The request

Please provide the following information relating to the Human Challenge Study (COVHIC002)

1. Provide a copy of the ethics approval document
2. Confirm who was on the ethics committee
3. Provide a copy of the study protocol
4. Details of who is funding and / or sponsoring the trial

Imperial College response (IMPFOI-23-113, 24 March 2023)

Detailed information about the COVID-19 Human Challenge Study: COVHIC002 can be found on the College website.

1.       Ethics approval document

This study was given favourable opinion by the Specialist Ad-Hoc Research Ethics Committee (REC) on 7 September 2022. The study has subsequently been amended and the most recent amendment was approved by the Specialist Ad-Hoc REC on 4 January 2023.

Favourable opinion letter (pdf)

Personal information, which is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act by virtue of Section 40(2) of the Act, has been removed.

2.       Members of ethics committee
Imperial College does not hold details of the members of the Research Ethics Committee.

3.       The study protocol
The current approved study protocol is available at the ISRCTN Registry. 

4.        Funding and sponsorship
This study is sponsored by Imperial College London and is being funded by the Wellcome Trust.

The request

For the financial years 2017/18 to 2020/21, please provide details on accepted donations (worth over £10,000), gifts (worth over £10,000), grants (worth over £10,000) and research funding (worth over £10,000) that have come from Chinese individuals, Chinese companies, Chinese charities, Chinese government departments/agencies, and other Chinese organisations.

Imperial College response, IMPFOI-23-170, 26 April 2023

FOI Response, Chinese funding (pdf)

The request

For the years 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/2021, 2021/22, please disclose how much funding and donations the university has received from the following companies:

• Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations
• ARAMCO Overseas Company UK Ltd
• BP Exploration Operating Company Ltd
• BP International Limited
• Bright Gulf General Trading and Contracting Company
• Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance Inc (COSIA)
• China Petrochemical Technology Company Limited
• China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC)
• CNOOC China Limited Beijing Research Center
• CNPC Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration
• Equinor ASA
• Equinor Energy AS
• Exxon Mobil Upstream Research Company
• Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company
• Kuwait Oil Company (KOC)
• Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. - PETROBRAS
• Petronas Research Sdn. Bhd.
• Qatar Shell Research and Technology Center QSTP LLC
• Shell
• Statoil
• Statoil ASA
• Total E&P UK Limited
• Trelleborg Offshore UK
• Tullow Group Services Ltd
• UK Oil & Gas Investments plc

Imperial College response, IMPFOI-23-139, 26 April 2023

As part of our ongoing commitment to working towards a sustainable future, Imperial College pledged in 2020 that it will only engage in research partnerships with fossil fuel companies where the research forms part of their plans for decarbonisation, and only if the company demonstrates a credible strategic commitment to achieving net-zero by 2050. We will no longer accept funding from fossil fuel companies that is directed at propagating the existing extraction business.

Details of research funding and donations received from the companies listed above: Funding received from specified companies

The request

Does Imperial College have research contracts with and/or procure from the following companies: Rolls Royce, BAE Systems Hewlett Packard and Booking.com?

Imperial College response (IMPFOI-23-021, 07 February 2023)

The table below contains details of research contracts ongoing in 2022/23 and procurement in 2022/23 (to date) from the specified companies.

The Request

1. The amount of research funding and donations received from oil and gas companies in the 2017/18 financial year and the subsequent financial years up to and including 2021/22.
2. The amount of research funding received from JP Morgan or Blackrock related to energy or climate research in the same time-period.
3. Details of investment portfolios which include oil and gas companies

Imperial College Response (IMPFOI-22-533, 13 January)

FOI Response IMPFOI-22-533, Investments in and funding from oil and gas companies

Follow-up query

Of the total provided in the response, how much was received in 2021/2022?

Imperial College Response

The total research funding received in the 2021/22 (financial year) was £8,270,522.00 and the donations received were £173,847.30. 

The request

Please confirm whether Imperial College has any research partnerships involving the following companies that will be ongoing in the academic years 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Imperial College Response, IMPFOI-23-281, 27 June 2023

Imperial College has 4 research partnerships with Samsung that will be ongoing in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. There are no research partnerships with Coca-Cola, G4S or Barclays

The request

For the financial years 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2021/22, the amount of research funding received from the weapons and arms-trade companies listed below:

Airbus
Babcock
BAE Systems
Boeing
General Dynamics
L3Harris Technologies
Leonardo
Lockheed Martin
Meggitt
Melrose Industries
Northrop Grumman Corp.
QinetiQ
Raytheon Technologies
Rolls-Royce
Serco Group
Thales

Imperial College Response, IMFOI-23-173, 24 April 2023

Imperial College has received donations from Rolls-Royce Plc as follows: financial year 2011/12, £10,000.00; 2012/13, £800. There have been no other donations from the companies listed in the years specified.

Please see the document below for details of research funding received from companies listed, where research funding has been received. Please note that although the companies listed were referred to in the request as “arms-trade” or “weapons” companies, those companies conduct other activities and any relationship between the companies listed and Imperial College would not necessarily have any relation to the production of or trade in arms or weapons.

 Research Funding received from specified companies

The request

• Do you hold any potential pandemic pathogens (PPPs) in any of your labs? If yes, what are they?
• Are you working with any infectious agents under a Specified Animal Pathogens Order (SAPO)? If yes, what are they?
• If applicable, what biosecurity level is used during work with PPPs and SAPO infectious agents?
• Are you currently carrying out any gain of function work, or experiments to enhance the infectiousness of transmissibility of PPPs or SAPO infectious agents?
• Have you had any incidents of biosecurity lapses, leaks or safety breaches in the past five years? If so, can you list these? 

Imperial College response, IMPFOI-23-260,

FOI Response, IMPFOI-23-260, Pathogens

The request

I would like to know the grant amount received from Health Education England to help develop the VR training available at Charing Cross Hospital, as mentioned in the following article: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/imperial-college-virtual-reality-train-doctors-emergency-situations-b1036731.html

Imperial College response (IMPFOI-23-026, 3 February 2023)

Imperial College School of Medicine were successful in securing a grant from Health Education England after an open application for Simulation Training. The grant was £270,000.