Imperial College London and Science Gallery Bengaluru (SGB) have announced a significant new partnership aimed at fostering talent and knowledge exchange. This collaboration includes the development of cutting-edge facilities, a joint fellowship program, and various public engagement activities.
This announcement by Imperial College President Hugh Brady, made during his visit to India as part of a UK delegation, builds on the momentum generated since the launch of Imperial Global India in Bengaluru just five months prior. President Brady shared insights into what this partnership signifies for both nations.
What does this new partnership between Imperial College London and Science Gallery Bengaluru entail?
Together, we are striving to create a leading innovation hub that connects the UK, India, and the wider world. Our joint efforts will focus on developing new facilities within the Science Gallery Bengaluru, establishing a fresh joint fellowship program, and rolling out a series of public engagement initiatives. These programs aim to inspire young individuals towards careers in science and technology and to cultivate greater public trust in scientific advancements.
We envision a vibrant, two-way flow of talent, ideas, and capital between our respective innovation ecosystems. This partnership builds directly on the progress we’ve already seen with our Imperial Global India Hub in Bengaluru, which has gained remarkable traction in under six months.
Is this new partnership integrated with the Imperial Global India Hub?
Yes, absolutely. We will effectively co-locate our global hub with the Science Gallery.
It’s important to emphasize that our Bengaluru hub serves all of India. While it leverages our strong existing relationships with IISc and the National Centre for Biological Sciences, we are actively exploring other collaborative projects. We’ve recently funded 10 new collaborative projects through our India Connect Fund. These initiatives address crucial areas such as climate change, sustainability, emerging technologies, energy, and health, involving ten different Indian partners both in Bengaluru and across the country.
For instance, one funded project focuses on quantum modeling tools for climate adaptation in arid regions, a collaboration with IIT Bombay. Another involves cultivating methane-removing microbes from trees to combat climate change, working with researchers in Pune. We also have a project exploring various biomedical applications of nanorobots, in partnership with IISc Bengaluru.
Given the strong current India-UK relationship, what do collaborations in research, technology, and innovation mean for both countries?
Collaboration offers both countries a tremendous opportunity to achieve greater scale and impact in research and innovation. We anticipate many more collaborative PhD programs in critical fields such as quantum computing, engineering, biology, biotechnology, and clean technology. We’ll also see the development of more extensive research programs between our two nations, creating a much stronger bridge between our innovation ecosystems.
We are already bringing our student founders to India to learn about the market, co-create, and innovate with Indian partners. Simultaneously, we’re providing young Indian entrepreneurs with an entry point into the UK’s innovation landscape. At a time when many parts of the world are becoming inward-looking, it’s truly fantastic to see India and the UK embracing outward-looking collaboration.
Are there specific technologies or scientific fields that this new partnership will prioritize?
Both Imperial and our partners at Science Gallery Bengaluru are driven by the potential of science and technology to address the major challenges facing humanity and our planet. This spans a wide range of issues, from antimicrobial resistance and food security to water security and climate change.
We are also very aware of the strength of the UK-India relationship. Both prime ministers place great importance on the Technology Security Initiative. There are areas where we believe we can make a real difference by working with Indian partners like the Science Gallery. For example, advanced materials, quantum technologies, and biotechnology are fields where Imperial is very strong and where India also possesses significant capabilities.
What are your observations on the Indian student population at Imperial?
We currently have almost 850 Indian students, and they are incredibly bright, ambitious, and dynamic. Innovation is deeply embedded in Imperial’s DNA, a characteristic our Indian students deeply appreciate, and one we value in them. They are enrolled across our four faculties—science, medicine, engineering, and business—and are fairly evenly distributed among undergraduate, master’s, and PhD programs.
How does India feature in Imperial’s innovator community?
Our community in Imperial, London, fully recognizes the incredible momentum India has achieved in science and technology, and how this is translating into innovation, entrepreneurship, and the successful growth of companies.
We take pride in our long-standing involvement with India. Some of our professors were even consulted during the establishment of IIT Delhi in the 1950s. Many of our current professors have active collaborations throughout India. In the past five years alone, we’ve published joint papers with over 400 Indian partners, and we boast over 3,000 Indian alumni. Transforming research into tangible impact is a core part of Imperial’s ethos, and we greatly admire how effectively this happens in India.