Imperial and The George Institute to drive sustainable global health systems

The George Institute’s SMARThealth programme in Andhra Pradesh, India

Imperial has established a new partnership with The George Institute for Global Health, focusing on innovative and sustainable global health systems.

The George Institute will join forces with Imperial’s world leading School of Public Health for an initial period of twelve months to spur transformative interdisciplinary research, impact-driven advocacy, and disruptive entrepreneurship through collaborations between researchers at both institutions.

The George Institute for Global Health is an independent, not-for-profit, medical research organisation, established 20 years ago, with major centres in Australia, China, India and the UK and research programmes in 45 countries worldwide.

Transformative research initiatives

The new partnership will focus on large-scale transformative research initiatives supporting the UN’s Universal Health Coverage agenda and relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Collaborative research will drive understanding in the lifelong health of women and girls, innovation in clinical care for the management of patients with common chronic and complex conditions, and healthcare entrepreneurship focused on the development and evaluation of business models that facilitate disruptive innovation in the development of low-cost health products and services.

The George Institute will be based at our White City Campus, a region which is quickly emerging as the capital’s latest hub for life sciences research and innovation.

Dynamic new chapter

Professor Nick Jennings, Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise), said: “This partnership will drive the development of global health systems that are both innovative and sustainable, with the power to improve the health of millions worldwide. Bringing together leading expertise from across the College and The George Institute will allow us to tackle some of the greatest health challenges facing the world right now, through interdisciplinary research and entrepreneurship.”

Co-founders and Principal Directors of The George Institute, Professors Stephen MacMahon and Robyn Norton, said: “Imperial College London is a world-class centre of science excellence, and so this partnership represents a dynamic new chapter for the George Institute in the UK and for the Institute globally, through which we will advance our work addressing the global pandemics of non-communicable disease and injury, building on our considerable expertise in the design and analysis of large-scale clinical trials, epidemiological studies, and health systems research.”

The George Institute’s mission of improving the health of millions of people worldwide aligns with the College’s School of Public Health, where the Institute will be based. The School aims to achieve better health in the population through strengthening the public health science base, training the next generation of public health leaders, and influencing health policies and programmes.

Professor Deborah Ashby, Director of the School of Public Health, said: “I am delighted to welcome colleagues from the George to the School of Public Health, and we are really looking forward to working with them in this exciting new partnership."

For further information, please refer to Frequently Asked Questions on the George Institute for Global Health UK website.