The Scottish Spinout Summit, held at the University’s flagship Sir Jim McDonald Technology & Innovation Centre, marked a major milestone in fostering collaboration between academia, investors and government to drive sustainable economic growth.
This week’s summit is the culmination of the Spinout Pipeline Project, which received £800,000 of Scottish Government funding, and aims to accelerate commercialisation by sharing best practice across the sector and supporting researchers to transform their discoveries into high-growth ventures.
The Project is being led by Dr Catherine Breslin, Strathclyde’s Head of Industry Engagement and Commercialisation for Strathclyde Inspire, the University’s entrepreneurship strategy. Over the last five years Inspire has supported the creation of 125 companies – 106 start-ups and 19 spin-outs.
The summit, which allowed innovators to pitch to potential investors and inspire others to commercialise their research, featured specialist panels led by Ana Avaliani from the Royal Academy of Engineering, Andrew Noble from PXN group and Amy Morgan from Barclay Innovation Banking.
Kate Forbes, MSP, Deputy First Minister, gave a keynote speech at the event, and Ana Stewart, Chief Entrepreneur at the Scottish Government, provided insights into the potential of spinouts within the Scottish innovation ecosystem. A session hosted by Nicola McMillan, Scottish Enterprise, heard expert insights from entrepreneur Priya Guha, a member of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Board, and a Venture Partner at Merian Ventures.
Professor Stephen McArthur, Principal & Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, who also presented at the event, said: “At Strathclyde we are proud of our reputation for producing high‑growth spinouts. We are ranked in the UK Top 20 for spinout activity, which underlines the strength of our research base and our ability to translate it into impact across key sectors including life sciences, clean tech, advanced manufacturing and quantum.
“The inaugural Scottish Spinout Summit is an exciting opportunity to celebrate the remarkable innovation, creativity and talent across Scotland’s universities that is transforming world-class research into real economic and societal value.
“The strength of Scotland’s spin-out pipeline reflects a long tradition of curiosity, ingenuity and collaboration between researchers, investors, industry and government. Together, we are creating high-growth companies, skilled jobs and the innovations that Scotland – and the world – will depend on in the years ahead.”