Imperial College London Launches Bengaluru Science Hub to Boost India Collaboration
| 2025-05-22
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Imperial College London opens new Bengaluru hub to deepen science and technology collaboration with India, focusing on joint research and innovation.
Imperial College London, one of the world’s leading universities, has opened a new liaison office in Bengaluru to strengthen its scientific and technological partnerships with India. The initiative, named Imperial Global India, aims to support collaborative research projects, develop academic exchanges, and build links with policymakers and industry in both countries.
The hub will facilitate long-term collaboration between Imperial and Indian partners across sectors including artificial intelligence, clean energy, biotechnology, and sustainable manufacturing. It will also act as a conduit for UK–India engagement on science and innovation policy, aligning with joint government priorities in critical technologies such as semiconductors, quantum computing, and health technology.
The official launch took place at the Science Gallery Bengaluru, bringing together senior figures from business, academia, and government. Notable attendees included N R Narayana Murthy, founder of Infosys Limited; Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairperson of the Biocon Group; and Priyank Kharge, Minister for Electronics, IT and Biotechnology in the Government of Karnataka.
The event was hosted by Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London, who said the new hub would serve as “a bridge for world-class research and innovation between India and the UK.”
“Through the hub we will support several flagship programmes including research projects, long-term collaborations, student scholarships, collaborative PhD programmes and fellowships,” Professor Brady said. “These initiatives will help deliver solutions to the world’s biggest challenges.”
Flagship Initiatives
A range of high-impact programmes were announced as part of the launch. Among them is the India Connect Fund, which will back up to 25 joint research projects annually between Imperial and Indian institutions. Focus areas include quantum science, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and sustainable energy.
The hub will also deliver Imperial’s largest-ever scholarship programme for Indian students—the Future Leaders Scholarship—which aims to support 75 students in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and business (STEMB) over the next five years.
Imperial is also investing in faculty fellowships, including six Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Global Faculty Fellowships in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the National Centre for Biological Sciences. This will contribute to the creation of a London-Bengaluru AI in Science Network.
Additional initiatives include:
A Global Challenge Lab that will bring together hundreds of Indian and UK students each year to develop joint solutions for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
A collaborative PhD programme with IISc, creating a doctoral training network for UK and Indian students.
A Global Fellows programme supporting doctoral-level exchanges between research laboratories in both countries.
Academic and Industrial Collaboration
Imperial’s relationship with India spans more than 400 partner institutions across the country, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), and Christian Medical College, Vellore. Its strategic partnership with the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore has yielded numerous collaborative research efforts in recent years.
The university is also working closely with Indian industry. Notably, Imperial and Tata Steel are advancing efforts to decarbonise steel production through a joint Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Design and Manufacturing.
The new Bengaluru hub is part of Imperial Global, a network of liaison offices being established in strategic locations worldwide. Existing hubs include Singapore, San Francisco, and Accra. These offices are designed to foster long-term partnerships across government, academia, and industry, in line with Imperial’s global engagement strategy, Science for Humanity.
Context: Growing UK–India Scientific Ties
The launch of Imperial Global India aligns with broader goals shared by the United Kingdom and India to deepen cooperation in science and innovation. In recent years, both governments have emphasised the role of joint research in driving economic development, creating skilled employment, and addressing transnational challenges such as climate change and public health crises.
The expansion of UK–India science partnerships is also seen as a vehicle for promoting global competitiveness in high-tech sectors. As India increases its investment in R&D and higher education, UK institutions are seeking new opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Imperial College London, currently ranked second globally in the 2025 QS World University Rankings, is positioning itself as a key partner in that growing relationship.
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