Businesses welcome government start up stance

Exeter business leaders have welcomed proposals to boost spin-out companies.

Spin-outs are start-up companies created with intellectual property (IP) from university research.

The government has accepted the recommendations of the Independent Review of University Spin-Out Companies, which looked at the most successful spin-out ecosystems in the UK and worldwide.

It states that the UK has an opportunity to create a world-leading innovation ecosystem that is “more ambitious than a replica of Silicon Valley”.

The review makes eleven recommendations, aiming to grow the economy, attract more talent and transform the UK into a science and technology superpower.

University of Exeter spin-outs welcomed the government announcement.

Dr Jonathan Snicker, Executive Chair of Exeter spin-out Attomarker Ltd, said: “Spin-outs like Attomarker can disrupt established dogma and practice to make the world a better place.”

“We are working on rapid, handheld, multiplex diagnostics to enable early disease detection; especially crucial for conditions like sepsis, which takes the lives of 48,000 people a year in the UK alone, including a disproportionate number of children.

“Attomarker instruments can provide rapid point-of-care testing, including in ambulances, reducing the dependency on, and time-constraints of, centralised laboratories and benefiting both developed and resource-limited areas.

“Overall, these advancements lead to more efficient, cost-effective, and accessible healthcare solutions, positively impacting public health outcomes.”

Dr Rachel Fenton, Founder and Director of Exeter-based Kindling Transformative Interventions, commented: “Spin-outs really matter: they can be powerful vehicles for translating academic work into real-life impacts for real people.

“Our spin-out uses academic research into understanding how bystanders can be trained to act skilfully to prevent violence against women and girls, and inequalities in the workplace.

“We have built a business that has created jobs and has equipped thousands of people across the UK to act as skilled bystanders in preventing these harms.

“Without the spin-out as the vehicle, our research would never have had this impact at a societal level.”

Professor Lisa Roberts, Exeter University's President and Vice-Chancellor, said: “The University of Exeter welcomes and supports this ambitious report, and we’re delighted the government has endorsed it in full.

“The creation of spin-outs and knowledge exchange are central to our vision of building a greener, healthier, fairer world.

“Today’s announcement provides the necessary support for us to build on our strong record of success in creating spin-out companies; I am confident this activity will only grow in future.”