They are among Britain’s greatest national treasures and a powerful engine of ideas and innovation for the nation’s booming technology industry.
But how good are UK universities at commercialising the research and expertise which springs from their laboratories and lecture halls?
During the five-year period to 2016, Oxford University produced 41 spinout companies, up from 21 in the previous five years ended in 2011. At Cambridge University, the number of spinouts grew from 13 to 33 over the same timeframe.
Exscientia, a spinout from Dundee University which uses artificial intelligence to automate drug design, is one of a string of others thought to have similar potential.
Exscientia is at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence-driven drug discovery and design. As at 8th January 2019, Frontier IP Group Plc (LON:FIPP) have a 3.3% holding in Exscientia. Frontier IP Group, through its subsidiaries, engages in assisting universities, research institutions, and companies in the commercialization and exploitation of their intellectual property (IP) in the United Kingdom.