“Each company formed represents major progress,” says Dr Mairi Gibbs, CEO of Oxford University Innovation (OUI). “Launching a new business is a non-trivial achievement.”
Oxford University is keen to make the most of its research base, either by licensing intellectual property to corporate partners or encouraging staff and students to embark on the journey that leads from laboratory to commercial marketplace. As the body charged with managing the university’s technology transfer operation, OUI has just published an impact report, assessing its own progress over the past year. Despite a challenging economic backdrop, 15 companies have been created.
So what does that mean for the University and its ability to spawn successful spinouts? When I spoke to Dr Gibbs a few days after the report was published, I was keen to find out more about the University’s ambitions and its approach to assisting research-based businesses to pursue their commercial objectives.
Full story: Oxford Spinout Creation Has Continued Amid A Funding Drought
