Year ended 31 July 2021
Independent auditors’ report to the Council of Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (“Imperial College London” or the “College”)
Report on the audit of the financial statements
Opinion
In our opinion, Imperial College London’s group financial statements and College financial statements (the “financial statements”):
- give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and of the College’s affairs as at 31 July 2021 and of the group’s and of the College’s income and expenditure, gains and losses and changes in reserves, and of the group’s cash flows for the year then ended;
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice
- (United Kingdom Accounting Standards, comprising FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland”, and applicable law); and
- have been properly prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Office for Students’ Accounts Direction (OfS 2019.41).
We have audited the financial statements, included within the Annual Report and Accounts (the “Annual Report”), which comprise the consolidated and College Statements of financial position as at 31 July 2021; the consolidated and College Statements of comprehensive income and expenditure, the consolidated and College Statements of changes in reserves, and the Consolidated statement of cash flows for the year then ended; the Statement of principle accounting policies; and the notes to the financial statements.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (“ISAs (UK)”) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under ISAs (UK) are further described in the Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Independence
We remained independent of the group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, which includes the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.
Conclusions relating to going concern
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group’s and College’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from the date on which the financial statements are authorised for issue.
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Council’s use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
However, because not all future events or conditions can be predicted, this conclusion is not a guarantee as to the group and College’s ability to continue as a going concern.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Council with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Reporting on other information
The other information comprises all of the information in the Annual Report other than the financial statements and our auditors’ report thereon. The Council is responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion or any form of assurance thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify an apparent material inconsistency or material misstatement, we are required to perform procedures to conclude whether there is a material misstatement of the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information.
If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report based on these responsibilities.
Responsibilities for the financial statements and the audit
Responsibilities of the Council for the financial statements
As explained more fully in the Responsibilities of the Council, the Council is responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the applicable framework and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view. The Council is also responsible for such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the Council is responsible for assessing the group and College’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Council either intends to liquidate the group and College or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditors’ report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
Based on our understanding of the institution/industry, we identified that the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and regulations related to the Office for Students initial and general ongoing condition of registration, and the Office for Students’ Accounts Direction (OfS 2019.41), and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls) and determined that the principal risks were related to the use of journals to manipulate financial performance, management bias in accounting estimates and judgements. Audit procedures performed included:
- identifying and testing journal entries using a risk-based targeting approach for unexpected account combinations;
- challenging assumptions and judgements made by management in determining significant accounting estimates (because of the risk of management bias), in particular in relation to the valuation of investment properties, the gain recognised on the disposal of Centre House Building at White City, the calculation of the USS pension provision; and
- discussions with management, internal audit and those charged with governance, including consideration of known or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations and fraud.
There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above. We are less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations that are not closely related to events and transactions reflected in the financial statements. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditors’ report.
Use of this report
This report, including the opinions, has been prepared for and only for the Council as a body in accordance with Statute 11 of the Charters and Statutes of the College -and for no other purpose. We do not, in giving these opinions, accept or assume responsibility for any other purpose or to any other person to whom this report is shown or into whose hands it may come save where expressly agreed by our prior consent in writing.
Other required reporting
Opinions on other matters prescribed in the Office for Students’ Accounts Direction (OfS 2019.41)
In our opinion, in all material respects:
- funds from whatever source administered by the College for specific purposes have been properly applied to those purposes and, if relevant, managed in accordance with relevant legislation;
- funds provided by the Office for Students, UK Research and Innovation (including Research England) have been applied in accordance with the relevant terms and conditions.
Under the Office for Students’ Accounts Direction, we are required to report to you, if we have anything to report in respect of the following matters:
- The College’s grant and fee income, as disclosed in note 4 to the financial statements, has been materially misstated; or
- The College’s expenditure on access and participation activities for the financial year, as disclosed in note 11 to the financial statements, has been materially misstated.
We have no matters to report arising from this responsibility.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors London
26 November 2021