Imperial College and H&F Council Form New Partnership
Based in White City and aiming to boost local bio-tech, digital and creative businesses
The partnership, based at Imperial's White City campus is part of the council's new Industrial Strategy – called Economic Growth for Everyone.
The strategy was launched at the Translation and Innovation Hub (I-HUB), based at the White City Campus.
Providing new laboratory, incubator, accelerator and office space, the I-HUB will offer space to start-ups, entrepreneurs, and major corporations alongside Imperial’s academic community.
The launch event featured a tech showcase, to give a taste of the businesses and start-ups flourishing in the borough.
These included Polymateria, based in Imperial’s Incubator, who develop additives for plastic products and packaging that allow the them to biodegrade over time. Their lead scientist, Dr Graham Chapman, received his PhD from Imperial.
Speaking at the event, Professor Alice Gast, President of Imperial College London, pictured above, said: "We are making a very long term commitment to our White City Campus which will evolve over decades. It is here that we are creating a new model for the modern university campus.
"We will be open to our community, outwardly focused, innovative and collaborative and we will be agile and flexible. We are making a campus with embedded corporate, academic and community partners. Here companies, academics and the local community will coexist more closely than ever before.
"Through our Partnership for Growth and Innovation with the Council we can support local enterprise and continue to attract dynamic STEM companies to the area. We have the infrastructure already at our White City Campus to offer them a place to thrive and advance their businesses alongside our world-leading researchers.”
The Borough’s new strategy has four priorities:
- A new partnership with Imperial College London to support local economic growth and innovation;
- Making it easier for savvy entrepreneurs to start a business, by exploring the creation of a new venture capital fund to support tech and creative businesses and exploring business rates cuts for key sectors;
- Major regeneration and infrastructure schemes, including delivering 10,000 new homes, half of which will be affordable, as well as improvements to rail links and the station at Old Oak Common;
- Investment in local skills, with extra support for science and maths teachers and apprenticeships.
Introducing it, the Leader of the Council, Stephen Cowan, said: "This is an ambitious strategy to ensure that Hammersmith and Fulham is the best place to do business in Europe - and to live and work.
"From our innovation partnership with Imperial to our major investment in local skills and regeneration, we are determined to future-proof our economy."
July 24, 2017