IPSO Entrepreneurs
The IPSO Entrepreneurs Programme connects inventive academics with a series of entrepreneurs, each of whom has commercialised technology successfully. The external entrepreneurs share knowledge of the trials and tribulations of commercialisation from personal experience, and are charged with giving each university an industry-led insight into the potential commercial value of current research programmes.
The central activity of the Programme is thus for external entrepreneurs to talk to academics about their research programmes and to assess each programme with respect to its potential value to industry.
Universities may choose to wrap the Programme within particular contexts – perhaps as part of an incubation facility or within a Workshop structure aimed at improving internal knowledge of commercialisation. Central to each Programme is the connection between successful industry experts and the top university researchers.
The Programme is facilitated by IPSO Ventures. For further information, contact binnie.tsui@ipsoventures.com, or read on.
Optimising the commercialisation of university technology
It is logical to focus technology commercialisation on demand-led innovation as opposed to technology-led innovation. But how do universities apply this logic when, by necessity, they remain interested in optimising the commercialisation of ‘their’ technologies?
The IPSO Entrepreneurs Programme is based on a new methodology designed specifically to tackle this issue. We bring knowledge of demand into the university, exploiting the commercial knowledge and experience of successful industry executives, in order to assess internal IP and technology developments specifically from the perspective of industry demand. Further background information click here.
The entrepreneurs themselves have each achieved success commercialising technology through to exit and each hold sector specific market knowledge. Entrepreneurs are retained under the programme to meet academics within the university, gaining privileged access to university technology. A single entrepreneur will remain ‘on the team’ for between two and three months, making at least 5 or 6 visits to the university over that period, meeting academics one-to-one in order to identify which specific elements of technology or IP under development are of greatest interest to potential purchasers in the entrepreneur’s own sector. Each change of entrepreneur gives the university a fresh perspective on its IP.
Output
The output from the programme is the identification of specific technology or IP that is of greatest commercial value in the market sectors covered by the entrepreneurs. This compliments the traditional Tech Transfer activity and provides a validated stream of potential technology opportunities.
Benefits
- market led identification of valuable innovation
- unlimited sector specialisations
- academics remain unrestricted; no issues of ‘directed research’
- increased chance of long term viability of technology projects, due to demand focus
- increased industry interaction with long term potential for additional research support
Loughborough “ExcellENT” Programme
For Loughborough University we have developed a tailored version of the IPSO Entrepreneurs Programme to meet their requirements for a commercially led enterprise development and skills training programme to educate postgraduate research students and research staff and build upon the current enterprise culture at Loughborough. Further details about the ExcellENT programme click here