‘We love the way research translates into impact in India’
Imperial College London and Science Gallery Bengaluru (SGB) have announced a partnership to facilitate the exchange of skills and knowledge through the development of new facilities, a joint scholarship program and public engagement activities.
The announcement, made during Imperial College President Hugh Brady’s visit to India as part of the UK delegation led by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, comes nearly five months after Imperial Global India was launched in Bengaluru in May.
Hindu We caught up with Hugh Brady, who detailed what the partnership means for both countries.
Tell us more about the new partnership between Imperial College London and Science Gallery Bengaluru
What we are trying to do together is to create a cutting-edge innovation hub between the UK, India and the rest of the world. It will see us working together to develop new facilities at the Bengaluru Science Gallery, create a new joint scholarship program and a range of public engagement programs to do everything from inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and technology to ensuring greater public confidence in science.
We want two-way flows of talent, ideas and capital between the two innovation ecosystems. This partnership builds on the momentum we have already achieved through our Imperial Global India Center in Bengaluru. Imperial, Global India has gained significant momentum in less than six months.
Does the new partnership fall under Imperial Global Hub India?
Yes. Essentially, we will co-locate our global headquarters with the Science Gallery.
I must emphasize that our Bangalore center is a hub for India. So, while we build on our very strong relationships with IISc and the National Center for Biological Sciences, we are also looking at other collaborative projects. We have launched our latest 10 joint projects initiated by our India Connect Fund. They cover key areas such as climate, sustainability, emerging technologies, energy and health and include 10 Indian partners in Bangalore and across India.
One example of the projects funded this time are quantum modeling tools for climate adoption in arid lands. This is in collaboration with IIT Bombay. We have another project on growing methane and cleaning microbes from trees to combat climate change. This is about researchers in Pune. Another is with IISc Bangalore on various applications of nanorobots for biomedical purposes.
India-UK ties currently appear to be at one of their strongest ever points. In this context, what do collaborations in research, technology and innovation mean for both countries?
There is an opportunity for both countries to achieve greater research and innovation scale and impact through collaboration. You’ll see many more collaborative PhD programs in key areas such as quantum, engineering, biology, biotechnology, and clean technology. You will see much larger research programs developing between the two countries and a much stronger bridge between the two innovation ecosystems.
We are starting to bring our student founders who want to learn more about the Indian market here to co-create and innovate with Indian partners and provide young Indian entrepreneurs with an entry point into the UK’s innovation ecosystem. At a time when many parts of the world are starting to look inward, it’s great that India and the UK are looking outward.
Are there specific technologies or science streams that the new partnership will focus on?
Both Imperial and our partners at the Science Gallery, Bengaluru, are inspired by the potential to harness science and technology to tackle the grand challenges facing humanity and our planet. This ranges from antimicrobial resistance to food and water security to climate change.
We also recognize the strength of the UK-India relationship. Both prime ministers attach great importance to the Technology Security Initiative. There are areas like Science Gallery where we think we can make a real difference by working with Indian partners. For example, advanced materials, quantum and biotechnology are areas where we are very strong and where India has significant capabilities.
What are your thoughts on the Indian population at Imperial?
We have approximately 850 Indian students. They are young, smart, ambitious and energetic. Imperial has innovation as part of the DNA of the institution and Indian students love it and we love them for it. They are located in our four science, medical, engineering and business schools and are fairly evenly distributed among undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students.
What is India to the innovative community at Imperial?
Our community at Imperial in London recognizes India’s tremendous momentum in science and technology and how this is being translated into innovation, entrepreneurship, start-ups and corporate growth.
We pride ourselves on having a relationship with India for many years. Some of our professors were involved in an advisory role in the establishment of IIT Delhi in the 1950s. Many of our professors have active collaborations in India. We have jointly published articles with over 400 Indian partners in the last five years alone. We have more than 3,000 Indian graduates. Transforming research to impact is a key part of Imperial’s DNA, and we love what’s happening in India.
