University of Oxford retains top spot among UK academic institutions for generating spinouts

The University of Oxford has held onto its Number One spot among UK academic institutions for generating spinout companies, creating 205 alone since 2011 and celebrating its 300th earlier this year.

According to the third annual 'Spotlight on Spinouts 2023 report' from data firm Beauhurst, Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE), which funds and builds companies from the University, has played a significant role, having participated in fundraising worth £1.45 billion between 2013 and 2022.

In addition, OSE has also established itself as a prolific seed-stage investor, taking part in 63 seed deals worth £376 million.

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OSE’s peers at seed stage include the University of Cambridge Enterprise Fund (49 deals worth £82.8 million), which comes in at second place, and Mercia Fund Managers (42 deals worth £22.5 million) gets the third position.

Companies from the University of Oxford also continue to attract considerable investment, the report shows.

Figures from research commercialisation arm Oxford University Innovation (OUI) for 2022 demonstrate that Oxford spinouts raised £956m in external investment - an estimated 45% of the £2.13bn across the UK as tracked by Beauhurst.

This track record is further enhanced by the achievements of three prominent firms - Osler Diagnostics, OMass Therapeutics, and MiroBio - which emerged as top five spinout investees in the UK in 2022. Collectively, these spinouts raised £400 million last year.

Professor Chas Bountra, the Pro Vice Chancellor for Innovation at the University of Oxford, said Oxford’s continued place at the top of the table was "tantamount to the talents" of dedicated researchers who are commercialising their research, and of all those in Oxford’s innovation ecosystem.

"These companies make a crucial contribution to the world from local to global level and we must strive to provide the best possible conditions for them to succeed."

Jim Wilkinson, chief financial officer at Oxford Science Enterprises, added: "Oxford’s leading position is a testament to the vibrant innovation ecosystem built by the University and its partners to transform academic research into ground-breaking companies."

Baroness Nicola Blackwood, the chair of Oxford University Innovation (OUI), said: "We’re delighted the University of Oxford has retained its leadership position, demonstrated not just through the number of new spinouts, but also through the success of our equity raises.

"But the broader investment climate remains fiercely competitive and challenging, we must accelerate the speed of our spinout creation and nurture the ongoing growth of our spinout companies in Oxfordshire, and across the UK, to realise our full potential as a Science Superpower."

OUI is the research commercialisation arm of the university, supporting innovation and entrepreneurial activities across all university divisions, through which the university has created over 300 companies.

OSE is an independent, billion-pound investment company, created in 2015 to found, fund and build transformational businesses via its unique partnership with the University of Oxford.

To date, it has invested £0.5 billion in over 80 ambitious companies built on Oxford science, helping progress 28 from seed to Series A, and 22 to Series B and beyond, including 2 IPOs and 7 trade sales.

READ MORE: 10% of Oxford University graduates go on to become business founders - reports Money.co.uk