The UK university has set up physical presence in San Francisco to be closer to US investors and companies it seeks to partner with.
The London university has become the first UK academic institution to have a permanent science and tech base in the US with the launch of a hub in San Francisco.
The new Imperial Global USA hub is aimed at fostering partnerships between the university’s spinouts, academics and industry partners in the US.
Having presence on the ground will make it easier for founders to find funding to scale their businesses, according to a university blog on the initiative.
Wendy Tan White, an Imperial alum and CEO of software and AI robotics company Intrinsic, will head an advisory board, charged with ensuring the hub is connected into the San Francisco tech ecosystem.
Through the hub, Imperial aims to create 100 new partnerships with industry in 2025. It already partners with US universities and companies on several initiatives.
These include a collaboration between Imperial and IT company Agilent Technologies to develop analytical technologies with Imperial research in chemical analysis, life sciences and diagnostics.
It has also recently partnered with University of California, Berkeley and mining group Rio Tinto to scale clean energy technologies.
Professor Hugh Brady, president of Imperial College London, said in the internal blog announcing the new hub: “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.
“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.”
