Imperial College London launches science & innovation hub in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The Imperial College London has launched a new science and innovation hub, Imperial Global India, in Bengaluru.

The initiative aims to strengthen the university’s long-standing research and educational partnerships with Indian institutions while addressing pressing global challenges such as climate change, food and water security, and antimicrobial resistance.

Launched at the Science Gallery Bengaluru, the event brought together top business leaders, policymakers, and scientists including Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy, Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, and key state ministers. The hub will support collaborative research, PhD programmes, fellowships, and scholarships, particularly in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, biotech, semiconductors, and clean energy.

Key initiatives include the India Connect Fund, supporting up to 25 joint research projects annually; the Future Leaders Scholarship, Imperial’s largest-ever scholarship programme for Indian students; and the Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Fellowships in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS).

Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial, said the hub would serve as a platform for long-term collaborations and act as a one-stop contact point for Indian partners. “These initiatives will help deliver solutions to the world’s biggest challenges,” he noted. He also noted that they aim to double the funds for research collaboration from $170 million in the next five years.

Karnataka’s Minister for Electronics, IT and Biotechnology, Priyank Kharge, welcomed the launch, saying, “It is a testament to the creativity and dynamism of our ecosystem that Imperial College London — one of the world’s foremost institutions in STEMB and innovation—has chosen our city to launch its India hub. By bringing together our innovation and research communities, we can catalyse the co-creation of breakthrough technologies and solutions.”

Dr M C Sudhakar, Minister for Higher Education, Government of Karnataka, added, “This international collaboration creates a vital knowledge bridge between our two countries. Initiatives like this empower our students and innovators to work alongside global peers, advancing research and innovation across the full spectrum of science and technology.”