Engineering news
Imperial College London is to receive £20 million of government funding for its new research facility which will harness biomedical engineering to address major healthcare challenges.
The investment by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) through the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UK RPIF) will support the development of a biomedical engineering hub at Imperial College London’s new White City Campus.
The facility will bring together more than 500 engineers, scientists and clinicians. Its research focuses include technologies for the early detection, monitoring and treatment of cancers; the development of minimally invasive implants; regenerative medicine and technology to aid recovery from nervous system injuries.
The biomedical engineering hub will house a clinical facility side-by-side with multidisciplinary laboratories and offices for translational research initiatives, providing patients with access to the latest innovations in healthcare.
The co-directors of the multidisciplinary Biomedical Engineering Hub are engineer professor Anthony Bull and orthopaedic surgeon Professor Justin Cobb.
Professor Bull said: “The college is renowned for its pioneering advances in medical technology. We know this can only be achieved by drawing expertise across disciplinary boundaries. We cannot work in silos. This funding will allow us to take a great leap forward by bringing together a critical mass of engineers, scientists, and clinicians on an unprecedented scale. The opportunities this presents are tremendous.”
Professor Cobb added: “Demand for medical and surgical interventions is rising exponentially, and will continue to do so as we remain active and live longer and more energetic lives: the challenge is to do more good to more people at a lower cost. Our rapidly ageing population brings with it increasing incidences of debilitating conditions such as musculoskeletal disorders and dementia, which reduce the quality of life and increase the societal burden.
This hub and its integrated clinical facility will create the space for us to build multidisciplinary teams around these real-world clinical problems here and now. We will develop and accelerate a range of inventions from bench to patient.”
The facility is due for completion in 2019.