Trajan House - current goals and updates

By Asher Benter 🔸 @ 2026-04-17T15:36 (+59)

Trajan House is an office in Oxford for people working on humanity's most pressing challenges. There have been some changes to the project over the last few years, and it seemed time to give a public update about what we’re getting up to!

Here are some quick things to know:

• The anchor tenants in the space are Forethought and CEA. CEA manages the space.
• I’m the project’s manager
• Over the next year, we are looking to add more:
  • Organisations that can utilise the space indefinitely or on a short-term basis. We have space for 3-5 more organisations.
  • Individuals who are looking to join an active, impact-focused community.
  • Events such as fellowships or bootcamps.

If you are curious about any of the above, read on! Below, you’ll learn more about the space, our theory of change, and how to get involved. 

Here are some ways to engage if you're already interested:

• Apply to become a member, or
• Apply to visit the space in June (after EAG London) for a few days or a even a few weeks. Throughout the month we plan to have many more people, visiting organisations, speakers, and social events. You can learn more and submit your interest to join us in June here.

Getting up to speed

Trajan House is an office and event space in central Oxford. It was initially operated by Effective Ventures starting in 2021, and has been run by the Centre for Effective Altruism since August 2025. The office previously hosted FHI, GPI, Our World in Data, and GovAI. 

Today, we are the main hub for Forethought and CEA, and we provide space for individuals working for a wide range of aligned projects and organisations, including OAISI, Macroscopic, Coefficient Giving, 80k, Longview, and FLI.

Purpose and place

Our intention is to bring together groups and individuals who are focused on earnestly working to make the world a better place. We aim to form a thriving community that better prepares humanity to face its current and future challenges.

There is already a strong track record of this community in Oxford producing research that has an outsized effect on those seeking to do significant good. The concept of existential risk, longtermism as a framework, and AI governance as a field all emerged from Oxford-based research that was speculative and uncertain at the time. The conditions that enabled that work (i.e., academic density, intellectual freedom, and focus over pace) remain.

The space was designed as a place where researchers, practitioners, and movement builders can continue to do their best work with better focus and reduced hassle. This includes those working in established cause areas as well as those seeking to push the intellectual boundaries of effective altruism or work on exploratory topics such as post-AGI flourishing.

Beside all of this, Oxford is also a beautiful place to live and work. The city is walkable and bikeable, it contains a wide variety of communities to be a part of, and it has good transport links to London when needed.

What is the space like?

The office primarily consists of private offices and assigned desks in rooms of 3-7 people, with other areas that are more open and communal. Hot-desks and assignable desks are available for visitors and independent researchers. The large cafeteria provides daily lunch to those in the building and serves as an important point of impromptu connection across projects.

Our goal is for users to spend their time on their object-level work rather than logistics – the facilities are managed, we work with organisations on their specific needs, and users are provided with quality equipment.

Ways to engage

If you’re in the UK or just visiting, we would be glad to hear from you. And if you’re intrigued by the idea of working from Trajan House but would want to know more, please get in touch – we have trialling options that are available.

Ways to get involved:

• Resident organisations: Private offices for groups (3-20+ people) who want to be based in Oxford long-term. This is our primary focus, and we have space to add 3-5 more organisations over the next year. If you’re curious or interested, please contact us here.
• Visiting organisations: Short-term space (days to weeks) for remote-first teams who want to gather for workshops, planning sessions, or team retreats. We can accommodate groups of 3-30 and will handle logistics like catering and A/V setup. If you’re curious or interested, please contact us here.
• Individuals: If you live nearby or are visiting, we offer dedicated desks and hot-desking options. This can be great for independent researchers or those affiliated with organisations elsewhere. If you’re looking to become a member or visitor, fill out this form here. 
• Events: We have meeting rooms and event spaces (10-50 people) for workshops, fellowships, and bootcamps. If you’re an event organiser and would like to know more, you can fill out this form here.
• Join us in June: After EAG London we will be gathering people in Trajan House throughout the month of June. During this time we plan to have many more visitors than usual, and have an increased frequency of speakers and social events. You can learn more and submit your interest to join us here.

If you would like to contact us about anything else, you can email us at info[at]trajan.house.

See you 'round!