A recent study commissioned by UK Research and Innovation and authored by Tony Hickson examines how universities can strengthen engagement with investors by focusing earlier in the innovation lifecycle on proof of concept (POC) funding and support.
The study recognizes that many promising university technologies struggle to attract private capital not because they lack potential, but because they remain insufficiently validated. POC funding helps address this challenge by advancing technical readiness, reducing uncertainty, and clarifying commercial pathways, making technologies more legible and investable to external partners.
For university gap fund and accelerator programs, the implications are significant. Investor engagement is not a downstream activity that begins at spinout formation. It is shaped upstream by how effectively institutions support technologies through early validation and translational readiness. Strong POC capability improves both technology maturity and the quality of conversations between universities and investors.
The study also reflects a broader push within the UK innovation ecosystem to strengthen proof of concept and university–investor partnerships. Organizations such as TenU have helped elevate these themes in the UK and are contributing to greater alignment across institutions without overshadowing the central role of funders and policymakers.
Overall, the message is clear. If universities want deeper, more durable relationships with investors, they must invest intentionally in proof of concept infrastructure that bridges research discovery and commercialization readiness.
Read more here: https://www.ukri.org/publications/deepening-university-investor-links/
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Related Topics: university gap fund and accelerator programs, proof of concept funding, technology commercialization, translational research, investor engagement, university venture fund, startup accelerator design, early-stage university innovation
