Imperial turns to Silicon Valley to fund tech partnerships

Imperial College London is targeting 100 new funded science and tech partnerships in 2025 with US firms following the launch of its Silicon Valley base.

The British university has become the first to establish a permanent science and technology base on US soil with the launch of Imperial Global USA.

The Californian physical presence of the university will look to establish partnerships to fund tech projects from its researchers, backed by Silicon Valley cash.

So far, Imperial has secured a handful of funded projects in collaboration with companies and institutions in the valley, including partnerships with Agilent Technologies, UC Berkeley and the Bezos Earth Fund – a climate project funding scheme from the Amazon CEO.

“Opening a physical presence in San Francisco is going to supercharge our capabilities to support world-leading British science and tech to collaborate with American partners,” said Imperial College London president Prof Hugh Brady.

“Our new hub will be a front door in the heart of the Bay Area to help spinouts, academics and innovators create the kind of partnerships that will lead to world-changing scientific discoveries.”

The university has pledged to create 100 new US-UK tech partnerships in 2025 in areas such as climate tech, health tech and food tech.

“California is a gateway for innovation and entrepreneurship, and Imperial College London establishing its first-ever U.S. hub in San Francisco is a win-win,” said Governor of California Gavin Newsom.

“This illustrates the power of international partnerships, bringing together top minds in science and technology to tackle the world’s toughest challenges — from climate solutions to advanced healthcare.”

UK Tech Secretary Peter Kyle added: “By building on existing successful partnerships, like advancing AI in healthcare and scaling up clean energy solutions, this hub can play a key part in accelerating new technologies that will fuel economic growth and deliver real-world solutions to global challenges for years to come.”

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