Merger announced by two London universities

London-based higher education institutions City, University of London and St George’s, University of London, have signed an agreement to merge.

Announced last week (22 February), a statement released by the universities said that the merger will create “a powerful multi-faculty institution,” which will become one of the largest suppliers of the health workforce in the capital.

Through the merger, City’s health offering, which includes optometry, nursing, midwifery, speech and language therapy, counselling, and psychology, will be combined with St George’s health departments in medicine, pharmacology, biomedical science, and allied and global health.

The signing of the agreement marks a key milestone for both universities, with the announcement stating that it will “result in significant advantages in terms of scale, reach, capability, and resilience.” 

Subject to regulatory approvals, the merged institution will be named City St George’s, University of London. It is expected to officially begin operating from 1 August this year, although full integration will take longer.  

The combined institution will be led by Professor Sir Anthony Finkelstein, the current president of City.

Finkelstein said of the merger: “We will be uniquely placed to play a key role in resolving one of the greatest societal issues of the day – training and developing the workers and leaders for the NHS and healthcare professions that are so desperately needed.” 

“City St George’s will be the place for rethinking healthcare for the 21^st century and will undertake the research to underpin that,” he added.

Professor Jenny Higham, vice-chancellor of St George’s, University of London, said: “As we move forward with this strategic merger, I am enthusiastic about the tremendous promise our shared vision holds – not just for healthcare and research, but for science, service, and excellence more broadly. 

“I look forward to collaborating with Professor Sir Anthony Finkelstein and all our talented staff, students, and alumni as we shape City St George’s, University of London into a powerhouse for healthcare education and research.”