International collaboration
Collaborating across borders with people from different backgrounds, cultures and nationalities is what drives the world’s best universities.
Key facts
- 60% of Imperial's students come from outside the UK, including 20% from other European countries.
- 20% of Imperial staff come from European countries (1,788) and 17% from the rest of the world (1,517).
- Imperial is the 8th highest HE recipient of research funding in Europe (European Commission H2020 Dashboard).
- International collaboration underpins our global scientific strength: 66% of Imperial's publications include an international co-author, spanning 192 countries.
The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy and commitment to invest 2.4% of GDP in R&D is a unique opportunity for an ambitious new international partnerships framework. This should utilise the UK’s leadership and competitive advantage in science, convening power and research excellence. The framework should be based on three key components:
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A commitment to UK participation in Horizon Europe for the duration of the programme. Collaborations in Europe form the essential building block to wider global engagement and maintain research excellence - see our interactive map showing the impact of our Imperial’s European collaborations.
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Investment in bilateral partnerships and challenge funds with major science and technology powers.
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Fund mechanisms that support research collaborations with LMICs in support of ODA objectives. ODA R&D funding programmes, such as the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) have created a framework for sustained UK research and innovation engagement targeting some of the most vulnerable and marginalised in societies where multiple global challenges are acutely concentrated. The GCRF has been hugely successful in generating new research activity and partnerships with real impact on local communities, the UK research and innovation ecosystem and international science partnerships.
