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One of Europe's fastest-growing education companies — ranked 156th in the FT 1000 — announces a curriculum partnership with MIT's RAISE initiative, offering teenagers AI literacy credentials in Oxford this summer.
OXFORD, England, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Oxford Royale Academy, one of Europe's fastest-growing education companies, has announced a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to bring AI literacy education to international summer school students this year.
The collaboration will see students at Oxford Royale's programmes in Oxford complete the MIT RAISE FutureBuilders pathway — a structured AI education curriculum developed by MIT's Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education (RAISE) initiative in partnership with Pharos Education. Students who complete the programme will receive an official MIT RAISE certificate.
Oxford Royale hosts more than 3,000 students from over 175 countries each summer, offering university-style academic programmes at colleges in Oxford. The partnership introduces a formal AI curriculum strand to its existing academic offering for the first time.
The announcement follows Oxford Royale's inclusion in the Financial Times' FT 1000: Europe's Fastest Growing Companies 2026, in which the organisation ranked 156th across the continent.
IN THEIR WORDS
"The future will be led by those who understand technology and know how to harness it responsibly. Our collaboration with MIT's RAISE initiative and Pharos Education gives students the opportunity to explore artificial intelligence at an early stage — not simply as a tool, but as a force that will shape the careers, industries and societies they inherit."
— Andy Palmer, Chief Executive Officer, Oxford Royale Academy
"The MIT RAISE FutureBuilders programme has a clear objective: to transform the next generation from consumers of technology into AI builders. Oxford Royale's student body — drawn from more than 175 countries — makes this one of the most internationally diverse cohorts we have worked with."
— Felipe Arango, Chief Executive Officer, Pharos Education
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
Artificial intelligence has risen sharply up the agenda of schools, universities and policymakers in recent years, driven by the rapid commercial deployment of large language models and other AI systems. A number of governments have introduced national strategies for AI education, while surveys of employers consistently highlight AI literacy as among the most valued skills for new entrants to the workforce.
Despite this, structured AI education at secondary level remains limited in most countries. Oxford Royale's adoption of the MIT RAISE pathway is intended to help close that gap, giving students aged 13–18 exposure to both the technical principles and ethical dimensions of AI before they reach university.
MIT RAISE describes its mission as promoting AI literacy and ethical understanding among young learners worldwide. Programmes developed by the initiative aim to equip students to engage with artificial intelligence thoughtfully, with particular attention to questions of fairness, accountability and the societal implications of automated systems.
Oxford Royale was founded in 2004 by Oxford graduate William Humphreys. Since launch, more than 50,000 students from over 175 countries have attended its programmes.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Programme Dates and Availability
The summer programme will run across two sessions: 5th July to 18th July and 19th July to 1st August 2026. There are a total of 60 places available across both sessions.
About Oxford Royale Academy
Oxford Royale Academy is a leading international education company offering academic summer school programmes at colleges in Oxford, UK, and at campuses worldwide. Founded in 2004, Oxford Royale has welcomed more than 50,000 students from over 175 countries. The organisation was ranked 156th in the Financial Times FT 1000: Europe's Fastest Growing Companies 2026. Further information is available at oxfordroyale.com.
About MIT RAISE
MIT RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education) is a global initiative based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology dedicated to expanding access to AI literacy education. Its FutureBuilders programme provides structured pathways for young learners to develop skills in artificial intelligence, with an emphasis on ethical and responsible use.
About Pharos Education
Pharos Education is an education technology company that develops and delivers AI learning programmes in partnership with leading academic institutions. Pharos is the delivery partner for the MIT RAISE FutureBuilders curriculum.
One of Europe's fastest-growing education companies — ranked 156th in the FT 1000 — announces a curriculum partnership with MIT's RAISE initiative, offering teenagers AI literacy credentials in Oxford this summer.
OXFORD, England, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Oxford Royale Academy, one of Europe's fastest-growing education companies, has announced a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to bring AI literacy education to international summer school students this year.
The collaboration will see students at Oxford Royale's programmes in Oxford complete the MIT RAISE FutureBuilders pathway — a structured AI education curriculum developed by MIT's Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education (RAISE) initiative in partnership with Pharos Education. Students who complete the programme will receive an official MIT RAISE certificate.
Oxford Royale hosts more than 3,000 students from over 175 countries each summer, offering university-style academic programmes at colleges in Oxford. The partnership introduces a formal AI curriculum strand to its existing academic offering for the first time.
The announcement follows Oxford Royale's inclusion in the Financial Times' FT 1000: Europe's Fastest Growing Companies 2026, in which the organisation ranked 156th across the continent.
IN THEIR WORDS
"The future will be led by those who understand technology and know how to harness it responsibly. Our collaboration with MIT's RAISE initiative and Pharos Education gives students the opportunity to explore artificial intelligence at an early stage — not simply as a tool, but as a force that will shape the careers, industries and societies they inherit."
— Andy Palmer, Chief Executive Officer, Oxford Royale Academy
"The MIT RAISE FutureBuilders programme has a clear objective: to transform the next generation from consumers of technology into AI builders. Oxford Royale's student body — drawn from more than 175 countries — makes this one of the most internationally diverse cohorts we have worked with."
— Felipe Arango, Chief Executive Officer, Pharos Education
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
Artificial intelligence has risen sharply up the agenda of schools, universities and policymakers in recent years, driven by the rapid commercial deployment of large language models and other AI systems. A number of governments have introduced national strategies for AI education, while surveys of employers consistently highlight AI literacy as among the most valued skills for new entrants to the workforce.
Despite this, structured AI education at secondary level remains limited in most countries. Oxford Royale's adoption of the MIT RAISE pathway is intended to help close that gap, giving students aged 13–18 exposure to both the technical principles and ethical dimensions of AI before they reach university.
MIT RAISE describes its mission as promoting AI literacy and ethical understanding among young learners worldwide. Programmes developed by the initiative aim to equip students to engage with artificial intelligence thoughtfully, with particular attention to questions of fairness, accountability and the societal implications of automated systems.
Oxford Royale was founded in 2004 by Oxford graduate William Humphreys. Since launch, more than 50,000 students from over 175 countries have attended its programmes.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Programme Dates and Availability
The summer programme will run across two sessions: 5th July to 18th July and 19th July to 1st August 2026. There are a total of 60 places available across both sessions.
About Oxford Royale Academy
Oxford Royale Academy is a leading international education company offering academic summer school programmes at colleges in Oxford, UK, and at campuses worldwide. Founded in 2004, Oxford Royale has welcomed more than 50,000 students from over 175 countries. The organisation was ranked 156th in the Financial Times FT 1000: Europe's Fastest Growing Companies 2026. Further information is available at oxfordroyale.com.
About MIT RAISE
MIT RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education) is a global initiative based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology dedicated to expanding access to AI literacy education. Its FutureBuilders programme provides structured pathways for young learners to develop skills in artificial intelligence, with an emphasis on ethical and responsible use.
About Pharos Education
Pharos Education is an education technology company that develops and delivers AI learning programmes in partnership with leading academic institutions. Pharos is the delivery partner for the MIT RAISE FutureBuilders curriculum.
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
Oxford Royale Academy Partners with MIT to Bring AI Education to Summer School Students
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Spanning 10 countries, the 2026 selections highlight the program's global commitment to art conservation
Key Points
- Bank of America is awarding 18 Art Conservation Project™ grants to preserve significant artworks in 2026.
- This year's projects include the conservation of internationally renowned masterpieces, such as Rembrandt's The Night Watch, Picasso's The Old Guitarist, Matisse's La Négresse, and Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne.
- Previous projects include two copies of Magna Carta at the Society of Antiquaries of London, Claude Monet's Water Lilies at the Portland Art Museum and Chen Wen Hsi' Gibbons at the National Gallery Singapore.
- All conserved artworks will return to public display, reinforcing Bank of America's commitment to public access. Over 15,000 objects in 40 countries have been conserved through the Bank of America Art Conservation Project™ since 2010.
NEW YORK, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America announced today that 18 nonprofit cultural institutions across 10 countries will receive grants this year through the Bank of America Art Conservation Project™. The selected projects represent a wide range of artistic traditions and conservation needs, from fragile works on paper to paintings and objects requiring advanced preservation techniques.
This year's selections were unveiled at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, which received an Art Conservation Project™ grant in 2019 for the conservation of Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night. MoMA is currently hosting a Marcel Duchamp exhibition sponsored by BofA.
"Every artwork has its own story - which is sometimes hidden beneath varnish, cracked pigment or centuries of decay," said Brian Siegel, Global Arts, Culture & Heritage Executive at Bank of America. "Conservation is the quiet work that brings those stories forward today and for future generations. What stands out about this year's projects is the variety of techniques involved. Some require meticulous surface cleaning, and in others, conservators will use imaging tools that didn't exist even a decade ago. Regardless of the method, the goal is simple: to ensure these works remain visible, accessible and enjoyed by visitors for years to come."
All conserved works will return to public display, reinforcing BofA's commitment to public access. Since 2010, the Bank of America Art Conservation Project™ has supported over 15,000 conservation projects in 40 countries, helping safeguard historically and culturally significant works that are vulnerable to time and environmental stress.
This year's projects include:
- 13 lobby murals at the Apollo Theater in New York
- The Palms of the Arc de Triomphe at the Centre des Monuments Nationaux in Paris
- The Judgement of Paris by Jacob de Backer at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) in Mumbai
- Transfiguration by Camillo Procaccini at Duomo di Milano in Milan
- Four seventeenth-century tapestries by Raphael de la Planche at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston
- More than 3,100 artworks at La Casa del Libro Museum in San Juan
- The Meeting of Dante and Virgil by Francesco Salviati, under the direction of Jan Rost, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Juggler by Alice Rahon at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
- 52 paintings by Francisco Laso de los Ríos at Museo de Arte de Lima
- Baltazar de Borba Gato delivering the first shipment of gold from Brazil to the King of Portugal and José Bonifácio by Aldo Locatelli at Museu Paulista da Universidade de Sao Paulo
- La Négresse by Henri Matisse at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
- The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
- Shadow Over the Land by Benny Andrews at the San José Museum of Art
- The Four Accomplishments and Immortal by Kano Sōgen Shigenobu at the Seattle Art Museum
- The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso at the Art Institute of Chicago
- With Liberty and Justice for All (A Work in Progress) by Jim Hodges at The Contemporary Austin
- Bacchus and Ariadne by Titian at the National Gallery in London
- Gaki Zōshi (Scroll of Hungry Ghosts) at the Tokyo National Museum
A brochure with additional information about selected projects is available here.
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving nearly 70 million clients with approximately 3,500 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 59 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
At Bank of America, we believe that investing in the arts has a positive impact on our lives. We support a wide range of nonprofit organizations with funding and programming to help make the arts more accessible to communities around the world and to preserve works of art and heritage sites for generations to come. For more information about how we support the arts, please visit our Bank of America arts website.
For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts.
Reporters may contact
AnnMarie McDonald, Bank of America
Phone: 1.332.234.8635
annmarie.mcdonald@bofa.com
Spanning 10 countries, the 2026 selections highlight the program's global commitment to art conservation
Key Points
- Bank of America is awarding 18 Art Conservation Project™ grants to preserve significant artworks in 2026.
- This year's projects include the conservation of internationally renowned masterpieces, such as Rembrandt's The Night Watch, Picasso's The Old Guitarist, Matisse's La Négresse, and Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne.
- Previous projects include two copies of Magna Carta at the Society of Antiquaries of London, Claude Monet's Water Lilies at the Portland Art Museum and Chen Wen Hsi' Gibbons at the National Gallery Singapore.
- All conserved artworks will return to public display, reinforcing Bank of America's commitment to public access. Over 15,000 objects in 40 countries have been conserved through the Bank of America Art Conservation Project™ since 2010.
NEW YORK, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America announced today that 18 nonprofit cultural institutions across 10 countries will receive grants this year through the Bank of America Art Conservation Project™. The selected projects represent a wide range of artistic traditions and conservation needs, from fragile works on paper to paintings and objects requiring advanced preservation techniques.
This year's selections were unveiled at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, which received an Art Conservation Project™ grant in 2019 for the conservation of Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night. MoMA is currently hosting a Marcel Duchamp exhibition sponsored by BofA.
"Every artwork has its own story - which is sometimes hidden beneath varnish, cracked pigment or centuries of decay," said Brian Siegel, Global Arts, Culture & Heritage Executive at Bank of America. "Conservation is the quiet work that brings those stories forward today and for future generations. What stands out about this year's projects is the variety of techniques involved. Some require meticulous surface cleaning, and in others, conservators will use imaging tools that didn't exist even a decade ago. Regardless of the method, the goal is simple: to ensure these works remain visible, accessible and enjoyed by visitors for years to come."
All conserved works will return to public display, reinforcing BofA's commitment to public access. Since 2010, the Bank of America Art Conservation Project™ has supported over 15,000 conservation projects in 40 countries, helping safeguard historically and culturally significant works that are vulnerable to time and environmental stress.
This year's projects include:
- 13 lobby murals at the Apollo Theater in New York
- The Palms of the Arc de Triomphe at the Centre des Monuments Nationaux in Paris
- The Judgement of Paris by Jacob de Backer at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) in Mumbai
- Transfiguration by Camillo Procaccini at Duomo di Milano in Milan
- Four seventeenth-century tapestries by Raphael de la Planche at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston
- More than 3,100 artworks at La Casa del Libro Museum in San Juan
- The Meeting of Dante and Virgil by Francesco Salviati, under the direction of Jan Rost, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Juggler by Alice Rahon at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
- 52 paintings by Francisco Laso de los Ríos at Museo de Arte de Lima
- Baltazar de Borba Gato delivering the first shipment of gold from Brazil to the King of Portugal and José Bonifácio by Aldo Locatelli at Museu Paulista da Universidade de Sao Paulo
- La Négresse by Henri Matisse at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
- The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
- Shadow Over the Land by Benny Andrews at the San José Museum of Art
- The Four Accomplishments and Immortal by Kano Sōgen Shigenobu at the Seattle Art Museum
- The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso at the Art Institute of Chicago
- With Liberty and Justice for All (A Work in Progress) by Jim Hodges at The Contemporary Austin
- Bacchus and Ariadne by Titian at the National Gallery in London
- Gaki Zōshi (Scroll of Hungry Ghosts) at the Tokyo National Museum
A brochure with additional information about selected projects is available here.
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving nearly 70 million clients with approximately 3,500 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 59 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
At Bank of America, we believe that investing in the arts has a positive impact on our lives. We support a wide range of nonprofit organizations with funding and programming to help make the arts more accessible to communities around the world and to preserve works of art and heritage sites for generations to come. For more information about how we support the arts, please visit our Bank of America arts website.
For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts.
Reporters may contact
AnnMarie McDonald, Bank of America
Phone: 1.332.234.8635
annmarie.mcdonald@bofa.com
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
Historic Artworks Receive Funding through BofA's Art Conservation Project™
