Imperial builds the future

Imperial College London is set to begin construction of a research and translation centre at its new campus in west London, dubbed Imperial West, next month. The building is set to cost a total of £200m ($337m).

Imperial signed the necessary contracts with real estate and investment firm Voreda on July 28^th, 2014, who will work alongside construction specialists Laing O’Rourke. The 48,000 square metre centre is expected to be finished by 2016.

Half the cost is being carried by outside investors. Voreda has secured £73m ($123m) from Santander Corporate Banking, while Imperial College London was awarded £35m ($59m) by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in November 2012.

The aim of the hub will be both to deliver education and allow for research and translation activities. It will also serve as the prime agent for tech transfer, connecting the university to industry, global business stakeholders, other higher education institutions and the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).

The hub will count 50 scalable units for spin-outs and ventures, and will be operated by Imperial College ThinkSpace. On top of the units for spin-outs, the new building will also offer space for up to 1,000 researchers and engineers. 

David Gann, vice-president development and innovation at Imperial College London, said: “Imperial West already hosts scores of innovative spin-outs and startups, and is highly connected to London’s TechCity and MedCity ecosystems. The Research and Translation Hub allows us to take this to the next level. Other major new facilities will follow on as our vision for Imperial West comes to fruition.”