Oxford Research Group

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Peace and security think tank, closed in 2021, that ran Israel–Palestine strategic dialogue groups

Oxford Research Group

Type Charitable company (removed)
Founded 1988-06-10 (registered)
Dissolved 2022-10-20 (removed from the register: company dissolved by compulsory strike-off on 11 October 2022)
Registration ID Registered charity 299436; company 02260840
Area served Throughout England, Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Yemen


Oxford Research Group (ORG) was a charitable company (02260840, incorporated 20 May 1988) registered as a charity on 10 June 1988; register areas were England, Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Yemen.[1][2] Its trustees decided to "cease all project activities by the end of 2020", rehoming its programmes with Saferworld, the University of Kent's Conflict Analysis Research Centre and the Palestine Strategy Group, ahead of "formal closure in February 2021" (PDF p.4).[3] Its final accounts, for the 14 months to 28 February 2021, show income of £405,904 and expenditure of £1,278,796, leaving nil funds (PDF p.19, 26–27).[3] The charity was removed from the register on 20 October 2022, after the company was dissolved by compulsory strike-off on 11 October 2022.[1][2]

Objects and activities

The charity's registered objects read: "TO ADVANCE AND PROMOTE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN RELATION TO CONFLICT PREVENTION AND RESOLUTION AND NATIONAL AND/OR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES, INCLUDING (WITHOUT LIMITATION) BY TEACHING, FACILITATING DIALOGUE, CONDUCTING RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS, AND PUBLISHING OR OTHERWISE DISSEMINATING RELATED INFORMATION IN ANY MANNER OR MEDIA FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC."[1]

The register describes its activities as: "For almost 40 years, Oxford Research Group has been influential in developing new approaches to sustaining peace and security through innovative research, advocacy and peacebuilding projects."[1]

Register classifications: Education/training, Environment/conservation/heritage, Human Rights/religious Or Racial Harmony/equality Or Diversity.[1]

Areas of operation recorded on the register: Throughout England, Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Yemen.[1]

Trustees

The register extract holds no trustee records for removed charities.

Historical trustees (UK Government Web Archive)

Trustees shown in archived register pages
Capture date Trustees listed Source
2011-09-28 Oliver Gillie; Frank Boulton; Oliver Ramsbotham; Robert Spain; Francesca Weinberg; Yahya Birt; Paul Blenkhorn [4]
2021-01-07 Kevin Nunn (from 30 May 2013); Fiyaz Mughal (chair) (from 28 June 2018) – also trustee of Muslims Against Antisemitism, The Jerusalem Interest-free Microfinance Fund Limited, Alcohol Research UK; Tristan Jones (from 19 September 2014); Sonja Morkeberg (from 20 September 2018); Christopher Strutt (from 19 September 2019) – also trustee of The Macular Disease Society; Colin Simon (from 25 March 2015); Feargal Eamonn Cochrane (from 25 March 2015); Judith Ann Large (from 19 September 2019) [5]

Companies House records the termination of six directors on 11 October 2021; the FY2021 accounts list F Cochrane, T Jones, J Large, S Mørkeberg, C Simon and C Strutt as resigned that day, leaving K Nunn and F Mughal (PDF p.3, 19).[3] The archived register full print (January 2021) records Fiyaz Mughal as chair from 28 June 2018 and as a trustee of Muslims Against Antisemitism and The Jerusalem Interest-Free Microfinance Fund Limited.[6]

Companies House officers

Companies House lists 50 current and former officers of the charitable company (02260840), 0 of them active.[7]

Appointments of these officers to overseas companies registered in the UK (FC) or on the Register of Overseas Entities (OE):

Finances

Income and expenditure, five most recent reported years
Financial year end Income Expenditure
2018-12-31 £1,038,576 £820,885
2019-12-31 £1,364,153 £859,656
2021-02-28 £405,904 £1,278,796

Source: register annual-return history.[1]

Archived accounts

Accounts no longer on the live register were found in the UK Government Web Archive:

  • Accounts for the year ended 31/03/2005[9]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2006[10]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2007[11]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2008[12]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2014[13]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2015[14]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2016[15]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2017[16]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2018[17]

Funding in Israel

  • FY2021 (14 months): "Building Strategic Capacity in Palestine" (funded by the EU Commission and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) spent £54,729 and "Refugee & Diaspora" (Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) £126,752; the accounts say approximately three-quarters of income came from statutory donors, including "the EU Commission and Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in support of our work in Israel/Palestine" (PDF p.19, 36).[3]
  • FY2018: "Building Strategic Capacity in Palestine – EU Commission & Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs" received £201,485 and spent £120,597; an "Empowering Palestinian Citizens of Israel – Swiss Confederation" fund spent £455; a restricted fund named "Israeli Settlers Project" (£1,009, carried in the accounts from at least 2014) was spent in 2018.[18]

Israeli partners

Three strategic thinking groups: the Palestine Strategy Group (PSG), the Palestinian Citizens in Israel Group (PCIG) and the Israeli Strategic Forum (ISF), the last described as "a forum for Jewish Israelis" (PDF p.10).[3] The 2013 website described the ISF as "convened by the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem, in partnership with Oxford Research Group".[19] The final PSG proposal (December 2020) was submitted to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Bruno Kreisky Forum "in cooperation with the PLO Research Center" (PDF p.11).[3]

Activity beyond the Green Line and support for the IDF

Findings are graded by confidence. "Partner" findings concern the Israeli recipient organisation, not proven use of UK funds.

Evidence of activity beyond the 1949 armistice line
Finding Confidence
Register areas include the Occupied Palestinian Territories;[1] the accounts say the PSG "encompasses all Palestinians, whether they be in the occupied territories, Israel, or refugees and diaspora", and that the June 2020 'Palestine 2030' launch drew "Palestinians across the Westbank, Gaza, Israel, the refugee and diaspora" (PDF p.10, 12).[3] This is conflict-resolution dialogue with Palestinians, not settlement support. High – OPT (West Bank, Gaza) participants; peacebuilding dialogue
A restricted fund named "Israeli Settlers Project" (£1,009) appears in the 2014–2018 accounts; its purpose is not described in the accounts read.[18] Not established – fund name only

Support for the IDF: Not found. ORG's Remote Warfare Programme studied military operations; the accounts record no funding of the IDF or any armed force.[3]

Controversies and regulatory action

  • No Charity Commission inquiry naming this charity was found; it is not named in the 2025–2026 cheque-cashing class-inquiry announcements or statement of results, and the charities in the August 2026 settlements class inquiry have not been named.[20][21][22][23][24]
  • Closure and strike-off. The final accounts were prepared on a basis other than going concern because "the Trustees ceased to operate the charity on 28 February 2021"; remaining funds were granted after the year end to Saferworld (£34,581), the University of Kent (£5,000), I'lam (£25,488) and Oxford Process (£4,125) (PDF p.22, 29, 33).[3] Companies House shows a first Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off on 26 July 2022, a suspension of the action on 13 September 2022, and dissolution on 11 October 2022.[2]
  • Parliament. ORG's work was cited in Parliament, for example by Gavin Strang (Iraq, 12 December 2005) and Lord Alderdice (Middle East, 22 January 2008); see Parliament below.[25]

Other registers and records

Scotland and Northern Ireland

No entry was found on the Scottish Charity Register for this charity (register export dated 15 October 2026, downloaded 15 October 2026 and searched by name).[26] No entry was found on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland register (API name searches returned zero results).[27]

The Gazette

Searches of The Gazette for "Oxford Research Group" returned Companies House filing lists (2010–2022), including a 31 May 2022 list entry for OXFORD RESEARCH GROUP 02260840;[28] no insolvency or winding-up notice was found. The company's compulsory strike-off (first Gazette notice 26 July 2022; dissolved 11 October 2022) is recorded in the Companies House filing history.[2][29]

Grants recorded by 360Giving

Grants received (360Giving data)
Date Funder Amount (£) Purpose
2018-07-07 Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust 110,000 Core costs
2019-07-12 Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust 29,970 Integrating climate security into UK national security

No grants made by the charity are published in 360Giving data, so flows between linked charities could not be traced there.[30]

Sanctions screening

The charity's name, its current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, trustees and officers named in the accounts read for this profile and (for charitable companies) its Companies House officers were screened against the UK Sanctions List and the OFSI Consolidated List. No match was found.[31]

Land and property

The register records that the charity does not own or lease land or property.[1] No title registers were purchased.[32]

Parliament

Selected Hansard references
Date House Member Debate
2005-12-12 Commons Gavin Strang Iraq[25]
2008-01-22 Lords Lord Alderdice Middle East[25]
2008-02-20 Commons David Miliband Treaty of Lisbon (No. 5)[25]
2008-02-20 Commons Joan Walley Treaty of Lisbon (No. 5)[25]
2011-10-27 Lords Lord Alderdice Middle East: Water[25]

Hansard exact-phrase searches for "Oxford Research Group" returned 25 contributions in total; those not listed above were not established to concern this charity.[25]

Web archive

  • oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk: 25 yearly captures, first 2001-02-23, last 2025-01-06.[33]

The UK Government Web Archive holds 2 archived Charity Commission register pages used in this profile (cited in the sections above). The 2021 archived full print showed the status "Charity reporting is 68 days late" and "Other regulators: No information available".[5]

See also

External links

  • No current official website.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities public extract (tables charity, charity_trustee, charity_annual_return_history, charity_area_of_operation, charity_classification), extract dated 14 October 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Companies House, Oxford Research Group (02260840): company overview Find and update company information, viewed 15 October 2026 ("Dissolved on 11 October 2022"; filing history: GAZ1 "First Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off" 26 July 2022; DISS16(SOAS) "Compulsory strike-off action has been suspended" 13 September 2022; GAZ2 "Final Gazette dissolved via compulsory strike-off" 11 October 2022).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Companies House, Oxford Research Group (02260840): filing history Find and update company information, viewed 15 October 2026 – "Total exemption full accounts made up to 28 February 2021" (filed 2 December 2021, 38 pages; a scanned PDF, text recovered by OCR; "PDF p." = page of the PDF file).
  4. ↑ Register entry 299436, contact and trustees (capture of 20110928) UK Government Web Archive.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Register entry 299436, full print (capture of 20210107) UK Government Web Archive.
  6. ↑ Charity Commission, Oxford Research Group (299436): full print UK Government Web Archive, capture of 07/01/2021.
  7. ↑ Company 02260840: officers Companies House, viewed 15 October 2026.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 GILLIE, Martin Calder: appointments Companies House, viewed 15 October 2026.
  9. ↑ Oxford Research Group accounts, year ended 2005-03-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20111001).
  10. ↑ Oxford Research Group accounts, year ended 2006-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20110928).
  11. ↑ Oxford Research Group accounts, year ended 2007-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20110928).
  12. ↑ Oxford Research Group accounts, year ended 2008-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20110928).
  13. ↑ Oxford Research Group accounts, year ended 2014-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200107).
  14. ↑ Oxford Research Group accounts, year ended 2015-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200107).
  15. ↑ Oxford Research Group accounts, year ended 2016-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200107).
  16. ↑ Oxford Research Group accounts, year ended 2017-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200107).
  17. ↑ Oxford Research Group accounts, year ended 2018-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200107).
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Charity Commission, Oxford Research Group: accounts for the year to 31 December 2018 UK Government Web Archive, capture of 07/01/2020. (note 13, restricted funds; the "Israeli Settlers project" fund of £1,009 also appears in the 2014, 2015 and 2016 accounts captured at the same archive).
  19. ↑ Oxford Research Group, Home page (capture of 12 January 2013) Wayback Machine ("Israeli Strategic Forum: Paths to a More Equal Israel ... convened by the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem, in partnership with Oxford Research Group (ORG)").
  20. ↑ Charity Commission, Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator GOV.UK, 14 May 2025.
  21. ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 1 September 2025.
  22. ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator announces next charities to be investigated as part of inquiry connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 4 December 2025.
  23. ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator concludes investigation into 4 charities as class inquiry continues GOV.UK, 9 September 2026, with Statement of the results of a class inquiry (same date), both retrieved 15 October 2026.
  24. ↑ Charity Commission, Charity regulator opens inquiry into charities working in illegal Israeli settlements GOV.UK, 5 August 2026, retrieved 15 October 2026 (a fact-finding statutory class inquiry initially involving 8 charities which "are not being publicly named at this time").
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 25.6 UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching the exact phrase "Oxford Research Group" Hansard, queried 15 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints; quoted-phrase search).
  26. ↑ Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish Charity Register download OSCR, export dated 14 October 2026, downloaded October 2026; keyword search of the 25 batch-9 charity names and their other names found no matching Scottish registration.
  27. ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities search API CCNI, searched 15 October 2026 (keyword searches for each batch-9 charity name returned zero results; a control search returned results normally).
  28. ↑ The Gazette, The London Gazette, Supplement 828866, page 1919 (31 May 2022) – a Companies House list entry for OXFORD RESEARCH GROUP 02260840, viewed 15 October 2026.
  29. ↑ The Gazette: notices matching 'Oxford Research Group' The Gazette, searched 15 October 2026.
  30. ↑ 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-299436 360Giving, queried 15 October 2026.
  31. ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Sanctions List (CSV); Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets (ConList.csv). Batch-9 screening covered 296 name strings: the 25 charity names, current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages (UK Government Web Archive), Companies House officers of the charitable companies, and trustees, officers, lenders, donor companies, subsidiaries and grant recipients named in the accounts read for this batch (including Bextor Estates Ltd, Newmarston Ltd, PWorld.UK Ltd and Gateway Sight Ltd and their directors); matching on surname plus forename tokens, reviewed manually. No forename-and-surname candidate arose; all candidates were surname-only coincidences or generic word overlaps (for example "Trust" or "Israel"); lists downloaded October 2026.
  32. ↑ HM Land Registry, Search for land and property information GOV.UK, accessed October 2026; no titles were looked up or purchased. Candidate title numbers below come from the free CCOD / OCOD datasets (October 2026 release), not from paid title registers.
  33. ↑ Internet Archive CDX index for oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk Wayback Machine, queried 15 October 2026.
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