Imperial College London to open research hub ‘Global India’ in Bengaluru

Imperial College London is set to establish an international research center in Bengaluru, called Imperial Global India. Scheduled to open in May 2025, the initiative aims to strengthen collaboration between India and the United Kingdom in the fields of science, education, and innovation.

According to a statement from Imperial College, the Bengaluru hub will serve as a liaison office and a platform for co-created research partnerships between Imperial and India’s leading academic and scientific institutions.

Additionally, it will facilitate collaboration across innovation, industry, and government sectors.

The initiative seeks to foster solutions to shared global challenges while deepening Imperial's long-standing relationships with Indian institutions.

Imperial’s growing presence in India is reflected in its strategic partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, which supports collaborative projects across multiple scientific disciplines.

The college is already working with premier Indian institutions such as AIIMS, the IITs in Bombay, Delhi, and Kharagpur, and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Joint research efforts include projects on clean energy technologies, climate change, and antimicrobial resistance.

Aligned with the UK-India Technology Security Initiative, the new hub is expected to support sustainable development, economic growth, and improved quality of life in both nations.

The Bengaluru center will be led by Professor Sanjeev Gupta and Dr Elena Dieckmann. Professor Gupta, an Earth scientist, has collaborated extensively with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur on studies related to groundwater depletion and river systems.

Dr Dieckmann, an expert in biomaterials and the circular economy, is partnering with Indian researchers to upcycle waste solar panels into architectural materials.

Both faculty members will spend significant time in India to nurture deeper engagement and collaborative research.

Notably, the launch of Imperial Global India coincides with the implementation of India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which allows top-ranked global universities to establish campuses and centers within the country.