Japanese delegation visits Imperial’s business and research innovation communities

During a visit to London, Senior Japanese Government officials headed by its Minister for Economic and Fiscal Policy, Yoshitaka Shindo, were able to gain an insight  into how Imperial’s White City Deep Tech Campus is supporting and attracting a vibrant community of entrepreneurs and innovators.

Offering laboratory, office space and managed services to suit individual deeptech company requirements, the incubator includes 8 fitted CL2 labs, supported by a dedicated lab and administrative staff. There are also 2 shared laboratories, which can be configured to the individual needs of companies just beginning their growth journey.

During the visit, members of the delegation met with Imperial’s Provost Professor Ian Walmsley and were introduced to key entrepreneurial initiatives including such as Scale Space, a new scaleup community aimed specifically at helping innovative new companies  to accelerate growth; the I-Hub; the Imperial White City Incubator; and Undaunted, Imperial's initiative to support climate tech start-ups.

Through its own Startup Development Plan, the Government of Japan has made it a key economic priority to expand the number of startups by tenfold. A record 945.9 billion Yen was raised by Japanese startups in 2022, reflecting a growing ecosystem and new opportunities.

Professor Walmsley said: “We are pleased to welcome Japan’s Minister for Economic and Fiscal Policy to our White City Campus to share how Imperial is bringing academia and business together to support the next generation of startups. Japan is a key collaborator for Imperial, particularly in areas such as cleantech, energy research and sustainability.

“Innovation and entrepreneurship are at the heart of Imperial’s work and we look forward to further deepening our relationship with Japanese companies and institutions to accelerate the translation of research breakthroughs.”

Japan is one of the College’s closest collaborators for academic research and industry partnerships. In March 2023, Imperial’s President, Professor Hugh Brady, visited the country to strengthen connections and explore exciting new opportunities. With strong research collaborations with Japan’s top universities including the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University and Tokyo Institute of Technology, Imperial has also worked with more than 25 leading Japanese businesses in the past decade in projects worth approximately $17 million.

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