How Imperial Enterprise
can power your business
Start here
Innovation needs enterprise. Enterprise needs innovation. Whether you are looking for experts to work with, bright ideas to build on, or spaces to innovate in, Imperial Enterprise plugs you in to an academic network fizzing with talent and cutting-edge technology.
How to... access expertise in your area
Match your unique challenge to Imperial鈥檚 extraordinary people.
Is this you?
You鈥檙e searching for collaborators for your company鈥檚 blue-sky research; you鈥檝e got an incredible idea that needs testing; you have a pressing industry challenge you would like to address with expert thinking. No problem: Imperial Enterprise is here to help your business innovate and grow.
Whether you鈥檙e a startup, a multinational or driving change in the public sector, we can help you access the very best academic expertise 鈥 and even carry out joint research with Imperial, which may range from a single PhD project to a new department or centre.
Imperial鈥檚 extraordinary people have done everything from steadying the Leaning Tower of Pisa to helping care homes become more human-centred. Let鈥檚 have a conversation about how we can help you meet your challenges.
What to expect
We design every new project and partnership around addressing your specific needs and solving your problems. Imperial Enterprise can identify the experts who can drive your project forward and even bring together research teams to create new insights, technologies and techniques focused on the questions that affect your enterprise.
Meanwhile, we deliver exceptional and agile project management 鈥 from proposal and budgets through to contracts and intellectual property rights. This deeply collaborative and proven process has resulted in an abundance of new thinking, new ideas and, we鈥檙e proud to say, decades-long partnerships with some of the world鈥檚 biggest brands.
They鈥檝e discovered that one great idea inevitably leads to another 鈥 and we want to help you drive that change forward.
Who you'll work with
In 2010, experts at Imperial began working with Sainsbury鈥檚 to generate key bespoke knowledge to power its sustainability strategy in its shops and warehouses. The challenge? Marry the company鈥檚 ambitious growth plans to its equally ambitious carbon targets.
Dr Salvador Acha Izquierdo and his colleagues worked with the Sainsbury鈥檚 team to examine the performance of the company鈥檚 extensive buildings, and to quantify the impact of new technologies on the existing portfolio.
Today, Imperial鈥檚 experts work in a strategic partnership with Sainsbury鈥檚, adding cutting-edge insight across multiple projects. These include: decarbonising power, heating, cooling and transport services; understanding the impact of electrifying heating and transport systems; and ensuring that transitioning away from fossil fuels is commercially viable.
Return on investment
鈥淐arbon reduction is necessary not only to support our sustainability commitments, but also to make our business more efficient,鈥 says David Merefield, Carbon, Utilities and Engineering Manager at Sainsbury鈥檚. Working with an academic partner brings independence to the process, he says.
Imperial was already working with Sainsbury鈥檚 on a number of long-term projects, so a new partnership made perfect sense. 鈥淚t enables us to explore opportunities as part of the feasibility process in a different way, drawing on additional research and learning to ensure the decisions we make are balanced and right for the business,鈥 says Merefield. 鈥淲hen two brands come together with similar goals and objectives, it鈥檚 easy to set up partnerships and to create new ways of working.鈥
Start the conversation
Dr Viraj Perera, Director of Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation (Natural Sciences)
Case study: BASF
The sustainable solutions helping BASF improve its performance and resilience
Deep change requires teamwork. And for BASF, the world鈥檚 largest producer of chemicals, that teamwork now includes a major partnership with Imperial, one of just a few universities worldwide that the company has chosen to work with as a strategic partner.
The exciting and wide-ranging multi-disciplinary research brings together experts in disciplines that include not only chemistry and chemical engineering but also maths and computing.
Dozens of Imperial researchers across these fields are working with BASF on advanced research that is helping create more high-tech, sustainable and efficient chemical industries.
Professor Mimi Hii leads one of the key research groups involved. 鈥淢uch of our work is about working with responsible organisations to find sustainable solutions which will reduce their carbon footprint,鈥 she says. 鈥淭aken together, it gives us the chance to work on real-world processes and collectively make genuine impact on sustainability.鈥
To achieve these vital improvements in efficiency and sustainability, a major focus is the development of modern continuous production methods known as flow chemistry for the synthesis of low-volume, high-value products such as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and speciality chemicals.
Digitisation will also play a key role: drawing on one of Imperial鈥檚 key strengths, several researchers are working on applying digital technologies such as machine learning to automate and optimise chemical R&D and manufacturing.
Primary partners
Hii says that BASF鈥檚 forward-thinking and collaborative approach has always looked outside the immediate organisation, bringing in external expertise to encourage innovation. 鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly fulfilling to deliver our research and to then see it in the client鈥檚 processes. It鈥檚 very beneficial to both sides.鈥
鈥淲e appreciate the excellent infrastructure and cutting-edge research at Imperial,鈥 says Dr Christian Holtze, Academic Partnership Developer and Principal Scientist for Flow Chemistry at BASF. 鈥淭he cross-disciplinary approach and the impact-driven mindset are why we鈥檝e selected Imperial as our primary academic partner in the UK 鈥 one of a select few strategic partners worldwide.鈥
Professor Mimi Hii, Director of Imperial鈥檚 Centre for Rapid Online Analysis of Reactions, a facility for data-led chemistry on the White City Campus.
Professor Mimi Hii, Director of Imperial鈥檚 Centre for Rapid Online Analysis of Reactions, a facility for data-led chemistry on the White City Campus.
How to... invest in the future
Join Imperial鈥檚 brightest minds to tackle the biggest issues facing the planet.
Is this you?
Want to invest in a brighter future? Start here. Every year, Imperial鈥檚 brightest minds create around 100 new ventures, tackling the most significant issues facing our planet. Whether you鈥檙e a first-time angel or a seasoned VC, we鈥檒l give you access to our open investor ecosystem.
Following its launch in 2020, the first two iterations of the Imperial College Enterprise Fund (ICEF), managed by FCA-regulated Parkwalk Advisors, provided a tax-efficient means to invest in a portfolio of companies founded by Imperial staff, 天美传媒 and alumni. The Imperial Investor Network provides investors who are interested in directly supporting individual Imperial startups with curated lists of our latest investor-ready companies and invitations to exclusive showcase events.
What to expect
We offer a dynamic startup ecosystem: from fledgling companies looking to secure pre-seed funds through to established businesses raising Series B funding. The innovation delivered by Imperial鈥檚 new ventures reflect the College鈥檚 research strengths, translating deep-tech breakthroughs in medicine, engineering, biochemistry, physics and genetics into disruptive technology. We also apply new thinking in materials science, plant sciences, nanosciences, computer science and artificial intelligence.
All this is made possible by cutting-edge infrastructure and facilities, entrepreneurial training and venture-building programmes. The extensive Imperial network means that companies are mentored, nurtured and supported to be investor-ready and to close investment rounds.
How to find out more
To learn more about investing in Imperial startups or to join the Imperial Investor Network, drop us a line to be connected with our dedicated in-house seed investment managers.
Investing in any new business, and especially technology or science-focused businesses, is a high-risk activity. We strongly advise potential investors to take advice from a specialist in startup investment authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 before making an investment into any project. Imperial Enterprise does not provide investment advice and presents business plans and proposals for information only, without making any recommendations to potential investors. Startup success is difficult to predict: past startup success does not indicate or predict the success of others.
Investing in the future
When you invest in an Imperial startup, you鈥檙e backing founders at a critical point in their entrepreneurial journey, as they are leaving the College and taking their first steps in building a company capable of hitting their first milestones in order to secure follow-on investment 鈥 and a future. And a relatively small amount of investment at an early stage can be crucial to release a company鈥檚 potential, taking it from academia to the world and generating real impact.
In fact, your investment could help change the world, too. You鈥檒l help to accelerate the translation of disruptive ideas and technologies into real-world solutions designed to address the most significant issues facing our planet, such as in healthcare, energy, decarbonisation, clean water, global sustainability and nutrition.
Case studies: Powering the game-changers
How investment helped take three companies to the next level.
Charco Neurotech
Good vibrations
Vibration is often cited as the biggest help to the daily lives of people with Parkinson鈥檚, and is the driving force behind Lucy Jung and Dr Floyd Pierres鈥 search for a solution. The pair designed and developed the CUE1, a small, non-invasive device worn on the body to administer vibratory stimulation that relieves the movement symptoms of Parkinson鈥檚.
The project went viral 鈥 and they turned to Imperial鈥檚 Enterprise Lab to make it a reality. The Enterprise Lab introduced the fledgling Charco Neurotech to a number of critical new opportunities: it became part of Imperial White City Incubator鈥檚 Innovators鈥 Programme, and it joined additional programmes including RCA, the Imperial Venture Mentoring Service and the Imperial-led MedTech SuperConnector.
鈥淭his was a pivotal stage,鈥 says Jung, 鈥減roviding us with the pre-seed money to start the company. Later, we became Imperial College Enterprise Fund鈥檚 first portfolio company, contributing 拢205,000 during our first round.鈥
Following extensive testing, the CUE1 was launched in the EU and UK at the end of 2021. 鈥淚mperial has provided an invaluable ecosystem for Charco, supporting us since our inception with a wide array of services,鈥 says Jung.
鈥淎s one of our original investors, Imperial provided us with the guidance and grounding through which we were able to make key connections, as well as support in many key areas, including networking, business development and mentorship.鈥
Bramble Energy
Energy-saving ideas
Right now, the world needs game-changing green technologies, and Bramble Energy鈥檚 Printed Circuit Board Fuel Cell is just that. It鈥檚 a scalable way of storing renewably generated electricity as hydrogen that鈥檚 then regenerated as electricity when it鈥檚 needed most. Not only can it be manufactured quickly and efficiently in any printed circuit board factory worldwide, it uses an already well-established and rapid process.
Professor Anthony Kucernak, with colleagues from UCL, founded the company in 2015 to commercialise the technology, and once it was investor-ready, Imperial Enterprise introduced it to other investors.
In 2020, it raised a 拢5 million Series A investment, led by BGF and joined by other investors including IP Group, Parkwalk Advisors and UCL Technology Fund. 鈥淥ur relationship with Imperial Enterprise has been very positive,鈥 says Kucernak, who is also scientist-in-chief. 鈥淭he people there are very knowledgeable: they helped deal with many of the issues that arise when you are running a new company.鈥
In 2022, Bramble Energy completed a 拢35 million investment round to drive its game-changing technology forward, led by HydrogenOne Capital Growth and supported by the company鈥檚 existing investors. All high-value processes 鈥 such as developing prototyping and improving new technologies 鈥 will happen within the UK. 鈥淭he world is at a point where we need to make a significant transition in how we store and produce energy,鈥 says Kucernak. 鈥淐ompanies like Bramble are well placed to be a big part of that revolution.鈥
Lumirithmic
3D face capture
Super-realistic 3D face capture has only been achievable with expensive equipment 鈥 until now. Imperial startup Lumirithmic鈥檚 proprietary technology enables any company to deploy high-quality 3D appearance capture at scale for the mass market. It combines novel computational imaging with AI, enabling realistic facial capture in minutes for applications including video games, skincare, VR, retail experiences and film visual effects.
Finding the right investors for a deep tech company, however, is a challenge. 鈥淒eep tech represents a minority of all tech investments,鈥 says co-founder and CEO Gaurav Chawla. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very specialist asset class. We were looking for the right investors who had experienced this and we needed honest feedback on our business case.鈥
The company consulted with Imperial Enterprise and, in partnership, we helped to clarify their value proposition and present it to deep tech investors. And using Imperial鈥檚 expertise, enterprising ecosystem and network, the company found its first investors. 鈥淭hey were not just seasoned investors, but they were seasoned entrepreneurs and had been through the same journey,鈥 says Chawla.
Lumirithmic now has functioning products currently being commercialised. It closed two seed rounds in stealth from notable financial and tech investors, and, in July 2022, it came out of stealth to open a new 拢5 million round for angels and VCs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting time,鈥 says Chawla. 鈥淲e have a deep tech product and initial clients. We鈥檙e ready to scale.鈥
How to... pay it forward
Use your experience to help the next generation of innovators.
Is this you?
Do you want to help guide the next generation of innovators? Whether giving feedback on a pitch or helping a startup navigate the intricacies of IP, Imperial offers great opportunities to qualified mentors.
Could you join more than 75 professionals at the Experts-in-Residence Service, providing tailored support for startups 鈥 for example, on issues such as patent application or legal questions?
Or perhaps you could work long term with a startup moving to the next stage, via the Imperial Venture Mentoring Service (IVMS). Its mentors have now worked with more than 110 ventures that have collectively gone on to raise more than 拢55 million.
Alternatively, there are plenty of ad hoc opportunities to run workshops or provide help, without making a specific, set annual commitment.
What to expect
Once you鈥檝e decided you鈥檇 like to help 鈥 whatever your field of expertise 鈥 just get in touch with Imperial Enterprise. We鈥檒l work with you to help you find exactly the right place for you and your experience, and we鈥檒l help it go smoothly by supporting your mentoring activity.
Mentees get training too, to make sure they understand what to expect, the commitment required, and how to make the most of your involvement. Not sure where you might fit in? That鈥檚 fine. We welcome a variety of expertise and are delighted to help you find the right opportunity to get involved.
For an informal chat about the range of mentoring opportunities available at Imperial, whether that鈥檚 working with individuals, startups or established ventures hoping to take the next step, talk to us about how you can make the best use of your expertise.
How it will work
Like many dementia sufferers, Pat struggled to drink enough water: dehydration is one of the leading causes of death for people with the condition. After her grandson, Lewis Hornby, witnessed her struggle with dehydration, and after spending a year living in her care home, he was inspired to create Jelly Drops 鈥 super-hydrating sweets to help people with dementia get enough liquid.
But he needed help to take his idea to market 鈥 so, as an Imperial student, he applied to IVMS. 鈥淭he IVMS mentors have been invaluable to Jelly Drops鈥 success,鈥 says Hornby. 鈥淪ince we started working together, we have raised 拢500k investment, built a production facility and launched the product.
鈥淚t is invaluable to have impartial advisers who are not invested in the company but are still willing and able to share their extensive business-building experience.鈥
Return on investment
Paying it forward isn鈥檛 a one-way street 鈥 mentoring can be hugely rewarding for everyone concerned. It鈥檚 not just about being part of a world-leading community of talented 天美传媒 and researchers, either, but also being instrumental in driving forward Imperial鈥檚 thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.
鈥淭he quality of the other mentors is amazing,鈥 says marketing strategy and brand consultant Stella Hartley, who has mentored Imperial startups including Bia-Care, Community, Get Football and Hectar Farming.
鈥淚鈥檝e learnt a lot from them and enjoyed their company. IVMS offers startups an invaluable support network and a shortcut to business wisdom that would take years to accumulate. I feel I have been able to add value in terms of offering practical consumer-facing experience and access to a useful network.鈥
Case study: Mentoring for success
Dr Peter Collins, Imperial mentor and founder of Permasense, says commercial viability is key.
鈥淭he UK desperately needs to get better at commercialising its intellectual property. For our size, we鈥檙e disproportionally good at generating 鈥榗ommercialisable鈥 ideas 鈥 but we鈥檙e still not good at actually commercialising them. We鈥檙e much better at generating IP in our universities than we are at turning it into companies, revenue and jobs
Partly by luck and partly by judgment, I鈥檝e had a degree of success in turning spin-out companies into commercially viable companies. And it鈥檚 important to try and help those who are coming up behind me. That鈥檚 why I mentor for the Imperial Venture Mentoring Service (IVMS).
We will not compete on the global stage by making things to cost. Instead, we will build and sustain an economy that gives our children job opportunities and a future by building businesses differentiated by IP. Markets have never been so global 鈥 and the technology to access them has never been so inexpensive. As a mentor, I want to encourage people who have ideas to think globally 鈥 luckily, Imperial is a very international place to start with.
At IVMS, I mentor teams of mainly postgraduate research 天美传媒, sometimes with academic participation. It鈥檚 hugely important that these teams think in terms of commercial application and have the courage to have a go. My role as a mentor is to keep them grounded, without in any way diminishing their energy and positivity. It鈥檚 coming to them with a glass half-full approach. It鈥檚 not about warning them what they have missed, but about getting them to think about things they haven鈥檛 thought about, and the risks they need to be aware of 鈥 while sustaining their belief that they can transform the world.
Inspirational mentors
The IVMS team does a great job in pre-qualifying these student teams before they come to us mentors, to ensure that our time is used wisely. We鈥檇 love to see them get to commercial viability. If they don鈥檛 make it this time, the hope is that they have learned enough for their next project to be a success. It鈥檚 particularly inspiring for me to see that our teams have a good gender balance, with women in management and leadership positions 鈥 which my profession of engineering has not yet achieved.
I was lucky enough to be guided in my corporate career by several good bosses, but when I struck out on my own, I would have been very glad of someone who didn鈥檛 have a financial interest. That鈥檚 a key part of the IVMS mentorship: we all sign up to clear rules around not having a financial interest in the enterprise that we are mentoring. That makes it very different from being mentored by a boss or an investor. In those roles, you offer guidance and share experience 鈥 but of course you have your own agenda. A mentee cannot reject your advice. In my Imperial mentorship role, mentees are free to decide. And, of course, an emotionally intelligent mentee will always express appreciation for advice, even if they have no intention of following it.
Energy, positivity and intellect
Being a mentor is hugely rewarding. You are tapping into a huge well of energy, positivity and intellect. It鈥檚 quite humbling, frankly, but in the most positive way possible. I learn at least as much from the people I mentor as they learn from me.
It keeps me up to speed with what鈥檚 happening 鈥 not just in technology terms but how people are learning, which is quite different from how I learned.
For anyone who has retained any degree of pride and passion in building businesses based on science and technology, this is a chance to help others do the same. If you want to see this aspect of the country do well, share what you have learned. You will be sharing it with people who are hungry for it and who are intellectually equipped and keen to absorb it. I can鈥檛 encourage potential mentors enough.鈥
Dr Peter Collins is CEO of Permasense and a mentor with the Imperial Venture Mentoring Service
Dr Peter Collins is CEO of Permasense and a mentor with the Imperial Venture Mentoring Service
How to... perfect your product
To research, test and develop a world-beating product, you need facilities to match.
Is this you?
You鈥檝e got a groundbreaking idea or product prototype. Now, you need state-of-the-art facilities and expertise to research, test, develop and iterate. It doesn鈥檛 make commercial sense to create these resources from scratch 鈥 and, luckily, Imperial Consultants can ensure there is no need to.
Whether you need to test a racing car, innovate in biofuels or synthetic chemistry, design safety systems or track the behaviour of living tissue, our consultancy service has the technology and technical expertise.
Our Animal Models facility, for example, has been used for the development of RNA and DNA vaccines for global pharma companies, including the likes of Novartis and BioNtech, while our HEAD Lab has enabled SMEs to test their novel helmet designs on its cutting-edge test rig.
What to expect
Your project needs to move fast and be agile. That鈥檚 how we work, too. Once you鈥檝e set out your requirements, whether it鈥檚 long-term product development or one-off testing and analysis, we鈥檒l create a project scope covering costs, timeframes and expected outputs.
We鈥檒l find the right facilities, from single pieces of equipment to entire suites 鈥 our highly reconfigurable, temperature-controlled 10x5 wind tunnel, for example, has been used for everything from race car testing to research on the spread of COVID-19.
And our expert technicians and researchers will get the most out of every piece of kit. We鈥檒l keep you informed every step of the way 鈥 and we鈥檒l offer the insight to not just create your product or proof of concept, but future-proof it, too.
What we offer
Imperial is a one-stop shop for facilities across a broad range of disciplines. Take our life science biotechnology facilities, custom-built for innovation in a rapidly changing field.
鈥淲e have all the cutting-edge equipment you might expect: automation, liquid handling robots, analytics, DNA synthesis, cell analyses and high-throughput microscopy,鈥 says Professor Paul Freemont, Director of the London Biofoundry.
The facilities also showcase and test beta versions of infrastructure and instrumentation. 鈥淏ut equipment is nothing without the people who use it,鈥 Freemont points out.
鈥淲ork with us and your company will be part of an active and vibrant biotechnology ecosystem of experts which works fast and flexibly and is at the forefront of technological innovation.鈥
Return on investment
Difficult-to-treat cancers require seriously complex science, and Prokarium is harnessing evolution: designing the perfect bacteria to be the next cancer immunotherapy platform.
Prokarium鈥檚 CEO Dr Kristen Albright was impressed by the expertise at the London Biofoundry, part of the National Innovation and Knowledge Centre for Synthetic Biology 鈥 SynbiCITE 鈥 at Imperial, and the facilities at the Translation and Innovation Hub (I-HUB) on the White City Campus. Now, they鈥檙e collaborating on Prokarium鈥檚 next-generation therapies.
The first successful project was completed in 2021: new work will use Biofoundry鈥檚 directed evolution and strain engineering workflows to further develop Prokarium鈥檚 therapeutic pipeline, as well as taking several therapeutic candidates to pre-clinical development testing.
How to... take new technologies to a global market
When it comes to reaching the market, match your vision with Imperial鈥檚 technology.
Is this you?
You want to solve the world鈥檚 biggest challenges 鈥 antibiotic resistance, climate change, cybersecurity 鈥 and so do we. You have the vision: we have technology to help realise it.
If you鈥檙e searching for research and transformational technology with vast potential for commercialisation, our world-class academics and startups are ready for your call. That鈥檚 how we鈥檝e already helped companies like yours take our technologies from a wide range of fields, including automotive, electronics, diagnostics, therapeutics, medtech and software 鈥 and make them go global with maximum impact.
And if you鈥檇 rather harness our researchers鈥 expertise to work on your own research with IP potential, we鈥檙e eager to work with you to take it to the next level.
What you can access
Antibiotic resistance is a growing and terrifying challenge with the potential to cause an estimated ten million deaths a year by 2050. Using the right antibiotic is key in preventing increased resistance. But there鈥檚 no quick way to detect the spread of antibiotic resistance. Clinicians therefore must shoot in the dark.
Dr Gerald Larrouy-Maumus at the MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection has found a way of rapidly testing for bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotics of last resort. The new test can be carried out at the point of need and the result takes just 30 minutes to come through rather than the usual one to two days. Without an industry partner, this breakthrough would still be in the lab.
Return on investment
Bruker Daltonics, the global mass spectrometry and diagnostic company, was quick to realise the technology鈥檚 potential. 鈥淭here was and is a common idea and spirit to create an innovative future diagnostic, to improve healthcare,鈥 says Dr Markus Kostrzewa, Executive Vice President Innovation of Bruker鈥檚 Microbiology and Diagnostics Division.
Through a research partnership with Imperial, it has created and launched the MBT Lipid Xtract鈩 Kit, which is now available for research use. Analyses can be performed in less than an hour 鈥 much faster than currently available phenotypic tests. Bruker Daltonics is now intending to develop a diagnostic solution based on Imperial鈥檚 technology that can be used in hospitals 鈥 enabling clinicians to make a much faster decision on the most appropriate therapy for patients with bacterial infections.
Next steps
We want the world to easily see all the innovation we鈥檝e got to offer. That鈥檚 why anyone can view all our current technologies available for licensing: simply check out Imperial.tech, the platform we use to promote Imperial researchers鈥 innovative technologies.
We carry out due diligence on all our technologies to ensure product claims can be substantiated, that the same technology does not exist already, and that it has commercial potential.
Seen something that interests you? Give us a call. You鈥檒l then work with our expert teams who will smooth the translation journey from lab to real-world impact. Or if you want to work with us to help you create entirely new research with IP potential, let鈥檚 get that conversation started.
Start the conversation
Dr Viraj Perera, Director of Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation (Natural Sciences)
Case study: Arovella
How a licensing agreement could help revolutionise cancer treatment.
In 2020, Dr Michael Baker joined biotechnology company Arovella Therapeutics as CEO with a mission: to find new and transformational technologies to license and use to create new treatments. 鈥淲e scoured the globe,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e wanted something with exciting pre-clinical data and genuine real-world potential.鈥
That search led him to Professor Tassos Karadimitris鈥檚 work on the invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell, a rare type of immune cell that works alongside antibodies and T cells as part of the body鈥檚 natural immune defences. The two connected and talked. 鈥淗aving that ability to talk to Professor Karadimitris was really important,鈥 says Baker. 鈥淚t led to a very collaborative and collegial relationship.鈥
Karadimitris鈥檚 approach, known as CAR-iNKT, resembles an existing advanced form of medicine, CAR-T therapy, currently successfully used to treat certain blood cancers.
Conventional T cells cannot be transplanted from one person to another, because they attack the recipient鈥檚 cells. So, in CAR-T therapy, cells are taken from the patient and genetically modified to produce a bespoke medicine. This is expensive, costing upwards of 拢200,000 per treatment.
A world-class team
The new approach has several advantages: most notably, that it can be produced as an off-the-shelf treatment. iNKT cells can be transplanted from person to person. And Karadimitris鈥檚 research has found a way for donated cells to be mass produced 鈥 at a much lower cost.
Through Imperial Enterprise, intellectual property generated by Karadimitris and his team has now been licensed to Arovella. Alongside the licensing agreement, Karadimitris and colleagues will now carry out collaborative research with Arovella, and Karadimitris himself chairs Arovella鈥檚 Scientific Advisory Board for the programme. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 even aware that my work might attract this attention, though of course we believed strongly in its therapeutic potential,鈥 says Karadimitris. 鈥淭he connection with Arovella came about entirely because my work was promoted by Imperial Enterprise.鈥
Dr Michael Baker, CEO of Arovella Therapeutics, saw the engineered iNKT cells up-close at a recent visit to Imperial.
Dr Michael Baker, CEO of Arovella Therapeutics, saw the engineered iNKT cells up-close at a recent visit to Imperial.
How to... explore the possibilities
Imperial Business Partners offers access to the best of Imperial鈥檚 technologies, expertise and facilities.
Is this you?
Perhaps you鈥檝e got a specific challenge and would like to understand the latest academic thinking on it. Maybe you鈥檙e looking for unrivalled networking opportunities with like-minded people from the business community, academics in related fields and stakeholders. Or perhaps you know that Imperial could benefit your business, but you鈥檙e not quite sure where to start.
Then welcome to Imperial Business Partners. We鈥檙e a unique membership body enabling organisations like yours to discover and access more than 4,000 academic experts, a thriving ecosystem of inventors and high-tech startups, and some of the brightest graduate 天美传媒 in the world.
Let Imperial Business Partners be your guide through all the ways that Imperial can help drive your business forward.
What to expect
Once you sign our membership agreement, your Imperial Business Partners account manager will work closely with you to create a curated navigation of research and expertise.
We鈥檒l take you through a three-stage Pathfinder journey 鈥 scoping, exploration and delivery 鈥 that is designed to align your organisation鈥檚 business needs and challenges with the most relevant areas of our science, technology and business expertise. This could include design-thinking workshops, keynote academic speakers or startup support engagement programmes.
Then we鈥檒l identify and arrange meetings with suitable academics who can help you solve specific problems. Plus, we鈥檒l work with you if required to find the best vehicle for further collaboration 鈥 a consultancy project, for example, or a research partnership.
What we offer
Once your project is scoped and ready, and you have decided which Pathfinder activities are relevant to you, we鈥檒l identify the people and teams most relevant to your needs from across our community, and deliver a bespoke package of activities and initiatives designed to address your specific challenges.
Imperial鈥檚 world-leading specialists, researchers and technicians have deep expertise in their subject areas, plus access to the very latest technology and equipment across a wide range of fields. You鈥檒l also have the opportunity to work with Imperial鈥檚 foresight practice, Imperial Tech Foresight. They鈥檙e experts at horizon-scanning, giving you access to and insight into the cutting-edge ideas and trends that will impact business environments across sectors, from financial services to heavy engineering.
Return on investment
Multinational energy company SSEN joined Imperial Business Partners in 2018 to gain insight into complex systems and the transition to net-zero carbon technologies.
鈥淲e were able to use Imperial鈥檚 breadth of experience to identify examples from other sectors where complex system interactions were creating unintended consequences. This allowed us to gain insight and options for research into new solutions and mitigations,鈥 says Stewart Reid, Head of Future Networks at SSEN.
Emmeline Smart, Head of Continuous Improvement and Agile Practice, says that the partnership has helped inform decision making. 鈥淭he calibre of research and academic insight at Imperial has been consistently excellent. We have benefited from the access that the partnership has given us to engage with Imperial鈥檚 academics.鈥
Case study: Advantage Austria
How a trade promotion organisation found success with Imperial Business Partners.
Dr Peter Pesl (left) from Advantage Austria with Chris Parker, Imperial Business Partners, on the South Kensington Campus.
Dr Peter Pesl (left) from Advantage Austria with Chris Parker, Imperial Business Partners, on the South Kensington Campus.
When Advantage Austria shifted its focus towards bringing businesses together with innovation and knowledge, it discovered Imperial was the perfect place to find both. 鈥淲e want to help Austrian businesses of all sizes and of all stages succeed,鈥 says Dr Peter Pesl, Head of Technology and Innovation at Advantage Austria UK, a trade promotion organisation originally formed to help Austrian companies export to the UK. 鈥淭hat could be finding new partners, research projects, customers or markets. Imperial is one of the few universities that has a very practical focus on science, medicine and technology 鈥 all very relevant for us in a business context.鈥
Imperial and Advantage Austria already had an informal relationship: as a graduate and former researcher, Pesl had called on the expertise of former colleagues for talks and workshops. But he wanted to find a way that Advantage Austria could access everything Imperial has to offer, without just relying on his connections. Joining Imperial Business Partners (IBP) was the logical next step, and the organisation became a member in 2019.
鈥淥ur organisation is a little different from the typical profile of companies that use Imperial鈥檚 expertise to solve a particular problem 鈥 we don鈥檛 have a specific problem to solve,鈥 says Pesl. 鈥淩ather, we are a gateway for many other companies. It has been fascinating to work with IBP and find out how we can benefit those companies together.鈥
Amazing feedback
That work includes everything from 鈥榣aptop learning鈥 online sessions and workshops with Imperial experts 鈥 on topics such as cybersecurity and the future of energy storage 鈥 to carefully curated face-to-face events around a particular topic. A recent event for visiting Austrian business leaders, for example, was themed around the factory of the future, looking at innovations from design to production.
鈥淭his small group of business decision-makers had the opportunity for really close discussions with individual academics from all areas of Imperial: from the Dyson School of Design Engineering to the Mechanical Engineering department,鈥 says Pesl. 鈥淭he feedback was amazing. The Imperial experts were so engaging and so enthusiastic about working with the companies.鈥 The next event will focus on another highly relevant topic: the future of health tech.
At the forefront of innovation
For Advantage Austria, IBP membership is an ideal way to add value to its mission of being at the forefront of where innovation is happening. 鈥淚t means Austrian companies get access to expertise, research, ideas and connections from across the board, whether that鈥檚 innovations from the Imperial startup and spin-out ecosystem or future thinking from Imperial Tech Foresight,鈥 says Pesl. 鈥淎nd sometimes, just being exposed to something new can have great consequences further down the line. It works for everyone.鈥
Get in touch
Imperial Enterprise is ready to become part of your extended network. Whether you have a clear idea of what you鈥檙e looking for or you鈥檇 like an informal introduction, don鈥檛 hesitate to get in touch.
Use the contact form below or email one of the team members listed to the right. You can also .
Dr Simon Hepworth
Director of Enterprise
天美传媒
Dr Viraj Perera
Director of Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation (Natural Sciences)
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Julia Zanghieri
Associate Director of Engagement Services
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Illustrations by Jamie Jones