.
British Heart Foundation
Cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke, is responsible for more than a quarter of all deaths in the UK and devastates the lives of the millions of people living with it.
Founded in 1961, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is the UK's number one heart charity and the nation's largest independent funder of cardiovascular research. For more than 50 years, BHF's research has helped save and transform the lives of people living with heart and circulatory conditions. This research has been central to improving global understanding of what causes heart disease, and how it can be better prevented, diagnosed and treated to reduce the suffering it causes.
The Institute for Cardiovascular & Metabolic Research (ICMR) has recently benefitted from substantial research funding from the BHF, leading to the establishment of the ICMR Centre for Cardiovascular Imaging.
The expansion of the imaging facilities enables the University to remain at the cutting-edge of research and as such is an important investment in the Universities scientific future. The Centre for Cardiovascular Imaging marks the beginning of an exciting phase in the development of the ICMR, allowing researchers to provide new and innovative insight to the challenge of reducing the instances and effects of cardiovascular disease.
The Marshal Papworth Fund
The Marshal Papworth Fund was formed in 2001 to provide education scholarships for agricultural and horticultural students from developing countries. The fund takes its name from its late founder, Marshal Papworth, a well-respected Huntingdonshire farmer, who played a key role in the agricultural community.
Since the Fund's formation in 2001 over 120 scholarships have been awarded to applicants from around the world. Scholarship students are carefully selected to ensure that, upon completion of their studies, the knowledge and skills learnt will be taken back to their local communities for the benefit of fellow countrymen.
The Marshal Papworth Fund is wholly managed by the East of England Agricultural Society. The East of England Agricultural Society, formed in 1970, works hard to develop collaborative opportunities with charities and educational bodies. The Society also acts as a knowledge bank on hand to support others concerned with food, farming and the countryside.
The East of England Agricultural Society and the Marshal Papworth Fund have collaborated with the University of Reading to provide scholarships from students domiciled in developing countries, principally in Sub-Saharan Africa. Their commitment to the University extends to the provision of scholarships for the next twenty years.
The Calleva Foundation
The Calleva Foundation is the family trust of Stephen and Caroline Butt and is committed to the advancement of a wide range of community-based projects with a specific interest in the Arts, Culture, Science and Heritage, particularly as it is applied to conservation.
The University of Reading is privileged to have secured The Calleva Foundation as the principal supporter of its Silchester Iron Age Project. This project involves researching the major Iron Age settlement of Calleva, the predecessor of the Roman town, Calleva Atrebatum, which lies in the north of Hampshire, in the parish of Silchester. It seeks to explain why such a major settlement developed in this landscape at that time and involves the investigation of the wider Iron Age settlement in the hinterland of Calleva during the 1st millennium BC. The significant investment by the Calleva Foundation in the Project has allowed research in the laboratory and in the field to continue into the origins of one of the most fascinating archaeological sites in Britain. Excavations, run by the University's Archaeology department, will continue to provide practical, hands-on fieldwork experience to large numbers of students, amateur volunteers and professionals. It has provided opportunities for local schools and community involvement and, it is no exaggeration to say, that the discoveries made by the Project, are rewriting British history.
GML Limited
GML Limited is an investment holding company based in Gibraltar. It was formed in the late 1990's by Mikhail Khodorkovsky (then the Chief Executive Officer of Yukos Oil Company) and other colleagues in Yukos to own their investment in that oil company. It now holds a variety of investments as well as managing the claims against the Russian Federation in connection with the illegal expropriation of Yukos Oil Company and its assets by that government.
GML has been a long term supporter of the Silchester Town Life Project and is proud to have been associated with such a success story for the University.
JLL
JLL has been supporting the Reading Real Estate Foundation since 2002 as a Corporate Patron and donor to the Pathways to Property initiative. This initiative helps to widen access to the real estate profession amongst academically able pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. JLL is a financial and professional services firm specialising in real estate services and investment management employing 40,000 people in 70 countries.
Keen to reward excellence, since 2013 JLL has also instituted a £500 prize awarded annually to the Part One student on a Real Estate or Planning programme receiving the highest mark in their property valuation module. Included in this award is the opportunity to undertake an internship at the firm.
Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters plays an integral role in the world class teaching and learning facilities of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) Centre through their sponsorship of all three dealing rooms equipped with their flagship product, Eikon. Because of their ongoing support, Henley Business School has the most extensive non-investment bank dealing room facilities in the world. The state-of-the-art rooms allow students to put theory into practice - experiencing the thrill and pressure of a live market, and managing multi-asset portfolios using live prices and the latest investment management technology. Thomson Reuters is recognised internationally for industry leading solutions. They combine industry expertise and innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial and risk, legal, tax and accounting, intellectual property and science, and media markets.