Imperial College London and The Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) have formed a new partnership to accelerate climate innovation in London, supporting the UK’s net zero ambitions and the government’s Industrial Strategy 2025.
ECDC is also joining WestTech London, the innovation ecosystem led by Imperial and supported by partners including Hammersmith & Fulham Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, to strengthen West London’s role in frontier science, technology and entrepreneurship.
The partnership will turn Earls Court’s 40-acre brownfield site into a live testbed for climate technology research and development, giving academics, startups and spinouts a real-world place to test and prove their ideas. It will also support founders through Imperial’s Venture Catalyst Challenge and Undaunted, help develop climate innovation skills, and work with H&F Council on Upstream London and the Pathway Bond to create opportunities for local residents. A climate-tech Jawdrop Summit is also planned.
Early pilot projects are already underway, including Guerilla’s sensor-fitted “guerilla drain” for monitoring stormwater pollution and Isometric Outcomes’ technology for capturing and reusing waste heat in buildings.
The wider Earls Court masterplan, valued at £10bn, aims to create a climate-resilient district with about 4,000 homes and 2.5 million sq ft of workspace, centred on a climate incubator. It is expected to generate £3bn in annual GVA, support up to 12,000 on-site jobs and 23,500 jobs in the UK supply chain.
Leaders from Imperial, ECDC, H&F Council and London & Partners said the partnership will help unlock brownfield land, drive inclusive economic growth and make London a global hub for climate-tech and sustainable development.
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