London to host £150 Catapult center for smarter cities; chaired by Sir David King

13 March 2013

London will host a Future Cities Catapult center intended to help make cities become smarter and more forward thinking. The center will be funded by up to £50 million (US$75 million) over five years through the Technology Strategy Board. With additional private sector inputs, the funding for the centeris expected to rise to around £150 million (US$224 million).

Catapult centers are national centers of excellence. The London Future Cities Catapult will look at ways in which services across areas such as health, transport, energy and public safety can be integrated, helping to boost the economy and benefit citizens. The center is intended to play a key part in the government’s industrial strategy and to give insight into how cities can be smarter in the future. The global market opportunities for future cities is estimated to be in the region of £200 billion (US$299 billion) a year by 2030, according to the government.

The London Catapult will be chaired by Sir David King. Sir David served as Chief Scientific Advisor to the government (2000 – 2007, working closely with the Prime Minister and Cabinet on key scientific issues including climate change.

The Future Cities Catapult center will work in collaboration with the Future Cities demonstrator project in Glasgow. This latest addition to the Catapults network complements those established in high value manufacturing; satellite applications; cell therapy; offshore renewable energy; transport systems; and connected digital economy.