The India Connect Fund, to be formally announced at events in New Delhi and Bengaluru next week, is designed to back projects that have potential for innovative breakthroughs in areas such as health, climate and sustainability as researchers in India and the UK join forces to tackle shared global challenges

Imperial College London has unveiled the India Connect Fund, a novel seed fund designed to encourage collaborative projects between researchers in India and the UK. The fund aims to support groundbreaking initiatives in the fields of health and climate action, fostering collaboration on pressing global challenges. Grants ranging from approximately GBP 3,500 to 5,000 will be awarded to successful project teams.

Imperial College London, recognised as one of the world’s top 10 universities, hopes that the fund will facilitate exploratory research, small-scale experiments, prototype development, workshops, hackathons, and student exchanges between the UK and India. Each project will be led by a principal investigator from Imperial and one from an Indian partner institution.

Professor Ian Walmsley, the Provost of Imperial College London, emphasised the significance of India as a dynamic hub for research and innovation, as well as a vital partner for UK scientists. Imperial College has a robust history of collaboration with Indian universities and research institutes, with numerous joint research papers published over the past five years. The fund will further strengthen these ties, fostering cutting-edge research in health, climate, and sustainability.

Walmsley also highlighted the significant presence of Indian students, alumni, and researchers at Imperial College London, noting that there are over 800 Indian students at the London campus and more than 3,000 Indian alumni worldwide who contribute to society and enrich the Imperial community.

Imperial College London maintains strong collaborative relationships with Indian institutions, including the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

The university is actively involved in collaborative research spanning various shared challenge areas, from developing clean energy technologies and antimicrobial pollution policies to training the next generation of infectious disease modellers. Imperial College London and the George Institute for Global Health India partnered to launch the NIHR Centre last year, aiming to address non-communicable diseases and environmental change in India, Indonesia, and Bangladesh.

The India Connect Fund will be officially introduced at events in New Delhi and Bengaluru, demonstrating Imperial College London’s commitment to fostering international scientific cooperation and innovation.

(PTI)