Cambridge Enterprise hails a highly successful year

The number of intellectual property transactions completed by Cambridge Enterprise, the technology transfer arm of Cambridge University, continued to rise in 2009 and at the same time there was 39 per cent increase in the number of consultancy agreements negotiated on behalf of the university’s academics, according to Cambridge Enterprise’s 2009 Annual Review.

In all there was income of £8 million from licensing, consultancy, royalties and equity realisations.

Cambridge Enterprise currently holds equity in 72 companies on behalf of the university, and last year was successful for many of them with 22 of their number raising over £62 million pounds in follow-on funding.

One start-up, Enecsys, raised $10 million in its first round of funding for the development of a micro-inverter for photovoltaic panels that will enabling higher performance and lower cost plug and play solar power systems.

Another spin-out, Psynova Neurotech, founded in 2005 by Sabine Bahn of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology to develop biomarkers for diagnosing and monitoring diseases such as schizophrenia and bipolar disease, agreed a collaboration with a US company Rules Based Medicine to commercialise its first product.

“We are very fortunate at Cambridge to have a flexible IP policy that respects the interests of our academics,” said Teri Willey, Chief Executive of Cambridge Enterprise. “We remain committed to working closely with our academics in finding the best industrial partners and investors to assist in the commercialisation of the transformative research which originates from the university.”

Cambridge Enterprise also manages three evergreen funds. The newest of these, the Discovery Fund, set up to mark the university’s 800th Anniversary, made its first investment in PneumaCare Ltd. The company has developed a non-invasive lung function monitor, a version of which is currently being trialled with the Ministry of Defence for use in combat situations.

The 2009 review marked two full financial years since Cambridge Enterprise began operating as a wholly-owned affiliate of the university. During this time, 400 new knowledge and technology transfer transactions were completed, bringing the portfolio to over 700 active equity, consultancy and licence agreements under management.

Income over the two years exceeded £18 million, of which almost £14 million was distributed to university academics and departments, with the remainder reinvested in patent assets, seed fund pools and support for knowledge and technology transfer services to the university.