Research

The request

Please provide details of partnership agreements signed between the university and companies, public authorities or charities/foundations from the People’s Republic of China and payments received from any such entities, between 25 April 2024 to 24 July 2024.

Imperial response, IMPFOI-24-360, 12 September 2024

For details of the agreements: IMPFOI-24-360 Funding from PRC (pdf)

The total funding received within the time-period specified in connection to these agreements is £1,327,233.93.

FOI request and response, IMPFOI-24-275, 3 June 2024

FOI response, IMPFOI-24-195, Animal research (pdf)

FOI Request and response, IMPFOI-25-052, 3 March 2025

For the year 2024:

1. Did your university conduct experiments on animals in the year 2024?

Yes

2. How many animals were used in experiments (species & number of each)?

3. How many animals were bred on the premises (species & number of each)?

Information on animal research at Imperial College, including details of the animals used in research, the types of animals and the severity of the procedures is published on the Animal research pages of our website.

4. Were the animals used for medical or non-medical research?

The research conducted was for both medical and non-medical purposes.

5. What are the Home Office licence classifications for these experiments in terms of pain, lasting harm, etc. if classified (species & number of each)?

This information is included in the published figures referred to above.

6. How many animals were killed without being used for experiments (species & a number of each)?

This information is not held in a readily extractable format and in order to respond to your query, we would have to manually check details of all research involving animals ongoing in 2024 to extract the information requested.  This exercise would exceed the 18-hour time limit for responding to FOI requests (Section 12 Freedom of Information Act).  While this data is not held, the university has an active policy in place to promote the sharing of tissues if there are any surplus animals, in accordance with the 3Rs. the 3Rs Hub

7. How many animals were rehomed (species & number of each)?

No animals were rehomed after use in 2024.

8. Of those that were not re-homed, why not?

In the majority of cases, it is necessary to humanely kill the animals at the conclusion of experiments in order to collect organs or blood that are required for generating the scientific data.  In addition, many of the animals used carry genetic modifications and release of such animals into an uncontrolled environment could lead to such mutations transferring into wild populations and this would be contrary to the provisions set out in relevant legislation concerning genetically modified organisms.  Moreover, animals maintained by the University are of a high health status and their release into a normal environment could lead to infection and potential suffering for the animals.

9. Were there more non-animal research methods used than animal methods? Eg. 70% where non-animal models were used and 30% where animal models were used.

Yes.  We are not able to provide a precise figure, but only a small percentage of the university’s research involves the use of animals and there are robust policies in place to ensure animals are only used if there is no alternative to their use.

10. Which non-animal research methods are available at the university? Eg. 3D printing, human skin cells, organ-on-a-chip.

Information on the types of non-animal alternative methods used by researchers at Imperial is published on the Animal Research pages of our website as well as in our recently launched dedicated 3Rs website.

11. a) When was the last home office inspection?

The last in person Audit visit by ASRU took place on the 23rd September 2024.

b) Was non compliance reported?

No

c) If yes, what was it and what was the remedy?

N/A

FOI request and response, IMPFOI-24-158, 7 May 2024

FOI Request and Response, IMPFOI-24-158 (pdf)

FOI response IMPFOI-24-158, Instances of non-compliance (pdf)

IMPFOI-24-195 Request and response, 7 June 2024

Please advise how many animals, and of which species, were subject to scientific research, covered by ASPA in each year from 2021 to 2024 inclusive

Information on animal research at Imperial College, including details of the animals used in research, the types of animals and the severity of the procedures is published on the Animal Research pages of our website, please see links below. Information is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (Section 21) if it is already reasonably accessible to the requester. The published information is updated annually for the previous year, i.e. 2023 information will be published on those pages this year. Information that is intended for future publication is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act by virtue of Section 22 of the Act.  Numbers and types of animals

Please advise of the specific purposes for which the procedures were conducted?

The procedures were conducted to provide information for basic and translational research for the following purposes: cancer, cardio, developmental, endocrine, ethology, gastro, immune, infection, infectious disease, multisystemic, musculoskeletal, nervous system, oncology and respiratory.

Please advise  of the severity classifications for the above procedures.

Please refer to the published information referred to above.

Please provide me with the AWERB (Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body) minutes from 2021 to 2024 inclusive.

Please see pdf document: FOI response, IMPFOI-24-195 (pdf)

FOI request and response, IMPFOI-25-031

Were any animals rehomed in 2023? If so, please may I have their number and species.

No animals were rehomed after use. In the majority of cases, it is necessary to humanely kill the animals at the conclusion of experiments in order to collect organs or blood that are required for generating the scientific data. In addition, many of the animals used carry genetic modifications and release of such animals into an uncontrolled environment could lead to such mutations transferring into wild populations and this would be contrary to the provisions set out in relevant legislation concerning genetically modified organisms. Moreover, animals maintained by the University are of a high health status and their release into a normal environment could lead to infection and potential suffering for the animals.

Can you please tell me for 2023 how many, if any, project licences the Animal Welfare Ethical Review Body (AWERB) for your Establishment reviewed and decided to prevent them continuing for Home Office approval, this may be because for instance they identified a New Approach Methodology that could be used instead of animals. 

Project licence applicants are provided with detailed advice and guidance prior to and during preparation of project licence applications. Draft applications undergo extensive review firstly by Named Person reviewers (an NVS and a NACWO), and then by peer and lay reviewers, prior to formal consideration by the full AWERB committee.  Applicants are required to revise their applications in response to the initial reviewer comments and applications only progress to review by the full AWERB committee at an AWERB meeting when the reviewers are content with the applicant’s revised version.  Most applicants are also required to make further changes following review by the full AWERB committee and applications are only approved by the AWERB once these have been appropriately addressed. The required revisions will sometimes include the need to extensively alter the programme of work by the removal of particular scientific models, protocols, or techniques, in order to ensure that only the most scientifically appropriate and refined methods are included.  The AWERB will only approve applications if there is a clear scientific justification for the methods to be used and if members are content that the harms involved in the programme of work are justified in terms of the likely benefits.  The extensive pre-AWERB review process usually means outright rejection of applications is not necessary when applications are assessed by the committee provided that applicants are willing to implement all the required revisions.

Finally, can you please tell me how many sites are covered by your Establishment licence.

The establishment licence covers several locations. We are unable to provide the exact number of locations because that information, along with information already in the public domain, could enable identification of the exact locations. We are relying on the exemption at Section 38 of the Freedom of Information Act which applies to information that could, if disclosed, harm the physical or mental health of any individual, or endanger the safety of any individual.

The request

Please provide:

1. A list of all studies/trials completed by The Centre for Psychedelic Studies from April 2018- April 2023 that have not been published.
2. The number and nature of any complaints which have been made to the University by participants who have taken part in studies by The Centre for Psychedelic Studies between April 2018- April 2023.
3. The number and nature of  any Adverse Events, Adverse Reactions and Serious Adverse Events forms recorded by The Centre for Psychedelic Studies from April 2018- April 2023.

Imperial response, IMPFOI-24-212

The Following studies have been completed, but the reports not yet published:

• Psilocybin as a treatment for Anorexia Nervosa: A Pilot study
• Psilocybin in patients with fibromyalgia: Brain biomarkers of action
• Studying Synaptogenesis using [11C] UCB-J PET-fMRI

There have been no complaints made by any study participants.

For the study ‘Psilocybin vs Escitalopram for Major Depressive Disorder: Comparative Mechanisms (Psilodep-RC)’, the adverse events have been published: Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression. Adverse events and reaction data for the unpublished studies will be included as part of the publication of reports on those studies.

The request

Please provide details of confidentiality agreements agreed between Imperial College London and the pharmaceutical companies GSK, Merck & Co, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer, entered into between 1st January 2021 and 31st December 2022.

Imperial response, IMPFOI-24-303, 17 July 2024

FOI response, IMPFFOI-24-303, confidentiality agreements (pdf)

The request

Please provide the following information relating to the Human Challenge Study (COVHIC002)

1. Provide a copy of the ethics approval document
2. Confirm who was on the ethics committee
3. Provide a copy of the study protocol
4. Details of who is funding and / or sponsoring the trial

Imperial College response (IMPFOI-23-113, 24 March 2023)

Detailed information about the COVID-19 Human Challenge Study: COVHIC002 can be found on the College website.

1.       Ethics approval document

This study was given favourable opinion by the Specialist Ad-Hoc Research Ethics Committee (REC) on 7 September 2022. The study has subsequently been amended and the most recent amendment was approved by the Specialist Ad-Hoc REC on 4 January 2023.

Favourable opinion letter (pdf)

Personal information, which is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act by virtue of Section 40(2) of the Act, has been removed.

2.       Members of ethics committee
Imperial College does not hold details of the members of the Research Ethics Committee.

3.       The study protocol
The current approved study protocol is available at the ISRCTN Registry. 

4.        Funding and sponsorship
This study is sponsored by Imperial College London and is being funded by the Wellcome Trust.

The request

Please disclose the amount paid to Imperial College and provide copies of the contracts with the commissioners and terms of reference for each of the following reports:

London Health Burden of Current Air Pollution and Future Health Benefits of Mayoral Air Quality Policies

Health impact assessment of current & past air pollution on asthma London (PDF)

Impacts of air pollution across the life course – evidence highlight note

Imperial College reponse, IMPFOI-23-480, 27 October 2023

FOI Response, IMPFOI-23-480 (pdf)

The request

For the financial years 2020/21, 2021/2022, 2022/23, 2023/24, I would like to be provided with details on accepted donations (worth over £10,000), gifts (worth over £10,000), grants (worth over £10,000) and research funding (worth over £10,000) that have come from Chinese, Russian or Iranian individuals, companies, charities, government departments/agencies and other organisations.

Imperial response, IMPFOI-24-388, 20 September 2024

FOI response, IMPFOI-24-388 (pdf)

The request

For the years 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/2021, 2021/22, please disclose how much funding and donations the university has received from the following companies:

• Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations
• ARAMCO Overseas Company UK Ltd
• BP Exploration Operating Company Ltd
• BP International Limited
• Bright Gulf General Trading and Contracting Company
• Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance Inc (COSIA)
• China Petrochemical Technology Company Limited
• China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC)
• CNOOC China Limited Beijing Research Center
• CNPC Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration
• Equinor ASA
• Equinor Energy AS
• Exxon Mobil Upstream Research Company
• Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company
• Kuwait Oil Company (KOC)
• Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. - PETROBRAS
• Petronas Research Sdn. Bhd.
• Qatar Shell Research and Technology Center QSTP LLC
• Shell
• Statoil
• Statoil ASA
• Total E&P UK Limited
• Trelleborg Offshore UK
• Tullow Group Services Ltd
• UK Oil & Gas Investments plc

Imperial College response, IMPFOI-23-139, 26 April 2023

As part of our ongoing commitment to working towards a sustainable future, Imperial College pledged in 2020 that it will only engage in research partnerships with fossil fuel companies where the research forms part of their plans for decarbonisation, and only if the company demonstrates a credible strategic commitment to achieving net-zero by 2050. We will no longer accept funding from fossil fuel companies that is directed at propagating the existing extraction business.

Details of research funding and donations received from the companies listed above: Funding received from specified companies

The request

For the calendar years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, I would like to be provided with details on accepted donations and funding that have come from oil and gas companies connected to the North Sea*. For each, I would like the following information:

- The name of the oil and gas company that gave the donation, gift, grant, sponsorship, scholarship or funding
- The start and end date of the donation, gift, grant, sponsorship, scholarship or funding if available
- The sum and description of the accepted donation, gift, grant, sponsorship, scholarship and funding
- A description of what the donation, gift, grant, sponsorship, scholarship and funding was used for

*I define oil and gas companies connected to the North Sea as the following companies:

Apache Serica Energy, Centrica Resources, Harbour Energy (formerly known as Chrysaor), Ithaca Energy, NEO Energy, Maersk Oil, Petoro, Premier Oil, Spirit Energy

Imperial College response, IMPFOI-23-427, 5 October 2023

There have been no donations or gifts from the companies specified.

There has been one research partnership with the companies listed within the time period specified, as follows:

Centrica Plc, Cornwall LEM: Developing a Local Energy and Flexibility Market, start 18/04/2018, end 30/09/2020, value £30,8196.39

The request

Does Imperial College have research contracts with and/or procure from the following companies: JCB, Caterpillar, Expedia and Puma?

Imperial College response (IMPFOI-23-021, 07 February 2023)

The table below contains details of research contracts ongoing in 2022/23 and procurement in 2022/23 (to date) from the specified companies.

The request

Does Imperial College have research contracts with and/or procure from the following companies: Rolls Royce, BAE Systems Hewlett Packard and Booking.com?

Imperial College response (IMPFOI-23-021, 07 February 2023)

The table below contains details of research contracts ongoing in 2022/23 and procurement in 2022/23 (to date) from the specified companies.

The request

For each of the calendar years 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the amount of funding provided to your university by any of the following named entities: Meta, Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Reality Labs (owned by Meta).

For each of the calendar years 2023 and 2024 provide the titles of any research projects (and the relevant faculty) which have drawn funding from those entities.

Imperial response, IMPFOI-25-036, 19 February 2025

Funding received from the named companies was as follows:

Titles of research projects that have drawn funding from those companies in 2023 and 2024 (all Faculty of Engineering):

• Hearables: In-ear monitoring of physiological responses
• Meta (FB) - ICL Joint Research Centre
• Self-supervised cross-modal learning of emotions
• Acoustic Signal Processing Algorithms for Augmented Reality (ASPAAR)
• Learning to control individual motoneurons with AI-based decoded spinal cord output
• Surface Electromyography for Brain-Machine Interface Applications: Cognescent studentship

Request and response, IMPFOI-23-492, 26 September 2023

FOI response, IMPFOI-23-492, Patient Safety Watch (pdf)

The Request

1. The amount of research funding and donations received from oil and gas companies in the 2017/18 financial year and the subsequent financial years up to and including 2021/22.
2. The amount of research funding received from JP Morgan or Blackrock related to energy or climate research in the same time-period.
3. Details of investment portfolios which include oil and gas companies

Imperial College Response (IMPFOI-22-533, 13 January)

FOI Response IMPFOI-22-533, Investments in and funding from oil and gas companies

Follow-up query

Of the total provided in the response, how much was received in 2021/2022?

Imperial College Response

The total research funding received in the 2021/22 (financial year) was £8,270,522.00 and the donations received were £173,847.30. 

The request

Please provide details of donations and research funding over £500 from Saudi Arabian nationals, companies, public authorities, or other state sponsored bodies including the Public Investment Fund (PIF) in each of the last five financial years and the current financial year to date.   

Imperial response, MPFOI-24-238, 7 June 2024

Please see the linked pdf document for details of research funding received. FOI response, IMPFOI-24-238

Imperial College London has not received any donations over £500 from Saudi Arabian individuals, public authorities or other state sponsored bodies.  
 
While outside the scope of your request because funding was not received from a Saudi Arabian national, company, public authority or other state sponsored body, Imperial has received funding from Community Jameel which is linked to Saudi Arabia. For example, the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics.
 
While outside the scope of your request because funding was received from a UK company and not one registered in Saudi Arabia, Imperial has received research funding from Aramco Overseas Company B.V and ARAMCO Overseas Company UK Ltd.
 

The request

For the financial year 2022/23 please disclose the amount of funding received from specified companies (please see response for full list).

Imperial College response, IMPFOI-23-435, 6 September 2023

FOI Response, IMPFOI-23-435, fossil fuel companies 22/23

The request

Please could you share the amount of funding received from the list of fossil fuel companies in the request "Research funding from fossil fuel companies 2022/23" for the period 2010/11 to 2023/24.

Imperial response, IMPFOI-25-515, 10 November 2021

IMPFOI-25-515, research funding from fossil fuel companies (pdf)

The request

Please confirm whether Imperial College has any research partnerships involving the following companies that will be ongoing in the academic years 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Imperial College Response, IMPFOI-23-281, 27 June 2023

Imperial College has 4 research partnerships with Samsung that will be ongoing in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. There are no research partnerships with Coca-Cola, G4S or Barclays

The request

Please provide the total amount received in research grants and contracts since 2013 from all sources and the total amount received in research grants and contracts from entities headquartered in the People’s Republic of China.

Imperial College response, IMMFOI-23-679, 18 January 2024

The total amount received in research grants and contracts from all sources is publicly available information which can be accessed via the College’s Annual report and accounts or the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

We report on expenditure actually incurred under the research grant or contract. The figures provided relate to all formal research grants and contracts but may exclude travel grants, arrangements involving expenditure below £15,000 or an industry “top-up” to a specific studentship scheme.
 
Research grants and contracts expenditure from organisations with billing addresses in China: 

The request

• Do you hold any potential pandemic pathogens (PPPs) in any of your labs? If yes, what are they?
• Are you working with any infectious agents under a Specified Animal Pathogens Order (SAPO)? If yes, what are they?
• If applicable, what biosecurity level is used during work with PPPs and SAPO infectious agents?
• Are you currently carrying out any gain of function work, or experiments to enhance the infectiousness of transmissibility of PPPs or SAPO infectious agents?
• Have you had any incidents of biosecurity lapses, leaks or safety breaches in the past five years? If so, can you list these? 

Imperial College response, IMPFOI-23-260,

FOI Response, IMPFOI-23-260, Pathogens

The request

Please provide details of any current or active research partnerships involving universities based in Israel. Please also confirm whether there are any research partnerships with military and defence companies that were active within the past 5 financial years or that are ongoing.

Imperial response, IMPFOI-24-438, 4 November 2024

Imperial College London has no active research partnerships with universities based in Israel.

Our Research Office has searched their database using the search terms “military” and “defence”. Imperial has research partnerships that were active within the past 5 financial years or that are ongoing with the following:

• Airbus
• AWE PLC
• BAE Systems (Operations) Limited
• Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (UK)
• Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL)
• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (USA)
• Defense Threat Reduction Agency
• Ministry of Defence
• Mitsubishi Heavy industries Engine & Turbocharger, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd
• QinetiQ Limited
• Sandia National Laboratories
• US Air Force
• US Army

Research partnerships with “arms trade companies”

Please provide details of formal research partnerships with any of the companies listed below:

• Airbus
• Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE)
• AVIC
• Babcock
• BAE systems
• Boeing
• Cobham
• Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl)
• Elbit Systems
• General Dynamics
• General Electric
• GKN Aerospace
• L3 Harris Technologies
• Leonardo MW
• Lockheed Martin
• MBDA
• Ministry of Defence (MoD)
• Northrop Grumman
• QinetiQ
• Raytheon (RTX)
• Rolls-Royce
• Serco
• Thales

Imperial response, IMPFOI-25-242, 21 August 2025

IMPFOI-25-342 Research Partnerships (pdf)

The request

What were the University's top 5 health research funders over the last two reporting years by largest aggregate sum, and how much health research funding did they contribute? Please specify the currency in which the funding was received (EUR/GBP/USD etc). 

Imperial response, IMPFOI-25-171, 12 May 2025

IMPFOI-25-171 - Top 5 health research funders (pdf)

Request and Response, INPFOI-23-600, 13 November 2023

Foi request and response, IMPFOI-23-600, Technology transfer (pdf)

The request

I would like to know the grant amount received from Health Education England to help develop the VR training available at Charing Cross Hospital, as mentioned in the following article: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/imperial-college-virtual-reality-train-doctors-emergency-situations-b1036731.html

Imperial College response (IMPFOI-23-026, 3 February 2023)

Imperial College School of Medicine were successful in securing a grant from Health Education England after an open application for Simulation Training. The grant was £270,000.