Imperial and the Technical University of Munich strengthened their ties in innovation and industry at the Bavaria - London Business Forum this week.

Leaders from Imperial, TUM, the Bavarian State government and businesses from London and Germany joined the Deputy Mayor of London, Rajesh Agrawal, to discuss ways to ensure that the strong partnerships in science, business and culture can be expanded.

The universities formed a ‘flagship’ strategic partnership last year and now intend to develop programmes to link their research and innovation ecosystems, including the White City Translation Campus of Imperial and the Garching Campus of TUM.

Imperial and TUM will also explore new joint entrepreneurship and innovation programmes linking Imperial’s Enterprise Lab, Advanced Hackspace and Invention Rooms with TUM Entrepreneurship and UnternehmerTUM, the Centre for Innovation and Business Creation at TUM.

They will also engage industry partners and centres of research excellence across London and Munich and explore ways to align with the UK Industrial Strategy and the German High Tech Strategy and Bavarian economic and innovation strategies.

Imperial and TUM have jointly funded 20 new research projects across science, engineering and medicine that will engage researchers at both institutions in fields ranging from aeronautics to design engineering to nanomedicine.

Flagship partnership

Speaking at the event, Vice President (International) Professor Maggie Dallman said: “We want to use these connections to build further opportunities with industry and in innovation in London and Munich, especially in White City and in Garching.

“We are two of the world’s most entrepreneurial universities in two of the world’s most dynamic cities and there’s much more we can be doing together.”

Imperial and TUM have been collaborating for decades. The last five years alone have seen academics publish 500 joint research papers together and work on 27-EU funded projects.

TUM Senior Vice President for International Alliances and Alumni Professor Juliane Winkelmann, said: “Imperial is one of our dearest partners, and we are connected by a long tradition of research collaboration.

"Imperial and TUM have an almost identical portfolio with regards to subject areas, but also regarding ambition in research and education, innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as our role within the society.”

The Deputy Prime Minister of Bavaria, Hubert Aiwanger said: “London is unprecedented in terms of international success and exchange. I think everyone here is convinced we need strong business relationships.”

Allen Simpson, Director of Strategy at London & Partners, who hosted the event, said: “We’re celebrating a really important agreement between TUM and Imperial which demonstrates importance of effectively incubating academic research and ideas. World class innovation needs to be supported.”