Spin-out Review: Statement of Best Practice Adoption 2024

Oxford Brookes University welcomes the recommendations from the independent review of university spin-outs commissioned by the government.

The University has a healthy pipeline of cutting-edge research with potential for commercialisation and a small number of spin-out companies that it intends to grow as part of its Research and Innovation Pillar of the 2035 University Strategy.

Oxford Brookes’ recent review of its Spin-out Policy has been guided by the independent review of spin-out recommendations. The University is committed to adopting the best practices that align with the review recommendations including:

• continued investment in proof of concept awards to develop a pipeline of impactful research with potential for commercialisation
• raising awareness of opportunities for commercialisation of research through training and development
• recognising and rewarding researchers’ efforts to commercialise impactful research that can benefit the economy and society as a whole
• improving diversity in spin-out leadership and support women in their spinout journey
• ensuring that the University’s policies and processes for spin-out creation are innovation-friendly and clearly communicated to founders, investors and other key stakeholders and that they are effective and efficient
• using as a starting point equity shares as identified in TenU’s University Spin-out Investment Terms (USIT) Guide, with exact terms varying depending on the wider commercial deal.

Professor Linda King, PVC Research and Global Partnerships and Founding Director of Oxford Expression Technologies, a successful company spun out from Oxford Brookes University in 2007, said: "We welcome the findings of the spin-out review. The insights and recommendations support our University’s ambition to make a greater contribution to Enterprise and Innovation. Over the last three years Oxford Brookes’ Enterprise Centre and BioInnovation Hub have supported the creation of more than 50 new jobs and the companies hosted in these facilities, which include our own spin-outs, have attracted c.£8M of investment and grant funding".