Imperial launches Centenary Campaign to raise £207m

Ten year fundraising campaign will support scholarships, campus renewal and the College's academic mission - News Release - 30 January 2007

For immediate use
Tuesday 30 January 2007

Imperial College London marks the launch of its Centenary year today with a campaign to raise £207m from philanthropic donations.

The College aims to raise the full amount by July 2010, the culmination of a 10 year fundraising campaign that has so far raised £123m.

The funding will be used to provide scholarships for gifted students, contribute to building and refurbishment projects across Imperial's campuses and support the College's mission to develop its academic activities to meet the needs of society, industry and healthcare.

Key supporters of the Campaign include alumni, industrial associates and trusts and foundations. Thanks to their generosity the College has already raised £7m for student scholarships, £76m for campus renewal and £40m to underpin Imperial's academic mission.

Donations to the alumni-supported Student Opportunities Fund alone have so far been translated into scholarships for 42 undergraduates and 18 postgraduates.

Other concrete results of the Campaign will include a major redevelopment of the Imperial College Union Building and the ongoing transformation of the Central Library into a high-tech space providing 24 hour computing facilities and wireless information access zones. Imperial's Rector Sir Richard Sykes  says:

"The Centenary Campaign is a critical part of maintaining Imperial's ability to be master of its own destiny. From the discovery of penicillin to new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, we have a long history of making breakthroughs that improve countless lives, but this is only possible when we have the financial freedom to set our own priorities. The Campaign will also be vital to ensuring that our next scientific trailblazers are not deterred from taking advantage of a world-class education by financial considerations."

The Centenary Campaign does not count income from the charity sector in the form of research funding as part of its total. This funding is likely to total over £600m in the period 2000-2010.

Imperial's Centenary year celebrates the founding of the College from the merger of the Royal College of Science, the City and Guilds College and the Royal School of Mines in 1907.

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For further information contact:

Abigail Smith
Imperial College London Press Office
Tel: 020 7594 6701
Email: abigail.smith@imperial.ac.uk

Notes to editors:

The Centenary Campaign target of £207m includes:

£27m for student support (£7m raised to date)
£115m for campus renewal (£76m raised to date)
£65m for academic direction (£40m raised to date)

Received donations include:

£750,000 from alumnus Alan Howard, CEO of Brevan Howard Asset Management Ltd, to establish a scholarship programme for students in Imperial's Energy Futures Lab.

£2 million through the Lees Charitable Foundation from alumnus Richard Lee, Director of Textile Alliance Ltd, to establish an endowed scholarship for postgraduate students from Hong Kong and mainland China.

£1.25 million from alumnus David Potter, Chairman and Founder of Psion, to found the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, a centre that brings together mathematicians and researchers from other disciplines to tackle fundamental challenges. The Institute was formally opened in June 2006.

Support from the Wolfson Foundation including £420,000 towards the redevelopment of the Central Library and £2 million towards a Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases at Imperial's Hammersmith Campus.

About Imperial College London

Rated as the world’s ninth best university in the 2006 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 11,500 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality.

Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and management and delivers practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.

With 62 Fellows of the Royal Society among our current academic staff and distinguished past members of the College including 14 Nobel Laureates and two Fields Medallists, Imperial's contribution to society has been immense. Inventions and innovations include the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of our research for the benefit of all continues today with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle climate change and mathematical modelling to predict and control the spread of infectious diseases.

The College's 100 years of living science will be celebrated throughout 2007 with a range of events to mark the Centenary of the signing of Imperial's founding charter on 8 July 1907.

Website: www.imperial.ac.uk