Uehiro Oxford Institute

What Uehiro Oxford Institute does

The Uehiro Oxford Institute is a nonprofit academic research institute embedded within the Humanities Division of the University of Oxford, formally established in 2022-2023 and tracing its lineage to the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics. Its mission is to facilitate ethical progress through research, teaching, and real-world application, addressing challenges posed by artificial intelligence, climate and ecological breakdown, future pandemics, global conflict, and political systems under pressure. The Institute operates across multiple research themes including AI ethics, bioethics, neuroethics, medical ethics, and moral psychology, using interdisciplinary methods such as the Oxford Scenario Planning Approach and digital research facilities like the DREaM Space within the Minds and Morality Network.

Its core offerings are academic and public engagement products rather than commercial goods: the MSt in Practical Ethics graduate degree program, the open-access Journal of Practical Ethics, the annual Uehiro Lectures in Practical Ethics (in their 12th edition), the Uehiro Series in Practical Ethics book series, the Practical Ethics Blog, podcasts and YouTube multimedia, and outreach programmes including the National Uehiro Oxford Essay Prize, the Practical Ethics and Responsibility Competition (PERC), and the Bitesize Ethics Programme. Research is organized into multiple interdisciplinary networks including A Glossary for Global Health, AI and the Afterlife, Immunity and the Humanities, the Philosophical Moral Psychology Lab, and Project Lazy.

The Institute is funded primarily by the Uehiro Foundation on Ethics and Education endowment, supplemented by competitive research grants from the Wellcome Trust, Arts and Humanities Research Council, and European Research Council, with institutional affiliation through Oxford's Humanities Division, TORCH, the Ethox Centre, and the Oxford Martin School. Revenue is not commercially generated; educational programs follow University of Oxford tuition structures. The primary customer segments are graduate students, academic researchers and visiting scholars, policymakers and the engaged public, and school-age students reached through essay competitions and public philosophy outreach.

Name

Uehiro Oxford Institute

Legal name

Uehiro Oxford Institute

Website

https://uehiro.ox.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Uehiro Oxford Institute is a nonprofit academic research institute within the University of Oxford's Humanities Division that conducts and disseminates research in practical ethics — covering AI ethics, bioethics, neuroethics, and medical ethics — through graduate teaching, an open-access journal, public lectures, and interdisciplinary research networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Humanities & Creative Research Universities (EDAHABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC), Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Applied ethics research
• Academic research institute
• Bioethics research
• Practical philosophy
• Medical ethics

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and University Funding: Funded through research grants (Wellcome Trust, Arts and Humanities Research Council, European Research Council), university support from Oxford's Humanities Division, and the Uehiro Foundation on Ethics and Education endowment
2. Conference and Publication Revenue: Open access journal (Journal of Practical Ethics) and book series (Uehiro Series in Practical Ethics) provide dissemination channels

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Uehiro Oxford Institute conducts interdisciplinary research in practical ethics spanning bioethics, neuroethics, AI ethics, medical ethics, and pandemic ethics. It delivers the MSt in Practical Ethics graduate degree, publishes the open-access Journal of Practical Ethics and a related book series, hosts the Annual Uehiro Lectures, and runs multiple interdisciplinary research networks and public engagement programmes (essay prizes, PERC competition, Bitesize Ethics).

Product overview

The Uehiro Oxford Institute is an academic research institute at the University of Oxford focused on practical ethics. Rather than a unified software product, it offers a portfolio of academic and public engagement offerings: the MSt in Practical Ethics (graduate degree program), the Journal of Practical Ethics (open access academic journal), Annual Uehiro Lectures (lecture series), the National Uehiro Oxford Essay Prize and PERC competition (student competitions), the Bitesize Ethics Programme (public engagement), Practical Ethics Blog, and Uehiro Series in Practical Ethics Books (publication series). The institute also hosts several interdisciplinary research networks including Minds and Morality Network, A Glossary for Global Health, and Medical Humanities-Uehiro Scenario Planning for AI, Death, and the Afterlife, along with Project Lazy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MSt in Practical Ethics Master of Studies graduate degree program in practical ethics offered by the institute, providing advanced philosophical training in applied ethics for graduate students.
• Journal of Practical Ethics Open access peer-reviewed academic journal publishing research in practical ethics.
• Annual Uehiro Lectures in Practical Ethics Flagship annual lecture series featuring prominent philosophers presenting on practical ethics topics, with associated book publication through Oxford University Press.
• Uehiro Series in Practical Ethics Books Book series publishing lectures and research from the institute, produced through Oxford University Press.
• Minds and Morality Network Interdisciplinary research programme focused on neuroethics, moral psychology and philosophy, including the DREaM Space facility for digital research in applied ethics.
• A Glossary for Global Health Interdisciplinary project developing shared terminology for global health through workshops and scholarly collaboration with Oxford Global Health.
• Medical Humanities-Uehiro Scenario Planning for AI, Death, and the Afterlife Interdisciplinary research network exploring how AI and new technologies reshape thinking about death using scenario planning methodology.
• Project Lazy Research initiative examining the concept of laziness and social norms through philosophical analysis and moral psychological research.
• Oxford Uehiro St Cross Visiting Programme International visiting programme hosting scholars at the University of Oxford to collaborate on practical ethics research.
• Academic Visitor Programme Visiting academic programme hosting international scholars collaborating with the institute.

Quantifiable outcome

• Jemima Allen, Brian Earp, Dominic Wilkinson published open access article on AI-assisted consent in paediatrics in Journal of Medical Ethics (2026)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Humanities Division, University of OxfordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Uehiro Oxford Institute is part of Oxford's Humanities Division, providing institutional affiliation, administrative support, and integration with broader academic initiatives at the university.
• TORCH (Oxford Research Centre for the Humanities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for Medical Humanities initiatives including the Immunity and the Humanities program and joint workshops on ethics topics.
• Oxford Global HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative developing A Glossary for Global Health terminology, bringing together interdisciplinary scholars from across Oxford to address shared terminology challenges.
• Neuroscience, Ethics & Society (NEUROSEC) Team, Department of Psychiatry, OxfordcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaborative research on neuroethics topics including DREaM Space (Digital Research in Ethics and Methods) facility for digital ethics research.
• Ethox Centre, University of OxfordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for bioethics and medical ethics research, sharing research associates and joint public engagement activities.
• Oxford Martin SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the Oxford Martin Programme on Decarceration addressing ethical issues in criminal justice.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kennedy Institute of Ethics: Georgetown University's flagship bioethics and practical ethics research center. Directly comparable to UOI as a university-based institute producing bioethics scholarship, hosting graduate training, and publishing in applied ethics.
• Ethox Centre, University of Oxford: Oxford-based bioethics research centre within the Nuffield Department of Population Health. Closest in-house peer to UOI with overlapping medical ethics themes and shared Oxford research associates.
• AI Now Institute: New York University research institute examining the social implications of AI. Comparable to UOI on AI ethics research output, policy engagement, and high-profile public-facing scholarship.
• The Hastings Center: Independent, non-profit bioethics research institute. Closely comparable to UOI as a dedicated ethics research organization producing publications and policy work, though US-based and operating outside a university.
• Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence: University of Cambridge research centre studying the implications of AI. Comparable to UOI on AI ethics and the future-of-intelligence research agenda, particularly overlapping with UOI's Oxford Scenario Planning Approach on AI, death, and the afterlife.
• Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics: Harvard's primary bioethics research and teaching center. Directly comparable to UOI in academic standing, biomedical ethics focus, and graduate-level ethics education offerings.
• Berman Institute of Bioethics: Johns Hopkins University's interdisciplinary bioethics research institute. Comparable to UOI in scale, scope (bioethics, AI ethics, public health ethics), and university-hosted operating model.

Regional players

• Centre for Biomedical Ethics, National University of Singapore: Singapore-based bioethics research and teaching centre. Comparable to UOI in applied bioethics research and graduate training, but operates in an Asia-Pacific policy and regulatory context.
• Nuffield Council on Bioethics: UK-based independent bioethics policy body. Comparable to UOI in subject matter and UK ecosystem positioning, but operates as a policy advisory council rather than an academic research institute.

Others

• Oxford Martin School: University of Oxford research and policy programme addressing global challenges. Already an established UOI partner on the Decarceration programme and adjacent Oxford ecosystem player rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ethicsinthenews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCk2P1JGcQvli4Ny4hfecKVw
• Facebookfacebook.com/OxfordUehiro
• Instagraminstagram.com/uehirooxfordinstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Uehiro Oxford Institute