More than £55 million was donated to Imperial during 2021/22 according to new figures released today by the College’s Advancement Division

More than 3,600 individuals and organisations donated during the 2021/22 financial year, raising a total of £55.5 million for academic posts, student support and campus facilities.

This year's support reflects the generosity of our community. Michael Murphy Vice-President (Advancement)

The total, which includes donations from alumni and private philanthropists, alongside grants from charitable foundations and other funders of research, is nearly double that raised in the previous year and the second highest total in the College’s history.

Philanthropy supported a number of major research initiatives this year. A founding donation of £25 million from Aeronautical Engineering alumnus Brahmal Vasudevan and his wife Shanthi Kandiah established the Brahmal Vasudevan Institute for Sustainable Aviation, which will drive the transition to zero pollution air travel. Other gifts will support a low-cost air pollution monitoring system, enable a new study looking at how vaccines work in cells, and establish a new lab focusing on the role of distributed ledger technology in the circular economy.

Around £16 million was donated for scholarships and student assistance, including a gift of £3.5 million from the Michael Uren Foundation that will create two PhD scholarships in engineering and in medicine, and also establish a student prize – one of the most generous in the UK – for research that has real-world impact. A new Sanctuary Scholarship was established with support from many members of staff and Council to provide financial assistance to students from displaced communities, such as those affected by the war in Ukraine.

I am giving back with gratitude in return for all that I received during my studies. Theodosis Michalopoulos Faculty of Engineering, 2001

The majority of those who made a donation during 2021/22 were alumni donors, many of them responding to postal or telephone fundraising campaigns, which together raised nearly £600,000 for student support and other College priorities this year.

Engineering alumnus Theodosis Michalopoulos, who donated to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of his graduation in 2021, said: “Being a member of the Imperial donor community makes me feel good and connected with the place that helped me progress in my life – it feels I am giving back with gratitude in return for all what I received during my studies.”

Michael Murphy, Vice President (Advancement) said: “This year’s support reflects the generosity of our community and the collective efforts of many Advancement colleagues who I would like to thank for their hard work and ability to adapt to the challenges that the pandemic has thrown our way. We are grateful also to the many academic colleagues and staff who have contributed by meeting with donors to introduce the College and explain their work.  

Imperial’s Advancement Division focuses on building relationships with donors, alumni, and other supporters, to advance the College’s mission of excellence in research and education. Fundraising is an important aspect of this, and Advancement has specialist teams focusing on raising funds from alumni, individual philanthropists, families, and charitable foundations. Other Advancement work focuses on alumni relations, events and other operational support services.