Through the Academic Strategy, we will identify new opportunities that align with Imperial’s priorities that we are uniquely placed to exploit. These opportunities may include new academic programmes, research centres, new partnerships and communities, and responding to global challenges. By investing in people, infrastructure, and resources across our faculties, departments, and Global Challenge Institutes, we will define key actions that will help our community to drive this agenda.
Over the coming years, we will strategically invest in implementing several initiatives that align with the Academic Strategy. In addition to leveraging Imperial’s internal capabilities, we will also build partnerships with our external stakeholders to support the delivery of our ambition.
We will continue to invest in interdisciplinary and novel discovery science. Faculties and departments will continue to lead in maintaining excellence in these areas, which are essential for seizing both immediate and future opportunities. Together, we will build on our strengths by identifying and enabling opportunities that reach across Imperial.
Selecting our strategic priorities
Twice a year, the Academic Strategy Gateway Board considers proposals submitted by the academic community, through a ‘2 Gateway’ prioritisation process. Proposals need to demonstrate interdisciplinarity with impact across multiple departments and should plan for financial sustainability after the funding period. Proposals should be endorsed by at least one Faculty Dean, Vice-Provost, or School of Convergence Science Director.
Proposals selected for further development will be considered at a second ‘gateway’. Depending on the nature of the proposal, some projects will need to triaged into existing Imperial processes for consideration, for example, capital or IT projects.
11 projects have been selected so far to receive seed funding investment for up to three years. Discover more about the projects supported through the Academic Strategy Gateway.
Meeting dates and Board Members
The Academic Strategy Gateway Board meet twice a year to consider proposals at each stage of the Gateway process and discuss the progress of currently funded initiatives.
For more information on the prioritisation process and deadlines, or if you intend to submit a proposal, please contact academicstrategy@imperial.ac.uk.
Meeting dates and Board members
2025 Meeting dates (and paper deadlines)
27 May 2025 (29 April 2025)
25 November 2025 (4 November 2025)
Academic Strategy Gateway Board Members
Provost (Chair)
Vice-Provost (Education and Student Experience)
Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise)
Associate Provost (Estates Planning)
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences
Dean of the Faculty of Engineering
Dean of Imperial College Business School
Director of Strategic Planning
Planning and Insight Manager (Secretary)
Head of Provost's Office
SCS Co-Director for Human and Artificial Intelligence
SCS Co-Director for Health and Technology
SCS Co-Director for Sustainability
SCS Co-Director for Space, Security and Telecoms
Additional attendees will be invited to attend specific agenda items.
Frequently asked questions
- 1. What is the Academic Strategy Gateway?
- 2. What is the Gateway process?
- 3. Who can apply for seed funding?
- 4. What are project sponsors?
- 5. Who should present proposals to the Academic Strategy Gateway Board?
- 6. How many opportunities are there to apply?
- 7. What happens if my proposal is unsuccessful at Gateway 1?
- 8. What happens if my proposal is unsuccessful at Gateway 2?
- 9. What is the maximum amount of seed funding I can apply for?
- 10. Who can I contact for more information?
- 11. The Academic Strategy document is dated from 2020-2025. When will this be refreshed?
The Academic Strategy Gateway is a mechanism for identifying new interdisciplinary and novel discovery science opportunities that align with Imperial’s academic priorities as outlined in the Academic Strategy.
The Academic Strategy Gateway Board considers initiatives through a two-stage process:
- Gateway 1: Submission of a brief proposal as a proof of concept for the initiative, detailing the academic rationale and funding requirements.
- Gateway 2: If approved at Gateway 1, proposers are invited to submit a detailed business case addressing specific queries raised at Gateway 1 and continuing to align with the outlined criteria.
Proposals to be considered for seed funding can be submitted by members of the academic community and must have the appropriate project sponsor.
Project sponsors are senior academic colleagues who must endorse your proposal prior to submission. Proposals should be endorsed by at least one sponsor but may include more. Eligible sponsors include Faculty Deans, Vice-Provosts, or School of Convergence Science Directors.
Project sponsors will present proposals to the Academic Strategy Gateway Board at Gateway 1. If proposals are invited to progress to Gateway 2, project leads will be invited to present directly.
The Academic Strategy Gateway Board convene twice a year, usually in the periods of April-June and October-December. Confirmed meeting dates can be found on this webpage.
If the proposal is not approved at Gateway 1, it may either be turned down for seed funding or may be invited to resubmit to Gateway 1 with additional information based on feedback from the Board.
If the proposal is not approved at Gateway 2, it may either be turned down for seed funding or may be invited to resubmit to Gateway 2 with additional information based on feedback from the Board.
Applicants can request up to £100k per year for a maximum duration of three years.
Please contact academicstrategy@imperial.ac.uk for more information.
The Academic Strategy document is currently being refreshed and is expected to be available by Summer 2025. Please note that the Academic Strategy webpages are updated with the latest information.