A fund of five million dollars (£3.8m) has been set up in honour of the late journalist Sir Harry Evans to nurture the next generation of investigative reporters.

The news organisation Reuters, where Sir Harry was once editor-at-large, and Durham University, where he studied, have launched a scheme to support new talent from around the world.

Sir Harry, who died last year at 92, was best known for the 10-year campaign by The Sunday Times to win compensation for the victims of the morning sickness drug Thalidomide, which had caused thousands of birth deformities.

The Sir Harry Evans Memorial Fund will create a fellowship in investigative journalism and an annual, agenda-setting forum.
 
The fellowship winner will have the opportunity to undertake a piece of investigative reporting from the Reuters newsroom, mentored by senior editors and supported by academic links at Durham University.

The annual forum will be held at Durham Castle and will see leading figures across media broadcasting and investigative journalism gather to discuss the future of reporting.

Tina Brown, Sir Harry’s widow and an acclaimed journalist, said: “Harry was a voracious truth-teller and champion of courageous journalism in every form.

“The thought that we are doing something in his legacy to make sure Harrys of the future – whatever and wherever their gender, background, or means – are nurtured into the profession is something which I know would have moved him greatly.”