One of the world’s top-ranked universities, Imperial College London, launched a science and innovation hub in Bengaluru on Wednesday, May 21, to deepen its collaborations with Indian institutions, scientists and industry leaders.
Named Imperial Global India, the hub aims to co-create cutting-edge research and technology solutions with Indian partners, focusing on urgent global challenges such as climate change, antimicrobial resistance, food and water security, and sustainable energy, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
Speaking at the launch held at the Science Gallery in Bengaluru, Imperial President Prof Hugh Brady said the hub will support flagship initiatives such as collaborative PhD programmes, fellowships, scholarships and long-term research partnerships across areas like quantum science, Artificial Intelligence (AI), biotech and advanced materials. He emphasised that the hub will not serve as a satellite campus but as a liaison office to boost joint research and innovation between the two countries.
Prof Brady added that Imperial had strategically chosen Bengaluru, citing strong existing ties with institutions like the Indian Institute of Science and the National Centre for Biological Sciences.
A major announcement at the launch was the India Connect Fund, which will back up to 25 joint research projects annually between Imperial and Indian institutions in emerging areas like quantum computing and clean energy. In addition, the Future Leaders Scholarship — Imperial’s largest-ever scholarship programme for Indian students — will support 75 STEMB scholars over the next five years.
The hub will also oversee six new Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Global Faculty Fellowships, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), to foster a London-Bengaluru AI in Science Network.
The hub will also invest in a Global Challenge Lab programme, bringing together hundreds of UK and Indian students each year to collaborate on solutions aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
A collaborative doctoral programme between Imperial and IISc will bring Indian and the United Kingdom (UK) PhD students together for joint research, supplemented by a Global Fellows programme to facilitate doctoral exchanges between labs in both countries.
Welcoming the hub, Electronics, Information Technology (IT) and Biotechnology Minister Priyank Kharge said Bengaluru’s emergence as a global innovation hub made it the ideal home for Imperial’s India presence. He highlighted the shared goals of leveraging emerging technologies to drive sustainable growth and societal benefit, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar noted that the collaboration would empower students and researchers to co-develop solutions that serve both nations and the world.
