Pensions Minister sees pioneering biotech research at Imperial

Torsten Bell MP in the lab

Torsten Bell, Minister for Pensions in HM Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions, visited Imperial’s Department of Bioengineering.

Hosted by Professor Peter Haynes, Vice-Provost (Education and Student Experience), and Amanda Wolthuizen, Vice-President for Communications and Strategic Engagement, the visit coincided with the government's announcement of pension sector reforms aimed at doubling the number of £25bn+ funds to boost investment in businesses and infrastructure. Increased investment in science and technology is expected to support startups and spinouts across the UK, including those originating from Imperial.

To see how scientific research fuels the businesses of the future, the Minister toured the labs of Dr. Rodrigo Ledesma Amaro, Academic Lead for Engineering Biology for Sustainability and Director of the $30m Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein. Dr. Ledesma Amaro demonstrated cutting-edge work on sustainable production of food, medicines, and biological processes, showcasing advancements in space food, sustainable blue fabrics, and yeast-based vitamin and antioxidant production.

After seeing Imperial’s research, the Minister joined a discussion on access to capital for deep-tech innovation for growth, including Cai Linton, CEO and co-founder of biotech startup Multus, Louis Taylor, CEO of the British Business Bank and Andrien Meyers, Chief Proposition Officer from London CIV.  

Multus is a biotechnology company helping create lab-grown meat, by developing an animal-free alternative to blood serum used in these ‘clean’ meats. Founded by four students who met while studying at Imperial, the co-founders came from across degree programmes and from across the world to build a business addressing a significant challenge in the cultiavted meat industry. Based at Imperial's White City campus, Multus won a highly prestigious European Innovation Council grant worth €2.5m in June 2022, which has been followed by successfully raising £7.9m of investment in early 2023. The company opened the world’s first pilot manufacturing plant, greatly increasing the growth potential for the global cultivated meat market.

Images: HM Treasury / Simon Walker