Foundation hikes funding for Oxford Institute

It announced a 19 per cent increase over three years which it said would further strengthen collaboration between academics and practising journalists. The Foundation will give £1.25 million for 2011-2013 to the Institute, which is based in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Oxford. This is an increase of £200,000 over a three year period compared with current funding.

"This renewal (of funding) underscores The Thomson Reuters Foundation’s commitment to building the global reputation of The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ) at Oxford University as an international centre of excellence for research and debate in journalism," a Foundation news release said. 

The Institute was established in November 2006 with an initial five-year grant from the Thomson Reuters Foundation, building on the Reuters Journalism Fellowship Programme funded by the Foundation since 1983. The Fellowship Programme remains at the core of the Institute, a globally recognised research centre in the comparative study of journalism which has an international perspective. It provides a forum for scholars from a wide range of disciplines to engage with journalists from around the world. 

Monique Villa, Foundation chief executive, said: “We are very proud of our long association with Oxford and see our support for the Institute as a critical part of the Foundation's mission to improve the standards of journalism worldwide. At a time of considerable turmoil in the international media industry, the role of the Institute in producing high quality research and as a forum for public debate between practitioners, academics and policymakers is increasingly valuable and important.” ■