Health
University of Cambridge Receives £25.8m Donation to Advance Autism Research and Care
The University of Cambridge has received a $34.5 million (£25.8 million) philanthropic donation to expand autism research and improve healthcare services for autistic people and their families.
The donation, made by philanthropist K. Lisa Yang, is the largest single charitable gift ever received by the university’s Department of Clinical Medicine since it was established in 1976.
Of the total amount, $28 million (£20.9 million) will fund the establishment of the K. Lisa Yang Centre for Autism Research at the University of Cambridge, while the remaining funds will support the creation of the K. Lisa Yang Autism Clinical Centre at the new Cambridge Children’s Hospital, which is expected to open in 2030.
The university said the new research centre will focus on improving understanding of autism, identifying better ways to diagnose the condition at an earlier stage and developing therapies and interventions that enhance the health and wellbeing of autistic people throughout their lives.
Yang, founder of the Yang Tan Collective, said she hoped the investment would accelerate research capable of improving the quality of life for autistic individuals, their families and the wider community.
The University of Cambridge will also become the ninth member of the Yang Tan Collective, joining leading research institutions including Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. The international alliance promotes collaborative research on human health, disease and engineering solutions to global challenges, including autism.
Welcoming the donation, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice, said the partnership would strengthen collaboration between researchers in Cambridge, United Kingdom, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, enabling the exchange of expertise to deliver meaningful advances in autism research and care.
The university said the initiative reflects a growing global commitment to improving diagnosis, treatment and long-term support for autistic people through world-class scientific research and clinical innovation.