Business Secretary shares his vision for UK industry during Imperial tour

Dr Vince Cable MP introduces his vision for British industry during a visit to Imperial, before taking a tour of the College’s pilot plant.

The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Dr Vince Cable MP, introduced his vision for British industry during a visit to Imperial yesterday, before taking a tour of the College's £2 million Pilot Plant in the Department of Chemical Engineering.

In a speech which praised British universities as a strong export industry, he outlined how Government can support and work with business in the long term. The new industrial strategy includes plans for partnerships to expand sectors such as aerospace and new approaches to translate academic research into commercial developments. Dr Cable also announced that an Innovation and Knowledge Centre for Synthetic Biology would be created.

The event was hosted by Professor David Gann, Deputy Principal of Imperial College Business School, with guests including representatives from industry, the media, Imperial and the College's corporate partners.

Welcoming Dr Cable to the College and to Imperial College Business School, Professor Gann, who is also Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, said: "This is an apt setting for the launch of your strategy today. Here at Imperial we are always looking to the future, and our own research and teaching is focused on translating ideas into practice."

Carbon Capture Pilot Plant

Following his speech Dr Cable toured the Department of Chemical Engineering's Carbon Capture Pilot Plant, which is the most sophisticated of its kind in any academic institution across the world. The facility was developed as part of a partnership between the College and industry and demonstrates to students how CO2 emissions can be captured by a power plant of the future. Through operating the Pilot Plant, students gain valuable experience before they graduate, which can be used in other types of industrial facilities such as petrochemical plants.

Dr Cable visits the Pilot Plant

The Secretary of State started the tour in the ABB Control Room, the nerve centre of the Plant  where PhD students Amelia Foo and Guilia Ferretti were on hand to give a demonstration.

Amelia said: "Dr Cable was really interested to know more about how we used the Plant. We had a mock emergency situation to demonstrate one of our training scenarios for him. It was a great opportunity for us to raise awareness about the world-class training we get at Imperial."

Dr Cable then moved into the Plant where Professor Andrew Livingston, Head of the Department, and colleagues demonstrated some of the cutting edge technology used to monitor the facility including sensors, which are powered by heat generated by the Plant, and iPads, which can be used to control the facility remotely.