The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is to open a new hub at Imperial’s White City Campus as part of efforts to boost research and innovation collaboration.
The move will see DASA take up residency in Central Working White City – located on the 4th floor of the I-HUB – a facility which co-locates businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs alongside Imperial’s extensive network of researchers, academics and other corporate partners. This is an additional hub to DASA’s growing outreach.
The move comes as Imperial and DASA sign an agreement to explore opportunities for collaboration in research, enterprise and innovation activities that could provide advantages to the UK’s defence and security.
The partnership is be led by Imperial’s Institute of Security Science and Technology (ISST), an interdisciplinary research hub which envisages, designs and coordinates the application of science and technology to answer pressing security challenges relating to financial systems, climate and the environment, healthcare, critical infrastructure and biosecurity.
A joint management team, under the supervision of College lead and ISST Co-Director Professor Bill Lee and ISST Deputy Director Dr Deeph Chana, is overseeing the partnership.
The co-location with DASA signals Imperial’s vision for a cluster of Critical Infrastructure specialists at its White City campus. Earlier this year, Aerospace giant Airbus established an innovation hub for its Defence and Space division in Central Working White City.
Dr Lucy Mason, Head of the Defence and Security Accelerator, said: “I am excited to see this new phase in the development of DASA. Our presence at I-HUB gives us access to innovative start-ups and world class academics across a wide range of disciplines, and promotes collaborative working between the Government, academia and the private sector. This partnership is an excellent example of reaching out beyond the traditional boundaries of defence and security and engaging widely to solve problems together through open innovation”.
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