David Harding has donated £100m to Cambridge University to support scholarships and aid to postgraduate PhD students, the largest ever received by a UK University.

Commenting on the news, Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chairman of the Sutton Trust, said:

“Private donations enable universities to do more to support social mobility, and recruit the best teachers and researchers. So it is great to see David Harding make such a sizeable donation to Cambridge University, particularly to support postgraduate study where there is little public support.

“The focus on widening participation is also welcome and echoes Cambridge’s strong commitment to improving access, including through a long-standing partnership with the Sutton Trust’s summer schools. However it will be important that Cambridge invests in careful and robust evaluation to make sure that Harding’s funds offer genuinely transformative opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds across the globe.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

  • The Sutton Trust is a foundation set up in 1997, dedicated to improving social mobility through education. It has published over 200 research studies and funded and evaluated programmes that have helped hundreds of thousands of young people of all ages, from early years through to access to the professions.