Mumbai: The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) and Imperial College London are set to launch joint research and innovation programmes, student and researcher exchanges and entrepreneurship initiatives under a new strategic partnership, with an initial focus on clean technology and medical technology.
The partnership will build on existing collaborations between researchers at the two institutions and create opportunities for students and researchers to work on joint projects, share knowledge and data, and undertake placements and exchanges in Mumbai and London.
The two institutions will also organise academic workshops and student entrepreneurship programmes, expanding opportunities for research and innovation across the two campuses.
Research collaboration between IIT Bombay and Imperial already spans areas including water management, energy security, disease modelling and climate science.
One ongoing project is exploring remote monitoring of upper-limb movements for potential applications in diagnostics, physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Another is examining how demand flexibility could support grid resilience, decarbonisation and affordability in India’s power sector.
Researchers from the two institutions are also working on a project combining quantum computing and biotechnology to help develop crops that are more resilient to climate change.
The partnership also has a strong student innovation component. Earlier this year, 170 IIT Bombay students signed up for Imperial Enterprise Lab’s Global Challenge Lab, where students develop startup ideas with mentorship from global industry experts.
The new agreement comes as research and technology ties between India and the UK expand under the broader India-UK partnership. Imperial College London, which is ranked second globally in the QS World University Rankings 2027, has also expanded its presence in India through Imperial Global India, launched last year to develop science and technology programmes with academic, industry and innovation partners.
