global edge
Len Blavatnik (right) with TAU President Joseph Klafter
The Len Effect
By Rava Eleasari Gelbetz
The inspiring effect of philanthropist Leonard (“Len”) Blavatnik can be felt across campus
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Now in its fourth year, the Blavatnik Initiative has sparked discovery and innovation in drug development, computer science, cyber security and student films. TAU Review had a chance to speak to Len about his global philanthropy when he arrived to launch the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel – a national award that duplicates the prestigious one he established in 2007 in the USA. –Congratulations! What message do you want to express to the Israeli R&D community through this high-profile award? I see my mission, so to speak, as providing the opportunity for the best and the brightest, while they are still young, to achieve their full potential. In Israel you have so many brilliant minds but, because of the country’s small size and distance from world science centers, it’s obviously harder for them to show what they’re capable of. Hopefully my prize will help them excel and contribute to Israel’s future. –If science in different countries has a national character, how would you describe “Israeli science?” In general Israelis have a certain entrepreneurial spirit, which adds an
element of adventure and accomplishment. This national character is reflected in the science.
–The Blavatnik Initiative at TAU was your first multimillion dollar pledge to Israeli academia. What was it about Tel Aviv University that made you take the plunge? I’d been involved for a while with a fellowship program and I really liked the people; they did a good job working with me and my team. I like to invest in high quality institutions and Tel Aviv University is one of them. –What spurred you into philanthropy to begin with? I grew up in a very different environment – the Soviet Union – and there was pretty much no such thing as philanthropy at that time. Both my parents worked in academia and I was always reminded of the value of education. When I came to America the good education I had definitely helped me integrate and advance in society. So when I had the opportunity, I thought the one place where I could make an impact and affect the lives of other people was to support educational and research activity. I started by supporting various scholarships, and I still do, because to help a young person with
their education may not require much money, relatively, but might make a huge difference in their lives. That’s also why my science awards are for young scientists. Because when you’re already a Nobel Prize winner, not much can improve your situation, but with a young person it makes a difference.
–How do you feel when you see a big scientific breakthrough that you’ve helped make happen? It’s very gratifying – obviously that’s the idea behind all the grants and support. Recent basic research we funded in the US has led to a therapy for putting cancer into remission, and early trials are showing great results. There are relatively few things that impress me. This impresses me. Sir Leonard Blavatnik, a TAU Honorary Doctor and Governor, is a Soviet-born British-American businessman and philanthropist. The Blavatnik Family Foundation has made major gifts to Tel Aviv University, Oxford, Harvard, Yale, Carnegie Hall, and the Tate Modern, among other educational and cultural institutions.
