October 18-20 | Tucson, AZ

The Research Institution GAP Fund and Accelerator Program Summit

UK spinouts are thriving—now government must step up

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October 23-25, 2024 / Atlanta, GA

The annual summit for research institution gap fund and accelerator programs, including proof of concept programs, startup accelerators, and university venture funds

The Story

Last year’s government-commissioned independent review of university spinouts, led by Irene Tracey and Andrew Williamson, highlighted many success stories, including universities’ role in creating innovation ecosystems in every region and nation of the UK. The review also made 11 recommendations, several of which covered university approaches to supporting spinouts.

On 24 September, Research England revealed the first 39 English universities to adopt these recommendations and update their spinout policies accordingly.

This means, for example, that typical deals will now follow the guidance from TenU, an international collaboration of 10 leading tech transfer offices. Specifically, universities will take around 10-25 per cent equity for life sciences businesses and 10 per cent or less for software spinouts.

This is an important step in creating transparency and understanding around university spinout policies. It also tackles some investors’ misconceptions that UK universities take disproportionately large equity stakes in spinout companies. In reality, institutions’ average equity share is around 18 per cent.

 

 

Full story: UK spinouts are thriving—now government must step up – Research Professional News

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