The Institute for Security Science and Technology was founded in 2008 as one of four Imperial College Global Institutes. Each Institute has been formed to promote interdisciplinary working to meet the greatest challenges faced by society, to become a focal point for multidisciplinary activities and an interface to stakeholders, and to formulate and apply new areas of knowledge and technology solutions as well as providing independent scientific advice.

Individuals, communities, business and government are facing rapidly evolving security challenges in many aspects of everyday life due to advances in technology, globalisation and living in a more interconnected world. The Institute seeks to improve security and resilience across a range of scales, from protecting the individual to ensuring the security of whole populations. Our core mission areas include security in cyberspace, CBRN threat reduction, critical infrastructure protection and bio and environmental security.

Working alongside the College’s Departments and spanning the Faculties, the Institute interfaces with a wide range of public and private sector end-users as well as guiding the College’s contribution to international security science and technology policy. It acts as a portal on science, technology and innovation, aligned with the College’s strategic intent to catalyse leading-edge high impact interdisciplinary research, generating solutions of value to the wider population. It provides a trusted interface for government and industry, helping translate capability requirements into research programmes.