Local Council Leader outlines innovation vision for White City at Imperial

Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council Councillor Stephen Cowan outlining his vision of White City at Scale Space

Imperial hosted the Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council Councillor Stephen Cowan at Scale Space for a briefing event.

Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council (H&F) Councillor Stephen Cowan spoke about the role of local government in supporting economic growth in White City and beyond. He highlighted the key role of Imperial’s White City Campus in attracting investment and economic opportunity to Hammersmith and Fulham. Together, Imperial and Hammersmith & Fulham Council are supporting the development of a world-class innovation ecosystem in White City, fuelled by close collaboration between academics, businesses, entrepreneurs and residents.

Imperial partnered with H&F to launch an Industrial Strategy, Economic Growth for Everyone, in 2017. Councillor Cowan stated that the Strategy had led to Hammersmith and Fulham becoming a global economic and cultural hotspot in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and the creative industries. He also outlined that the Strategy creates opportunities for the next generation of scientists, engineers and makers in the local area.

Councillor Stephen Cowan said, “Our groundbreaking Industrial Strategy partnership with Imperial Collage London, now six years old, has produced more high value business investment than the rest of West London put together and is growing Hammersmith & Fulham into a global hotspot in the smartest areas of the new world economy.”

The briefing event was organised by business advocacy group BusinessLDN and was attended by local stakeholders from a range of sectors, including housing, infrastructure, and professional services. The event was held at Scale Space, a joint venture between the College and digital venture builder Blenheim Chalcot. Scale Space is a new community at White City where innovative businesses can scale up their operations by giving them access to the resources needed to grow.

Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) Professor Mary Ryan set out how the College is supporting Hammersmith & Fulham Council's mission of inclusive growth through our unique partnership with the local council.

Professor Ryan outlined how the White City Campus is building a strong innovation ecosystem in the local area, co-locating university R&D with industrial collaborators and supporting start-ups and spin outs to accelerate growth.

She highlighted that the White City Campus has been engaging in new ways with the local community through its outreach activities and participatory-led research. The Invention Rooms is a unique space with cutting-edge facilities where local residents of all ages and backgrounds can learn new skills in science and technology. The West London Healthy Home and Environment Study (WellHome) led by the Environmental Research Group is working in partnership with the local community to examine the quality of indoor and outdoor pollution around the homes of local White City residents.

Imperial and the White City Innovation District

Imperial’s White City Campus anchors the White City Innovation District, which builds on the foundations of a longstanding partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham Council to deliver inclusive economic growth in the local area. At White City, Imperial is bringing academia and business together on an unprecedented scale to support economic growth and local skills, enterprise and innovation with an impact locally and across the UK. The District plays a pivotal role in supporting the success of breakthrough industries, innovative public services, and ground-breaking scientific research.

The White City Innovation District is now home to some of the world’s most innovative organisations, spanning life sciences, deep tech, media and the creative arts. There are now global businesses in the Innovation District like Novartis, UK tech businesses such as One Web and Avacta as well as Imperial staff and student spin outs like Puraffinity and Multus Media who are scaling up in the White City Campus.