£150 million partnership for Imperial

A £150 million partnership aiming to support the development of the new Hammersmith-based Imperial West Technology Campus has been announced.

David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science, revealed the £150 million partnership between Imperial and property company Voreda, alongside six other university and business research partnerships, on Wednesday 31 October.

Following a bidding process that took place over the summer, the Higher Education Funding Council for England has awarded £35 million to contribute towards the development of the new campus’ centrepiece Research and Translation Hub.

In addition, a partnership between Imperial and Voreda will result in an additional £90 million contribution from the investor. The remainder will be funded by the College.

the Research and Translation Hub “will serve the needs of London’s enterprise community, expanding support for innovation drawn from Imperial and other leading universities”

This project is one of the two biggest capital projects supported by the government’s Research Partnership Investment Fund. David Willetts said of the research partnerships:

“It is fantastic that our top businesses and top charities are queuing up to collaborate with our world-class universities. They want to work together to deliver innovation, commercialisation and growth, which will help make sure the UK competes and thrives in the global race.”

In a statement released by the College, it is stated that the Research and Translation Hub “will serve the needs of London’s enterprise community, expanding support for innovation drawn from Imperial and other leading universities” and that it has “an emphasis on the commercialisation of research to bring benefits to society and the economy”. Work on the Hub is due to begin in January 2013.

This week’s announcement follows the recent granting of planning permission for the new seven acre Imperial West campus, situated in the BBC’s former Woodlands site.

As previously reported in Felix, there have been some concerns raised by local residents of the surrounding area, with the St Helen’s Residents’ Association opposing a potential increase in traffic to the area and possible overshadowing caused by the campus’ 110m tall residential tower.

In a statement, Sir Keith O’Nions, President and Rector of Imperial College, said of the planned Hub:

“With space for 50 spin-out companies, we will be able to support innovation drawn from Imperial and other leading institutions at a scale unprecedented in London and the UK generally. We expect the Hub to become a magnet for businesses and universities in the UK and beyond, keen to find a foothold in London and to tap into Imperial’s world-leading expertise in science, engineering, medicine and business. [...] It’s now game on to realise the potential of Imperial West.”