Preparing for the future

Imperial and industry discuss research breakthroughs and how they may change the world of 2032- News

Thursday 5 July 2012
by Colin Smith

From growing new tissue for repairing damaged organs to developing technologies that are controlled by thought, Imperial academics invited industry to explore the potential advances and opportunities offered by the world of 2032 at a conference held this week.

The “2032: Tech Foresight” one-day conference - the first of its kind to be held at the College – provided an opportunity for some of the UK’s leading industry representatives to discover the most recent research breakthroughs at Imperial. Business leaders and Imperial researchers also discussed how these advances may evolve over a 20-year period and explored the implications that these advances may have on businesses in the future.

The initiative was the brain-child of Imperial Business Partners (IBP), which provides forums for Imperial academics and leaders in industry to share know-how and knowledge. Dr Sarah Shepley, Director of IBP, says:

“At Imperial we really value a close relationship with industry and part of that process involves us reaching out and inviting representatives to come and hear about the work that goes on at the College. It also gives us a chance to hear more about the issues that are affecting businesses, so that we can work together more effectively. What was different about this conference was that we were also able to hold ‘Futorials’ – future tutorials – where Imperial academics and delegates explored together how current technological breakthroughs may evolve over time and look at their impact on how companies operate in the future, which is a great way of thinking about how to prepare businesses for the challenges and opportunities that may lie ahead.”

Six Imperial academics spoke at the conference including Professor Molly Stevens, from the Department of Materials, who works in regenerative medicine, where she is bioengineering new nanoscale materials to create living tissue that could repair or replace organ function previously lost. Other speakers included Professor David Klug, from the Department of Chemistry, who explored the trend towards miniaturisation and its impact on biomedical research and healthcare.

Professor David Klug explored the trend towards miniturisation and its impact on healthcare

Industry was represented by companies such as BP, AWE, INEOS, Shell, BT, Rolls-Royce, National Grid and Syngenta. Delegates were also spoke to a range of Imperial innovators during networking sessions, including entrepreneurs from Fabrican Ltd who have developed the world’s first spray-on wearable fabric and students from the Innovation Design Engineering course who demonstrated prototype technologies, inspired by the London 2012 Paralympics, to make sports more inclusive for people.