The Møller Institute is a leadership and professional development Institute at

Churchill College Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but still retains a strong interest in the arts and humanities. In 1958, a trust was establish ...

, one of the constituent colleges of the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. It was founded with a gift of approximately £10 million to Churchill College, donated by the A.P. Møller & Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation, a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

institution, set up in 1953 by shipping magnate A.P. Møller.

History

In 1988 Churchill College contacted the A.P. Møller & Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation, a Danish institution set up in 1953 by shipping magnate A.P. Møller, looking for funding for additional postgraduate student accommodation. The Foundation makes contributions to good causes, especially those involving national heritage, shipping, industry and science. Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller was keen to support a development at Churchill College because of the college's tradition of excellence in the fields of science and engineering, and in memory of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

. He felt that Denmark's safety during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and prosperity afterwards, had depended on Churchill's personal involvement. When war broke out

Maersk (), also known simply as Maersk (), is a Danish shipping company, active in ocean and inland freight transportation and associated services, such as supply chain management and port operation. Maersk was the largest container shipping line a ...

ships were turned over to the British authorities to assist in the War effort, and Churchill was swift to ensure the company was paid compensation at the end of the war. Having looked at the need for funding, Møller proposing the concept of a "Centre for Excellence" which would include meeting rooms, bedrooms and bring together commerce and education. He believed that with access to the full educational and research resources of the University of Cambridge, the Institute would be able to offer the highest standard of continuing education to international businesses wishing to develop their managerial, executive, research and development staff. In 1992, Møller Institute was formally opened by Her Majesty Queen Ingrid of Denmark, located on the grounds of

in Cambridge. The foundation financed an expansion and improvement of the facilities in 2014–15.

Board of Directors

* Tim How, Chair * Professor Dame Athene Donald * Professor Tim Minshall * Dr Simon Bittleston * Tamsin James * Richard Leather (Managing Director)

Buildings

The main building was designed by a Danish Architect,

Henning Larsen Henning Larsen, Hon. FAIA (20 August 1925 – 22 June 2013) was a Danish architect. He is internationally known for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Riyadh and the Copenhagen Opera House. Larsen studied at the Royal Danish Academy ...

, with features of the Institute in typical

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

n design. The main building is made of

Portland Stone Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building sto ...

and has teak floors throughout. The dominating element of the institute is the octagonal tower - from the terrace on the top there is a view over the centre of Cambridge. According to the institute, "in plan view, the building resembles a ship, with the tower acting as the propeller, and the lecture theatre as the bridge". TheMollerCentre horseshoe

The Møller Institute's facilities include 21 meeting rooms, 92 bedrooms, a restaurant, a bar and leisure facilities. It was expanded by the construction of the Study Centre in 2007 which added additional meeting rooms, and was designed by

Deborah Saunt David Hills Architects DSDHA is a London-based architecture, urban design and spatial research studio. Practice DSDHA (Deborah Saunt David Hills Architects) was established by Deborah Saunt and David Hills. Tom Greenall and Martin Pearon were made directors in 2021 ...

as a "collaborative learning environment".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moller Centre Churchill College, Cambridge Maersk Exhibition and conference centres in England