Woolf Institute

Who we are

The Woolf Institute is an independent, academic institution (Reg. Charity No. 1069589) with close links to the University of Cambridge. An Associate Member of the Cambridge Theological Federation, Woolf Institute staff teach on Cambridge University courses. The Woolf Institute also offers e-learning courses, conducts policy and academic research projects, and delivers public educational programmes and training courses to a variety of audiences.

The Woolf Institute strives for a world without prejudice or religious discrimination, where regardless of faith or background, people understand, respect and trust one another. In this vision people of different faiths, and no faith, constructively engage with one another, transforming their futures for the benefit of all. The Institute was borne of a very simple, and yet hopeful premise: that through robust scholarly study of the historical encounter between Jews, Christians and Muslims, we can better understand and guide our society at present, and thus inform and shape a more tolerant, respectful and collective future together.

Since its foundation in Cambridge in 1998, the Woolf Institute has established a successful multi-disciplinary track record through academic research, in-house and on-line teaching, and innovative public outreach programmes. Working closely with Cambridge University, and with a particular focus on the UK, mainland Europe, and countries around the Mediterranean, it is the Institute’s combination of scholarship of the highest order with broad-based public education that makes it distinctive and a global leader in addressing one of the most pressing and rewarding challenges of our time.