New club will be home to $1bn low emissions energy tech fund and 400 growing businesses.

Imperial College London ThinkSpace has signed an agreement with award-winning workspace provider Central Working to create the company’s first university-linked shared workspace in London, Central Working White City.

Central Working White City will open in the recently completed Translation & Innovation Hub (I-HUB) located at Imperial College London’s White City Campus – a 23-acre research and innovation district for science, engineering, medicine and business in West London.

Due to open in May 2017, the Central Working club has already signed its first tenant – OGCI Climate Investments. The company is a start up with 1bn dollars of funding from major oil and gas companies to invest in technology to accelerate the development of emission reduction technology. OGCI Climate Investments will base itself from Central Working White City as it works to develop low emissions technologies and forge connections with the UK’s innovative start-up community and Imperial’s world-leading researchers.

The new site will provide support and space for more than 400 businesses who will have access to the wider Central Working network, as well as Imperial’s extensive network of researchers, academics and other corporate partners.

Dominic Emery, Interim CEO of OGCI Climate Investments, said: “The OGCI is committed to uncovering and developing technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next ten years, and collaboration will prove vital in tackling the climate challenge. Imperial College London provides access to the university’s world-leading energy and engineering research, while basing Climate Investments from Central Working presents the invaluable opportunity to tap into the UK’s innovative growing business community.”

James Layfield, Founder of Central Working, said: “We’ve always championed the power of collaboration, so we’re delighted to provide a base for this partnership from the world’s biggest energy companies to develop pioneering clean energy technology. By bridging the gap between this leading educational institution, the capital’s most exciting growing companies and multinational corporates, we will ensure London remains the global city of choice for innovative business ideas.”

 Dr Eulian Roberts, Chief Executive of Imperial College ThinkSpace, said:  “Throughout its history, Imperial has partnered with industry to find solutions to some of the greatest challenges we face.  To meet the challenges of the future, we need the world’s best minds and businesses to work even more closely together.  At the White City Campus, researchers, corporations and start-ups will collaborate side-by-side in a creative and interactive environment.  Energy is a global issue that cuts across disciplines and we’re very pleased to welcome OGCI to the campus as part of Central Working’s fantastic shared workspace.” 

The I-HUB is located on the northern side of Imperial College London’s White City Campus, alongside research clusters in chemistry and biomedical engineering.  As well as the new Central Working space, the I-HUB is home to a newly-opened incubator for lab-based start-up and spin-out companies, helping to translate research into new products and services. The wider campus will be home to new spaces for multidisciplinary academic research, commercial and research partners, and public areas for people to meet, mix and engage with Imperial’s work.  The College was recently voted the third best University in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2016.

Central Working Partners with Imperial College on White City Campus full press release