Annual Fund Update

The start of a new academic year provides the perfect opportunity to look back at what the Annual Fund's donors have helped to the College to achieve

The 2008-09 financial year has been the most successful for the Annual Fund in its seven year history, raising over £500,000 for priority projects that immediately benefit the lives of the Imperial College community. Here we bring you a round-up of what the generosity of over 1,500 donors has helped to enable over the past 12 months.

The Student Opportunities Fund

The Student Opportunities Fund was established to provide academically excellent students without the financial means to attend Imperial the chance to benefit from an education at the College. The fund is supported by charitable donations, and its success is due to the unyielding and remarkable generosity of our alumni, staff and friends.

Since 2003, 139 scholars from all over the world have been able to attend Imperial thanks to the Student Opportunities Fund and the College will welcome 27 new scholars at the beginning of the 2009-10 academic year.

The number of Student Opportunities Fund scholarships awarded in any given academic year are based on donations from the previous year, and as such vary in number according to donations received. If you are interested in supporting exceptional students who otherwise would not have the resources to fund an Imperial education, then please consider a gift to the Student Opportunities Fund.

The Imperial College Union Building Fund

The Imperial College Union Building Fund was established to provide philanthropic support towards extensive redevelopment work on the main Union building in Beit Quad at the South Kensington Campus.

Phase 1of the project began in Summer 2006, and included the installation of a new lift, providing far improved disabled access to the building, central stairwell refurbishment and revitalised decor in Da Vinci's bar. Now, as we approach the beginning of the 2009-10 academic year, Phase 2 of the project is nearing completion. This involves huge improvements to the Union's meeting and gymnasium facilities, and will greatly improve facilities for all Union Clubs and Societies.

Over the course of the past three years, 170 donors have donated £39,000 to the Union Redevelopment Fund, directly contributing towards the completion of these two stages of redevelopment. All at the Union would like to express their sincere thanks to donors to the fund.

Imperial Racing Green Fund

Imperial Racing Green is a student-led project within the Faculty of Engineering, where students from eight different departments collaborate to design, build and race a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. The Imperial Racing Green Fund was established to support this project, and to provide a way for alumni to contribute towards its continuing success.

Recently, the Racing Green team took part in the inaugural Formula Student Class 1a event at Formula Student 2009. The team's participation in this event was made possible by charitable donors, including the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, and sponsors, including platinum sponsors Kokam America, NedStack, Johnson Matthey and ABSL Space Products.

The Rector's Fund

The Rector's Fund, into which all unrestricted gifts to the Annual Fund are directed, was established to enable Imperial to react rapidly to urgent priorities, and to provide funding for worthwhile projects quickly. As a part of this remit, a grant of £200,000 was awarded to the College's Reach Out Lab in 2008, in order to enable the launch of a project which provides school pupils with access to scientific equipment and teaching in areas that would otherwise not be accessible to them.

The first of its kind in London, the lab is a new opportunity to deliver inspirational, practical science activities for both students and teachers, and to increase the numbers of students able to benefit from the College's Outreach activities. While the lab will provide facilities for all levels of schools pupils, particular emphasis will be directed toward targeting disadvantaged groups, and towards raising the expectations and achievements of London school students.

Thank you to all of the College's alumni and friends who have donated to the Annual Fund over the past 12 months. Your support is appreciated by all at the College and, as you can see, you have enabled us to do great things for the College community.