Imperial has put innovation at the heart of its new strategy
Earlier this month, our President, Professor Hugh Brady, launched Imperial’s new institutional strategy, titled ‘Science for Humanity’. The strategy is focused on maximising the university’s potential as a force for good in the world, which means not just understanding the world but changing it.
Naturally, this means that entrepreneurship and technological innovation will be an ever more prominent part of the university’s mission. And our partnerships with businesses and investors, which are essential to turning great ideas into societal benefits, will be of even greater importance.
The strategy includes not only guiding principles but a series of strategic initiatives that will enable us to put our aspirations into practice. These include four new Schools of Convergence Science, which will apply deeply interdisciplinary thinking to real-world opportunities and challenges in artificial intelligence, healthcare, security, and sustainability.
To enhance the translation of the insights developed at these Schools and elsewhere into real-world innovations, the university will launch the WestTech Corridor, an initiative that will work in partnership with businesses, communities, and government to establish a new entrepreneurial ecosystem across West London, providing an important new vehicle for innovation and inclusive economic growth.
Imperial will also partner with investors to launch a large investment fund, Science Capital Imperial, that will help deep science startups access the capital they need to overcome funding gaps and successfully scale innovations such as biotechnologies, artificial intelligence and cleantech.
The roll-out of these initiatives and the acceleration of our translation and innovation activities will only be possible through continued close working with you, our friends and collaborators from outside academia. We will soon have more news to share and opportunities for your involvement and support. I would like to thank you for everything you have done to support our mission thus far and look forward to working together to develop ever deeper, more powerful and world-changing partnerships.