The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, known by its trade names Imperial College London and Imperial, is a public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned South Kensington as a cultural district with museums, colleges, and the Royal Albert Hall. In 1907, two colleges – the Royal College of Science and the Royal School of Mines – merged to form Imperial College London, with City and Guilds College joining in 1910.
In 1988, Imperial merged with St Mary's Hospital Medical School and then with Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School to form the Imperial College School of Medicine. The Imperial Business School was established in 2003 and was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II. Formerly a constituent college of the University of London, Imperial became an independent university in 2007.
Imperial is organised into four faculties: engineering, medicine, natural sciences, and business. The university encourages innovation and enterprise across all its faculties by integrating business courses into science degrees and providing business students with a scientific education. The main campus is located in South Kensington with additional campuses in White City and other locations near South Kensington. The faculty of medicine also operates five teaching hospitals across London as well as the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine based in Carlisle in co-operation with the University of Cumbria.
Its graduates and academics include 14 Nobel Prize winners, three Fields Medal winners, 74 fellows of the Royal Society and 84 fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
