Acting courageously
We will act courageously and innovatively when pursuing new opportunities
We need to take academic and financial risks to sustain excellence in research and education.
As the frontiers of knowledge cannot be predicted, agility and flexibility are integral attributes for success. this means that Imperial must take risks: academic risk through starting new areas of research, before we know whether funding or acclaim will follow, measured risks in education, being bold to try innovative teaching and supporting students in venturing into new territory in their learning and development; and financial risk, in order to achieve the returns we need to fund our mission. The Excellence Fund for Learning and Teaching Innovation and the Excellence Fund for Frontier Research both reward excellence, while promoting courageous and innovative ideas in research and teaching.
In action
Actions in detail
- We will adjust our processes so that we can make swift informed decisions to seize opportunities and both start and stop new initiatives.
- We will invest funds to pursue the new and risky.
- We will support ideas which are potential breakthrough programmes that put us in a leadership position, even if these ideas have not yet received outside funding.
- We will take innovative approaches to learning and teaching, using the evidence-base to ensure our risks are measured.
- We will support our students in understanding the value of ambiguity and in how to take informed risks through curiosity-driven learning.
- We will recruit a diverse staff and student population, as diversity drives innovation and creativity.
Case study
White City
At White City, we are building a major new research and innovation campus that will bring together scientific researchers, corporate partners, entrepreneurs and the local community to co-create on an unprecedented scale, turning cutting-edge research into real-world benefits for society.
The White City Campus is a £2bn investment across 23 acres and is taking place in one of London’s most exciting, dynamic and rapidly changing neighbourhoods. The area is home to pioneers in arts, culture, innovation, science and learning – including BBC, Royal College of Art and Novartis.
Alongside transdisciplinary research facilities and space for commercial partners, the White City Campus north site houses accommodation for postgraduate students and a flagship residential development – known as Eighty-Eight Wood lane – which provides affordable accommodation for Imperial’s staff and key workers.
Adjacent to the White City station, the White City Campus south site is home to Scale Space, a new innovation space for west London, bringing together the best research, talent and business-building expertise. The College’s long-term masterplanning ambitions for the south will provide further dynamic co-location facilities that support collaboration, innovation, and the sharing of ideas.
Our White City Campus is a place where great academics can work on world-leading research with corporate partners, entrepreneurs and residents to catalyse economic and social benefits on both a local and global scale.
The Aeronautics Flight Simulation Laboratory houses a full motion 6 degrees of freedom enclosed flight simulator capable of accurately reproducing the flight characteristics of existing and novel aircraft. The lab also houses two fixed base simulation stations used for prototype testing and teaching
Studies of air pollution and cloud formation using high resolution satellite images at the Global Data Observatory in the Data Science Institute
The Facility for Imaging by Light Microscopy (FILM) uses the latest equipment in light microscopy to observe life as it happens, visualising it in still images or live films
Innovation Design Engineering students compete in the Rio Tinto Sports Innovation Challenge, which focussed on making sports more accessible to people with disabilities by improving sporting and training equipment