Imperial College London has made a significant stride in the realm of artificial intelligence research by joining the Theta Network's academic partner network. This partnership positions the university as a pioneer in the UK and Europe, leveraging innovative technology to enhance security in AI applications. According to the assessment of specialists presented in the publication, this collaboration is expected to yield substantial advancements in the field.
Announcement of Collaboration
Announced on January 13, 2026, this collaboration will see Imperial College adopting the Theta EdgeCloud Hybrid platform, which is designed to provide a secure and scalable computing infrastructure for AI research. By moving away from reliance on centralized cloud providers, the partnership aims to tackle the pressing challenges of ensuring reliability in AI systems.
Leadership and Research Focus
The Security & Machine Learning Lab, under the leadership of Dr. Sergio Maffeis, will be at the forefront of this initiative, utilizing the Theta platform to conduct advanced research in reinforcement learning security and applied machine learning. This development not only bolsters the research capabilities at Imperial College but also signifies a notable expansion of the Theta Network's academic influence across Europe.
On January 19, 2026, Imperial College London announced its groundbreaking partnership with the Theta Network, becoming the first university in the UK and Europe to join this initiative. This collaboration aims to enhance AI research capabilities, as detailed in the previous announcement about their academic partnership with Theta. For more information, see read more.







