Tata Group and Somerville College, University of Oxford, have announced the construction of a building in honour of the late Ratan Tata Building on the college campus in England.

“This building represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to expand Somerville’s teaching and learning space, support research with global impact and articulate the college’s vision of a sustainable and forward-looking academic community. The construction will begin in Spring 2025,” Tata Group and Somerville College said in a joint statement. 

The project is made possible by the decade-long friendship between Somerville College and Chairman Emeritus of the Tata Group, Mr. Ratan Tata, the statement added.

The plans envisage a space that is both inclusive and equitable. New seminar rooms and offices will exist alongside spaces for shared study and interdisciplinary collaboration, reception rooms and accommodation for visiting academics. The interchange of ideas and model of collegiate working will be facilitated by the space itself.

Construction will commence at the heart of the Oxford University’s new Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. The Tata Group has made a “significant philanthropic donation” for this project.

Baroness Royall, Principal, Somerville College said, “This building is the fruit of many conversations, hopes and dreams over the past decade and our long association with Mr Tata. In its capacity to meet our college’s present and future need, to embody our values, and to guide us towards an exciting future, it is unparalleled.”

“Now it will stand as a permanent legacy to the life of a remarkable man and a dear friend of Somerville. I am deeply grateful to Mr. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of the Tata Group, and all those involved for enabling us to create this dynamic expression of friendship between Oxford and India, to pay tribute to Mr Tata and to cement Somerville’s plans as a world-class academic institution,” she added.

N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons said, “In Mr. Tata’s vision for India, research and critical inquiry went hand in hand with development and prosperity. This partnership with Somerville College is a tribute to Mr. Tata’s values. The building in his name will be a home to research that is necessary and urgent for India.”