Industry collaboration and entrepreneurship reach new heights 

Imperial has been using its academic expertise to solve real-world challenges through record numbers of industry partnerships and consultancy projects, while more and more Imperial students are launching startup companies with support from the College’s entrepreneurship programmes. These are some of the facts revealed in the newest Review of Enterprising Activity, Imperial’s annual look at the […]

Malta Maritime Seed Award: supporting technological innovations in the maritime field

Malta Marittima and the University of Malta have launched the Maritime Seed Award (MarSA) in a bid to support entrepreneurs and researchers in taking their maritime related ventures from concept to commercialisation.  The programme is run together with the support of the University’s Knowledge Transfer Office (KTO), TAKEOFF Business Incubator, and Centre for Entrepreneurship and […]

Early cancer detection technology secures £2.4M funding boost from InnovateUK

Efforts to improve the early detection of cancer have received a significant boost with a £2.4 million funding deal to support the further development of innovative testing technology. Glasgow-based ClinSpec Diagnostics Limited (ClinSpec Dx), a spinout from the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry at Strathclyde, has developed a way of detecting cancer at an early stage using a […]

UK University launches ‘innovation factory’ to identify viable spin-offs 

Designed to be one of Europe’s most effective University Technology Transfer offices, the University of Manchester Innovation Factory has built a new team and processes for commercialising the university’s innovations and intellectual property. The new organisation’s core mission is to use this IP to create positive social and economic impact. The Innovation Factory works with […]

UCL launches new £100m start-up investment fund

University College London has launched a new £100m investment fund to back university spin-outs developing medical research as well as artificial intelligence (AI) projects. The new UCL Technology Fund is backed by British Patient Capital, as well as UCL itself and other new and existing investors. It will be managed by London-headquartered investment firm AlbionVC. “There […]

Queen’s University spin-out Re-Vana Therapeutics raises $3.25m

Today (3 June), Queen’s University Belfast spin-out Re-Vana Therapeutics announced that it has raised $3.25m in pre-Series A funding. The start-up, which develops sustained-release therapeutics for significant sight-threatening ocular diseases, said that the round was oversubscribed by more than $1m and closed in two tranches. The first tranche was led by ExSight Ventures, with participation […]

The TAKEOFF Seed Fund Awards: Supporting Discovery, Innovation, Knowledge and Impact

Researchers and entrepreneurs will be able to benefit from a maximum of €25,000 to start and grow their ideas through this year’s TAKEOFF Seed Fund Award (TOSFA) which was launched today, the 6th May 2020. A total of €100,000 will be allocated through this competitive call which closes at noon on Monday 25 May 2020.  The […]

Innovation fund for Imperial staff and student startups launches

Imperial College London has launched its first Innovation Fund to invest in early-stage, high-growth, knowledge-intensive companies. The Fund offers alumni and investors the opportunity to support the commercial development of Imperial’s discoveries into tomorrow’s solutions in medicine, engineering, biochemistry, genetics, materials, quantum computing, data science and beyond. Imperial has a long history of producing ground-breaking […]

Kin Capital launches new Cambridge VC fund for university startups and spin-outs

The Cambridge University Ventures SEIS Fund will convey 50 per cent tax relief and other substantial tax benefits through the UK’s Government backed Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS). Google, Facebook and many more of the world’s most successful businesses were started by students at university. Whilst these startups were great ideas and had talented founders […]

EU Plans $3.9 Billion Fund for Startups in ‘Valley of Death’ 

The European Union is planning a 3.5 billion-euro ($3.9 billion) fund that will invest in early stage technology in an effort to increase the pipeline of innovations that might someday take on giants in the U.S. and China. Traditional venture capital firms tend to avoid the costly and risky research needed to turn a scientific breakthrough into […]