Imperial College London and Science Gallery Bengaluru unite to accelerate UK-India innovation links

Bengaluru. A groundbreaking partnership between the UK’s top university and Science Gallery Bengaluru (SGB) – a cutting-edge hub for innovation, research and public engagement – will drive the exchange of talent and knowledge between the UK, India and the rest of the world, with the development of new facilities, a joint fellowship programme, and public engagement activities.

The announcement was made as Imperial’s President joins a UK delegation led by the British Prime Minister, who is making his first official visit to India, alongside Dr Jahnavi Phalkey, Founding Director at Science Gallery Bengaluru.

Through this new partnership, the two organisations plan to co-develop cutting-edge open research facilities on-site at SGB, boost UK-India and global talent exchange through a joint Fellowship, and explore public engagement, research and education collaborations based on shared expertise and facilities. By joining forces, the two organisations will train the innovators of the future and cultivate the next generation of talent.

The new partnership between Science Gallery Bengaluru and Imperial sees a commitment to grow the international impact of the Science Gallery’s Public Lab Complex and co-develop a new portfolio of initiatives spanning innovation and discovery challenges, science and technology fellowships, and public engagement.

This knowledge bridge between the WestTech London innovation ecosystem, which currently houses 1,000 frontier innovation businesses who turned over £9 billion in 2023, and Bengaluru, home to over 400 industrial R&D units, will give fellows the opportunity to develop their skills in two of the world’s most vibrant environments for innovators.

Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London, said: “This exciting partnership is a launchpad for UK-India innovation and scientific collaboration. Imperial’s innovation and incubation expertise will create a unique lab and convening space with Science Gallery Bengaluru where cutting-edge solutions to global issues will be discovered, designed and delivered.

“Our participation in the Prime Minister’s first India visit signals the role Imperial plays in strengthening UK-India partnerships, following the launch of our Imperial Global India hub earlier this year. By joining forces across continents, we are deepening research and innovation collaboration between the two countries, and building bridges that will empower the next generation of scientists, thinkers, leaders and changemakers.”

Dr Jahnavi Phalkey, Founding Director at Science Gallery Bengaluru said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Imperial College London to co-develop our Public Lab Complex. This is an important step in creating shared spaces where inquiry, creativity, and learning thrive across borders. We are excited about what we can build together.

“Together we want to drive locally rooted and globally relevant innovation through community-engaged science that encourages researchers to draw in diverse perspectives and influences to shape and inspire their ideas. This will equip the next generation of innovators and scientific leaders to translate their research into real-world impactful applications and bring us closer to solving shared global challenges.”

The Public Lab Complex is partially and generously supported at present by Tata Trusts, TTK Prestige, and the Samagata Foundation.

This commitment was marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by Amanda Wolthuizen, Vice-President (Strategic Engagement) at Imperial and Dr Jahnavi Phalkey, Founding Director at the Science Gallery Bengaluru.

Amanda Wolthuizen, Vice-President (Strategic Engagement) of Imperial College London said: “We are especially pleased to strengthen our relationship with Science Gallery Bengaluru following the official launch of Imperial Global India* that convened hundreds of researchers, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, policymakers, educators, and alumni in this beautiful and fitting scientific exhibition space in May 2025.

“Imperial Global India* represents our commitment to co-creating partnerships within India’s dynamic science and technology ecosystem and is the latest addition to our international network that spans San Francisco, Singapore and Accra. With this initiative in Bengaluru, we are moving forward in our ambition to co-develop programmes that foster impactful two-way exchanges of ideas, talent and innovation between the UK and India.”

UK Science Minister Lord Vallance said: “Science is international by definition. We can aim higher and go further when we work together. This is especially true for the UK and India, where deep links in areas like life sciences are bolstered by our deepening trade relationship, and our unique historical and cultural bonds – all of which are being highlighted by the Prime Minister’s landmark trade mission to India, this week.

“Imperial deepening its ties with Bengaluru will enable its international community of students, researchers and innovators to work with their India-based counterparts, on efforts that could drive growth, unlock investment, and deliver breakthroughs from health to energy, and beyond. It also boosts a formidable global network the University is building, across the world.”

Imperial’s reputation for cutting edge convergence science research, combined with Science Gallery Bengaluru’s dynamic public engagement expertise and platforms, will power programmes and spaces where early-career researchers and emerging innovators can experiment, collaborate, and connect across boundaries.

Proposed joint initiatives being explored include:

Diversifying and expanding the Science Gallery Bengaluru’s Public Lab Complex with five existing areas: the Nature Lab, the Materials Lab, the Food Lab, the New Media Lab, and the Theory Lab. Activities will be supported through accompanying research spaces already constructed within Science Gallery Bengaluru such as a dark room, tissue culture room, and microscopy.

Co-developing programmes that create a bridge between the Science Gallery Bengaluru’s Public Lab Complex and the WestTech London innovation ecosystem and Imperial Schools of Convergence Science.

A reciprocal Fellowship and Apprenticeship programme where a cohort of talented individuals from India, the UK and across the world, from different disciplines, will work on creative approaches to develop open-ended experiments and problem solving that expand the horizons of science and technology.

Co-creating an annual programme of public and community engagement events that align with Science Gallery Bengaluru’s ‘Late Labs’ and ‘Science with Society’ initiatives.

* Imperial has applied to set up its own liaison office in India, which is pending approval from the relevant regulatory authorities in India.

About Imperial College London

We are Imperial – a world-leading university for science, technology, engineering, medicine and business (STEMB), where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.

As a global top ten university in London, we use science to try to understand more of the universe and improve the lives of more people in it. Across our 10 campuses and throughout our Imperial Global network, our 22,000 students, 8,000 staff, and partners work together on scientific discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. Their work navigates some of the world’s toughest challenges in global health, climate change, AI, business leadership and more.

Founded in 1907, Imperial’s future builds on a distinguished past, having pioneered penicillin, holography and fibre optics. Today, Imperial combines exceptional teaching, world-class facilities and a habit of interdisciplinary practice to unlock scientific imagination.

About Science Gallery Bengaluru

Science Gallery Bengaluru (SGB) is a not-for-profit public institution for research-based engagement targeted at young adults working at the intersection of the human, natural, and social sciences, and engineering, art, and design.

SGB’s public engagement model moves beyond participation, and towards proactive involvement through ever-changing research festivals anchored by interdisciplinary exhibitions, programmes, and public events consisting of research-based engagements led by artists and scholars from diverse backgrounds. SGB is established with the founding support of the Government of Karnataka and three academic partners—Indian Institute of Science, National Centre for Biological Sciences, and Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology.