Science and engineering departments are innovation incubators, and regularly launch companies involved in a wide range of exciting new fields. Dr Mike Tubbs explains how to invest in spin-outs.
Direct spin-outs such as Oxford Instruments receive funding for the early stages of development from one or more of the university, the staff’s friends and family, or angel investors. Examples of the first type include Oxford Instruments and Kromek, which came from Durham University’s Physics Department. Another common route is through an intellectual property commercialisation company (IPCC), such as IP Group. Listed examples include IP Group, the oldest in the country, Allied Minds, Arix Bioscience, Mercia Technologies and Frontier IP Group.