University of Cambridge

The Chancellor was welcomed to the Institute by its Director George Efstathiou, Professor of Astrophysics, and introduced to the entrepreneur and philanthropist Fred Kavli, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of the Kavli Foundation.

Sited in the grounds of the Institute of Astronomy on Madingley Road, the Institute will form part of an international network of research centres funded by the Kavli Foundation at other universities around the world, and will collaborate with its sister centres in China and the US.

This is the first time that the Kavli Foundation has established an institute in the United Kingdom.

The aim of the new Kavli Institute for Cosmology at Cambridge (KICC) will be to make major scientific advances in our knowledge and understanding of the Universe, with initial emphasis on the theme of The Universe at High Redshifts.

The research programme spans a broad range of topics from the physics of the early Universe, to the formation of the first stars and galaxies.

The Kavli Foundation's donation has been used to establish a number of prestigious Kavli Institute Fellowships, which have been awarded to outstanding postdoctoral researchers.

The Kavli Institute brings together, in a specially designed building about 55 research scientists and graduate students from three participating departments in the University of Cambridge: the Institute of Astronomy (IoA); the Cavendish Laboratory (Department of Physics); and the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP).

"Cambridge has such a stellar record of making fundamental discoveries in science throughout the ages and, with its traditions of excellence and leading-edge science teams, I have great hope that the Kavli Institute at Cambridge will make major discoveries in the future," said Mr Kavli.
"We are honoured that the Chancellor has agreed to open this new building. I would like to thank Fred Kavli for his generous donation and the University for their strong support,'' said Professor Efstathiou.

Designed by leading international architects Anand and Mustoe, the building encourages the occupants to interact with each other and with those of the adjacent Hoyle building, with open spaces, plenty of natural light and exposed laminated timber.

Reproduced courtesy University of Cambridge Office of Communications