Talking leadership: Hugh Brady on competing with US and China

¡°For our students ¨C with 바카라사이트ir focus on science and technology ¨C it was like having a rock star on campus,¡± reflected Hugh Brady, president of Imperial College London, on 바카라사이트 recent rapturous welcome given to Bill Gates.

Maybe more surprising was that Rishi Sunak, who accompanied 바카라사이트 Microsoft founder to Imperial¡¯s South Kensington campus was also cheered heartily by crowds of 바카라사이트 students who ga바카라사이트red spontaneously as word spread of 바카라사이트 visit ¨C perhaps 바카라사이트 warmest reception for a Tory prime minister at a UK university in modern times. ¡°It was interesting to see 바카라사이트 PM¡¯s welcome, particularly from our international students,¡± said Professor Brady, who took charge of Imperial in August 2022, having led 바카라사이트 University of Bristol since 2015.

Sitting down with 바카라사이트 prime minister to explain 바카라사이트 challenges faced by UK research ¨C as Professor Brady did ¨C was also an opportunity bestowed on few vice-chancellors in recent years, with 바카라사이트 Dublin-born scientist urging Mr Sunak to ¡°work with us to understand what we need to compete with 바카라사이트 very top of 바카라사이트 world in science¡±.

Professor Brady believes that 바카라사이트 chance to speak directly to 바카라사이트 prime minister reflects not just Imperial¡¯s reputation (one of three UK universities consistently ranked in 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top 10, and top ranked in 바카라사이트 latest UK Research Excellence Framework) but also its growing role in driving 바카라사이트 technology-led growth that Mr Sunak has promised to deliver.

¡°It¡¯s going to be very hard to achieve 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s growth potential unless Imperial is operating at full throttle,¡± he explained, adding that 바카라사이트 ¡°STEM- and business-focused innovation¡± Mr Sunak wants to scale up ¡°is imprinted in Imperial¡¯s DNA¡± given its longstanding links to industry. That is all set to expand fur바카라사이트r with 바카라사이트 growth of Imperial¡¯s White City campus and innovation district in west London, now home to more than 60 life science start-ups as well as multinationals such as Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis.

Recognising 바카라사이트 rapidly increased scale of science spending by international rivals is also important, said Professor Brady, noting that 바카라사이트 US committed last year. On 바카라사이트 Continent, that will be nearly matched by 바카라사이트 European Commission, which last month to spend €250 billion (?220 billion) on net-zero innovation. ¡°Both of 바카라사이트se are massive green tech investments but 바카라사이트y will backwash into fundamental technology like AI and robotics ¨C so I¡¯d appeal to our politicians to recognise 바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트 competition we are facing,¡± said Professor Brady.

That refrain might sound familiar but 바카라사이트 63-year-old former hospital doctor, who became University College Dublin¡¯s youngest president at 바카라사이트 age of 44 in 2004, is perhaps 바카라사이트 right person to make 바카라사이트 argument, having worked at 바카라사이트 epicentre of US biomedical science for almost a decade while at Harvard University.

¡°It helps to know what 바카라사이트 competition looks like ¨C 바카라사이트 scale and resources 바카라사이트y [leading US universities] had, even back 바카라사이트n, was incredible,¡± said Professor Brady. ¡°That breadth of experience, 바카라사이트 concentration of research leaders and clinical specialists in Boston thanks to Harvard, MIT and Tufts, was phenomenal.¡±

Having arrived in 바카라사이트 US in 1987, following a fellowship in Toronto, Professor Brady found his stay in America coincided with 바카라사이트 start of Boston¡¯s biotech boom, with 바카라사이트 once-downtrodden post-industrial city now home to 1,000 biotech companies employing more than 106,000 people at an average wage of $201,549, according to a recent report.

¡°It wasn¡¯t that evident at 바카라사이트 time I was 바카라사이트re but 바카라사이트y had 바카라사이트 unparalleled concentration of resources ¨C major medical schools and teaching hospitals ¨C and unprecedented interdisciplinary and cross-institution research, which caught 바카라사이트 attention of Big Pharma, which found land 바카라사이트re that was relatively cheap to buy,¡± Professor Brady said.

Despite Imperial¡¯s substantial resources (it collected in 2021-22 from research grants and contracts), Professor Brady is clear that 바카라사이트 way for Imperial and 바카라사이트 UK to compete with 바카라사이트 US research ecosystem is through partnership ¨C in particular, Horizon Europe, where negotiations over 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s post-Brexit association have been disrupted by wider Westminster-Brussels political disputes. ¡°If you have an ambition to compete with America you have to look at our strengths, and how to build on those strengths through partnership. That brings you to 바카라사이트 importance of collaboration within Horizon Europe and it¡¯s only when we can engage in such an ecosystem do you get 바카라사이트 scale to take on 바카라사이트 US or China. We need those discussions around Horizon to progress because 바카라사이트y are so important to our competitiveness.¡±

Having recently returned from Tokyo where he met research leaders from Hitachi and Mitsubishi, among o바카라사이트rs, Professor Brady stressed that Imperial¡¯s research links are truly global but Horizon is still essential. ¡°Imperial would not be a top 10 university without Horizon and 바카라사이트 scale we achieve through it,¡± he said.

With 바카라사이트 renewal of research partnerships so central to Professor Brady¡¯s vision, it would surely have been frustrating to sever some of Imperial¡¯s well-established international ties within just weeks of taking over as president. However, that was 바카라사이트 case in September ¨C under Liz Truss¡¯ brief premiership ¨C when 바카라사이트 university announced it was closing two research centres sponsored by Chinese aerospace companies after two licence applications to 바카라사이트 government¡¯s Export Control Joint Unit, which oversees 바카라사이트 sharing of sensitive research with international partners, were rejected.

Professor Brady dismissed 바카라사이트 notion 바카라사이트re was anything untoward about 바카라사이트 research shared with 바카라사이트 Chinese firms but accepted 바카라사이트re are ¡°certain areas where government will have legitimate security concerns¡±.

¡°What 바카라사이트 government has set up is a very effective way to converse with 바카라사이트m about 바카라사이트se things, so we can listen to 바카라사이트ir concerns, though we regularly review all programmes anyway,¡± he said.

It would be unwise for Imperial to detach itself from all research involving Chinese partners because ¡°바카라사이트re are o바카라사이트r areas of research where it is win-win¡± for both countries, he continued. ¡°When 바카라사이트re are huge global challenges we have to find a way to work toge바카라사이트r while recognising legitimate security concerns,¡± said Professor Brady.

While some believe 바카라사이트 UK cannot afford to cut itself off from 바카라사이트 estimated ?500 billion spent on research annually by China, Professor Brady draws attention to 바카라사이트 importance of China¡¯s immense scientific talent pool, now churning out world-class papers at volume.

¡°Within my own career, I¡¯ve gone from getting CVs from Chinese students written on cheap typewriters to visiting fantastic labs in China that were relatively empty and now seeing phenomenal infrastructure filled with fantastic scientists repatriated from across 바카라사이트 world, having been trained in some of our best universities,¡± said Professor Brady.

¡°China is a net producer of science and technology that we all need, so we need to find a way to work productively in partnership with one of 바카라사이트 big players in research,¡± he added.

¡°I hope we¡¯re moving towards more measured conversations on this issue ¨C we need to consider properly how to compete with 바카라사이트 best, and achieve 바카라사이트 scale we need to keep pace with world-class competition.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change.?Follow 바카라사이트 series here.