Innovation & Enterprise Resources
Explore what’s on offer at Imperial
For business, we offer access to a world-leading academic community fizzing with inspirational talent and cutting-edge technology.
For our students and staff, we offer the chance to realise the full potential of their research by connecting them with some of the world’s most exciting organisations.
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Insights
20+ Futures, from Imperial Tech Foresight
Imperial Tech Foresight is committed to providing deep insights into the world yet to come, and the 20+ Futures series of events, scenarios and longer-running content takes current knowledge and emerging technology to the limits and beyond to present differing visions of unmapped timelines. Dive in and explore some of the possible ways that technological innovation could drive social and economic change.
Events Opportunities
All You Can Innovate 2024
Join industry partners and academics working on research in health, MedTech, therapeutics and more at this all-day event to develop new collaborations and access funding opportunities.
Opportunities
Apollo Therapeutics Fund
Apollo is a £100 million fund providing translational funding for biomedical projects developed at Imperial, UCL and Cambridge, with pharmaceutical partners Johnson & Johnson Innovation, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca. Projects selected by Apollo have access to the best industry-standard drug development expertise and development partners.
Expertise
Centre for Environmental Policy
The Centre for Environmental Policy works at the interface between science/technology and policy, to understand complex scientific issues and co-create solutions for real-world environmental challenges. Experts provide academic and specialist insights for industry and governments around the world.
Insights
Centre for Health Policy
The Centre for Health Policy creates high-quality, clinically-driven research on the most important strategic challenges facing health systems, supports the development of innovative health policy, and bridges the gap between academia, the public and private sectors and policy-makers. Insights from the group are applied by organisations around the world to save lives and improve the quality of healthcare planning and delivery.
Programmes
ClimateLaunchpad
Climate Launchpad is the world’s largest annual green business ideas competition, and is supported at Imperial by the Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment, and the Centre for Climate Change Innovation. The competition's mission is to unlock the world’s cleantech potential that addresses climate change, and it creates a stage for those ideas. Climate Launchpad is part of the entrepreneurship offerings of EIT Climate-KIC.
Events
Deep Tech Network
Deep Tech Network is organised between Upstream and Imperial’s Department of Chemistry and Enterprise Division with the intention of encouraging interaction and collaboration between business and Imperial’s researchers, and developing a deep-tech innovation ecosystem around Imperial’s White City Campus
Events
Energy Futures Lab
The Energy Futures Lab (EFL) addresses global energy challenges by identifying and leading new opportunities. The lab invites many prestigious speakers to share their views and vision for the future of energy with seminars, lectures, workshops and conferences, as well as white paper and policy briefings. Learn about upcoming and past events.
Insights
Energy Futures Lab reports
Established in 2005, the Energy Futures Lab (EFL) aims to promote energy innovation by fostering collaboration between scientists, engineers and policy experts and external partners. The EFL produces a wide range of reports, papers and publications, both independently within academia and in partnership with industry and governmental partners.
Insights
Enterprise long reads
Imperial’s researchers come together across disciplines to address complex real-world challenges. Enterprise long reads provide an overview of the cross-faculty work happening at Imperial on important topics for industry and society, from materials and manufacturing through to quantum computing and healthcare breakthroughs.
Expertise
Expert consultancy
Imperial Consultants (ICON) has worked with major international businesses, SMEs, industry specialists, governmental organisations and non-profits for over 30 years, with one-off and regular consultancy to provide technical, policy and scientific insights for organisations around the world. See some of the areas of expertise that you can access through ICON at Imperial.
Expertise
Experts at the Institute of Global Health Innovation
Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) works to transform health and care for all through evidence-based innovation. Explore how the expert insights from researchers at the Institute is making a meaningful difference for patients, professionals and health systems alike through working with industry partners, governmental agencies and health networks.
Opportunities
FoNS Make-A-Difference!
The Faculty of Natural Science's (FoNS) Make-a-DIfference! annual competition provides undergraduate students the opportunity to develop impactful, low-cost technology. Open to all undergraduates in the Faculty of Natural Sciences, teams will have the chance to win prizes up to £7,000.
Insights
Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment
Imperial's Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment is the hub for research, innovation and policy insights relating to climate change and the environment. Discover the range of publications that range from biodiversity and protecting the natural world through to measuring and mitigating the impact of climate change on the planet.
Opportunities
Guide to Imperial Enterprise
Whether you are looking for experts to work with, bright ideas to build on, or spaces to innovate in, Imperial Enterprise plugs you in to an academic network fizzing with talent and cutting-edge technology. Read our guide to learn about ways your organisation can work with us.
Insights
Guide to working with industry and commercialising research
Academics and researchers who would like to work with industry can discover how to access support from the College in this how-to-guide, available as a PDF download. Imperial login required. For external organisations, visit the pages and contact our Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation (IPC) team for tailored information.
Events
Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery events
The Hamlyn Centre is at the forefront of research in imaging, sensing and robotics for addressing global health challenges associated with demographic, environmental, social and economic changes. The team works with partners to host the annual Hamlyn Symposium and engages in an array of international activities and events throughout the year.
Spaces
Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery facilities
The Hamlyn Centre focuses on technological innovation with a strong emphasis on clinical translation, resulting in direct patient benefits with global impacts. The Centre has a range of laboratories aligned to the its strategic research themes, suitable for research partners to co-develop innovative surgical, imaging and sensing solutions.
Insights
Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery research
The Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery is at the forefront of research in imaging, sensing and robotics for addressing global health challenges associated with demographic, environmental, social and economic changes. Insights from the pioneering researchers are applied by organisations around the world to improve healthcare and save lives.
Events
How To…talks at the Enterprise Lab
The best speakers from the startup world and beyond share their stories, advice and tips to help you level-up your business skills and broaden your entrepreneurial knowledge-base. Sign up to hear from people who have been there, done that and created the wearable tech in that t-shirt you got!
Events
Imperial BE
Imperial BE is a series of activities for students of black heritage at Imperial College London that aims to explore the opportunities available in industry, academia and entrepreneurship. Subscribe for updates about upcoming programmes, workshops and other activities.
Services
Imperial Business Partners
Imperial Business Partners (IBP) is Imperial’s flagship corporate membership programme providing curated access to the best of Imperial's people, technologies, expertise and facilities through bespoke Pathfinder activities and with Tech Foresight practice. Find out how you can work with us to solve your challenges.
Insights
Imperial Business Partners
Imperial Business Partners (IBP) regularly invites academics to provide specialist insights on policy and implementation, as well as technology deep-dives. IBP works across disciplines to produce briefings, events and videos offering a snapshot of cutting edge research and innovation
Spaces
Imperial College Advanced Hackspace
The Advanced Hackspace in White City is Imperial’s prototyping hub. All Hackspace members have access to facilities across the White City and South Kensington campuses, and are supported by technical and professional specialists to develop prototypes and projects.
Opportunities
Imperial College Enterprise Fund
Imperial College Enterprise Funds provide early-stage funding, critical to transform Imperial's discoveries into tomorrow's solutions in medicine, engineering, biochemistry, genetics, materials, computer science and many more. These are Enterprise Investment Schemes, suitable for high-net worth private investors, delivered in partnership between our team at Imperial and Parkwalk Advisors, part of IP Group.
Services
Imperial Consultants
Imperial Consultants (ICON) supports Imperial's researchers and academics to deliver consultancy services by handling the project scoping, contracts, invoicing and insurance for you. Along with this, the team actively scout out opportunities with external partners that are suitable for Imperial's world-leading experts to provide their insights
Services
Imperial Consultants
With access to over almost 4,000 academics and researchers at one of the world's leading universities, Imperial Consultants (ICON) can identify the best experts at Imperial to help companies of all sizes with their pressing short-term and longer-term challenges. The team manages all aspects of project delivery, from scoping and shaping through to finance and communicating the outcomes.
Opportunities
Imperial Consultants
Help industry, governments, and society overcome their challenges through consultancy projects - and get the chance to test your expertise, build relationships, and enrich your teaching with real-world examples. Contact the team to find out more and how they can promote your skills to generate opportunities.
Expertise
Imperial Enterprise Lab
Described as the 'crown jewel' of Imperial's South Kensington Campus, Imperial Enterprise Lab's team are passionate about supporting the next generation of student innovators on their entrepreneurial journey. From undergrads looking to gain some skills and experience, to established businesses looking for funding, whoever it is, whatever you're working on, the team provide the support Imperial's students and alumni need to take their ideas and projects forward.
Expertise
Imperial Postdoc and Fellows Enterprise Network
The Imperial Postdoc and Fellows Enterprise Network (IPFEN) is a network for postdocs, fellows, and clinicians who are interested in knowing more about Entrepreneurship and Enterprise opportunities and activities – whether it is to support your research activity or to explore a new career path.
Services
Imperial Projects
The sister-organisation of Imperial Consultants, we provide efficient and responsive project management support to Imperial academics working on large-scale and long-term commercial projects. From technical capacity building to branding initiatives, from membership programmes to commercial events, our range of management expertise complements the breadth of Imperial’s academic excellence.
Opportunities
Imperial startup investment opportunities
Imperial's entrepreneurial ecosystem produces high quality startups based on the pioneering research activity of our world-class academic researchers into world-changing innovations. Learn more about our investment activity and support from in-house specialists, and our partners across professional services sectors.
Insights
Imperial Tech Foresight articles
Imperial's dedicated foresight practice invites you to contextualise the future of technologies and breakthroughs by reading our speculative interviews with expert academics and exploring our thematic foresight research. These articles give you a snapshot of some of the latest breakthroughs from Imperial and beyond in broad topic areas from food production to data privacy.
Expertise
Imperial Tech Foresight visions
Imperial's dedicated foresight practice invites you to interrogate the possible, plausible and probable futures of a range of subject areas and technologies by exploring thought-pieces constructed by looking at the latest emerging technologies and insights from Imperial's academic leaders, with the aim of mapping out aspects of the future yet to come.
Opportunities
Imperial Venture Mentoring Service
The Imperial Venture Mentoring Service (IVMS) is the College's flagship mentoring service to support entrepreneurs from across the community. Professional and regulated, the expert mentors work with staff and students to turn their amazing ideas into reality by launching startups. Startups that have been mentored through IVMS have raised over £13 million in funding from grants and investors since 2017, and many have progressed to major accelerators outside Imperial.
Spaces
Incubation at White City
A hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, we help science and technology businesses to survive and thrive. More than just a place of work, we’re a community of talented and ambitious entrepreneurs offering support, training and laboratory and office space to early-stage deep science startups with less than £5 million investment on joining.
Services
Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation
The Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation (IPC) team negotiates and sets up industry research partnerships, and turns technologies developed in Imperial’s labs into commercial opportunities, including licensing deals and startups. The teams are based within the Faculties and have specialists across many technical and scientific areas.
Services
Invention disclosure and protection
Most academic research that has commercial potential will require intellectual property protection. The first essential step in technology commercialisation is for you to tell the Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation (IPC) team about the work you’re doing. Contact your Faculty's IPC team via this link.
Events
IP4U: University Tech Fair (19-20 September)
Discover up to 80 of the latest technology innovations in the fields of sustainability and future health at the inaugural IP4U event, bringing together innovators from Imperial, Cambridge, Oxford and UCL at Imperial's South Kensington Campus (19-20 September).
Spaces
Laboratories in White City
Laboratories in the Innovation and Translation Hub (I-HUB) at Imperial's White City Campus are ideal for mid-stage and high-tech high-growth companies looking for combination wet lab and office space. The labs are at the heart of the White City Innovation District.
Programmes
MedTech SuperConnector (MTSC)
MedTech SuperConnector (MTSC) accelerates the early-stage development of innovative medical technologies. Led by Imperial, supported by the expertise of eight academic institutions, MTSC offers early career researchers the funding, training, advice and access to industry partners they need to help fast-track the translation of their research discoveries.
Spaces
Offices in White City
The Translation and Innovation Hub (I-Hub) is located in the northern site of Imperial College London's White City Campus. Alongside dedicated wet lab spaces in the building, a range of office spaces are available for use by scientific companies that want to situate themselves in the heart of the White City Innovation District.
Opportunities
Participate through the Institute of Global Health Innovation
Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) works to transform health and care for all through evidence-based innovation. To inform their work, the team regularly invite the public, patients and healthcare professionals to participate in and shape the research. Find out how you can support their work.
Expertise
Prototyping support and guidance
The Imperial College Advanced Hackspace in White City is Imperial’s prototyping hub. By becoming a member, you’ll gain access to expertise and facilities that will help you get your ideas out of your head and into the real world. Facilities at the Hackspace include wet labs, fume cupboards, woodwork and metalwork equipment and 3D printers - lots of 3D printers!
Services
Research Project Management
Research Project Management (RPM) is a dedicated team that supports major collaborative programmes and projects, enabling researchers and the academic grant-holders to focus on the science and technology. RPM manages projects valued at over £60 million and involving more than 50 partners across the globe.
Programmes
Retrofit Accelerator
The Retrofit Accelerator enables up to 10 businesses to address the climate crisis through their innovative solutions. The two-cohort programme is part-funded by the UK Government and Mayor of London's Better Futures programme.
Spaces
Scale Space
Scale Space is a new community for innovative businesses looking to scale, providing offices, meeting venues and lab spaces at competitive rates within the White City Innovation District. The members are a collaborative network of venture builders, universities, corporate innovators and growing businesses. Scale Space is supported by Blenheim Chalcot in partnership with Imperial College London.
Events
Startup masterclasses at the Enterprise Lab
Learn the fundamentals of starting a business from experts in the field. Whether you’re looking to perfect your pitch or make sure your idea is financially viable, the Enterprise Lab's entrepreneurship development team have the masterclass for you.
Events
Startup Showcase
Imperial hosts biannual startup showcases, featuring pitches from the latest startups seeking investment to develop their business ideas. The startups featured are all connected to Imperial, either as staff, students or alumni, and have been supported by our entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Opportunities
Technology licensing and transfer
Imperial.tech is Imperial's technology licensing website, providing details about the latest technologies developed at the College. The portfolio is managed by the Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation (IPC) team - the Tech Transfer Office (TTO) arm of Imperial Enterprise.
Services
Tell us about your startup
Imperial College London staff, student and alumni founders are invited to make proposals seeking equity investment from the Imperial College Startup Investment Team, from the funds we manage and our network of angels and VCs.
Expertise
The Forum
The Forum is Imperial's policy engagement programme. It connects Imperial researchers with policymakers to discover new thinking on global challenges. The team are heavily connected to leading think tanks, NGOs and governmental bodies around the world.
Programmes
The Greenhouse
The Greenhouse is a 12-month innovation programme for climate positive technology startups that offers early-stage ("pre-seed") entrepreneurs access to business coaching with experienced professionals, a range of masterclasses, free workspace at the central London headquarters - at the Centre for climate change innovation at the Royal Institution - and equity-free grant funding.
Opportunities
The Greenhouse: Cohort 5
Up to £20,000 equity-free grant funding is available for early-stage cleantech innovations and entrepreneurs in The Greenhouse's fifth cohort. Successful applicants will be housed in the iconic Royal Institution space with access to 1-on-1 coaching and mentoring, insights from investors and the ability to learn from a passionate community of expert innovators. Apply by 6 March 2023.
Opportunities
The President’s Excellence Fund for Frontier Research
The President`s Excellence Fund for Frontier Research has been established to support research ideas that have the potential to put Imperial College London in a leadership position, even if the ideas have not yet received outside funding.
Opportunities
UKRI Impact Acceleration Account
UKRI Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAA) are institutional funding to unlock the impact of the research-base. They support impact activities that allow funding to be used in flexible, responsive and creative ways. Applications can be supported through the Faculty's Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation (IPC) teams.
Opportunities
Undaunted: A centre for climate change innovation
Undaunted is a centre for climate change innovation initiative from the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London and the Royal Institution to catalyse innovation of all forms that address the causes and effects of climate change. The centre will radically increase the speed with which practical solutions to tackle the climate crisis are created and implemented, in the UK and internationally. It is backed by six founding members, Arup, the Mayor of London, HSBC UK, Centre for Net Zero, Pollination and Slaughter and May.
Services Expertise Events
Understanding Innovate UK
Discover how the Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation team at Imperial Enterprise can support academics access funding from Innovate UK, with examples of different types of grants. Online webinar.
Events
Upstream
Upstream is a partnership between Hammersmith & Fulham Council and Imperial College London. We have been connecting, supporting and shining a light on the science, tech and creative sectors since 2018. Upstream events are designed to enable start-ups, corporates, academia and innovators to connect, collaborate and grow.
Programmes
Venture Catalyst Challenge
The Venture Catalyst Challenge (VCC) is the flagship entrepreneurial competition for Imperial's community to develop an innovative idea for commercialisation and win big! Highly intensive weeks of evening masterclasses, 1-1 coaching, and meetings with experts, all with one aim – to help you bring your idea to commercial reality while growing your knowledge, skills, and network. The current competition is open for applications until 4 December.
Programmes
WE Innovate
WE Innovate is a pre-accelerator programme with one main goal - to increase the number of women in leadership positions, running startups and raising funding. WE Innovate runs from January to July and has everything you need to turn your business idea into a fully-fledged startup. Applications for the next programme close on 4 December 2022.
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