Imperial College London and the World Economic Forum today announced the establishment of a new Centre for AI-Driven Innovation, based in London. The Centre, unveiled by Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle during London Tech Week, will focus on accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across the UK economy. It joins the World Economic Forum’s network of Centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), a global initiative fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors on emerging technologies. The Centre’s activities will be co-designed with the UK Government, aligning with national ambitions to leverage AI for economic growth and opportunity.
New Centre for AI-Driven Innovation Launched
Imperial College London and the World Economic Forum have established the Centre for AI-Driven Innovation, formally announced by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, during London Tech Week. This centre represents the first World Economic Forum Global Centre located in the United Kingdom.
The centre operates as part of the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) Network – a global consortium of 21 independent centres focused on the responsible adoption of emerging technologies. Its core function is to accelerate the implementation of artificial intelligence across various sectors of the UK economy.
The UK Government will collaborate with Imperial and the World Economic Forum in co-designing the centre’s activities, aligning them with national ambitions for AI-driven growth and opportunity. The centre leverages Imperial’s technological expertise, research partnerships, and global standing, alongside the World Economic Forum’s curated communities and multi-stakeholder platform.
UK Position within the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network
The Centre for AI-Driven Innovation joins the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) Network, a global assembly of 21 independent centres. This network facilitates collaboration between the public and private sectors to explore and responsibly implement ‘exponential technologies’ – those characterised by rapid, disruptive growth and impact.
Establishing this centre as the first UK-based member of the C4IR Network solidifies the UK’s role in shaping the global AI innovation agenda and provides a platform for collaboration with the World Economic Forum’s extensive, multi-stakeholder community of AI specialists.
The UK Government actively co-designs the Centre’s activities, aligning them with national ambitions to leverage AI for economic growth and opportunity. Through its integration within the C4IR Network, the Centre benefits from shared knowledge, best practices, and access to a global network of expertise, accelerating the adoption of AI across various sectors of the UK economy.
Government and Imperial Collaboration on AI Policy
The UK Government, Imperial College London, and the World Economic Forum are collaborating to establish the Centre for AI-Driven Innovation. Operating within the World Economic Forum’s network of Centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), the centre focuses on emerging technologies and their responsible implementation.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will co-design the Centre’s activities, aligning them with governmental ambitions for economic growth and opportunity through artificial intelligence. The centre aims to position the UK as a global leader in AI-enabled innovation by translating research and development into practical applications.
This collaboration leverages Imperial’s technological expertise and research capabilities alongside the World Economic Forum’s global network and multi-stakeholder platform. The centre facilitates collaboration between public and private sectors, fostering innovation across various industries.
The initiative is supported by complementary programmes, including a second cohort of the Science and Technology Venture Capital Fellowships and the launch of the Sprck AI scholarships at nine leading UK universities.
Expansion of Venture Capital Fellowships
The Science and Technology Venture Capital Fellowship, launched by Imperial and the Royal Academy of Engineering last year, will open for a second cohort and round of applications.
These fellowships enhance investor capability in identifying and deploying capital into high-potential, scalable, life science and deep tech ventures.
Professor Ramana Nanda, Associate Dean for Enterprise, Imperial Business School and Director of Imperial’s Institute for Deep Tech Entrepreneurship, stated the programme highlights their ambition to nurture the specialised talent needed to deploy greater risk capital into science and engineering-based ventures, key to driving growth of the UK’s economy.
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