At the University of Edinburgh, we help researchers, students and industry partners make their ideas work for a better world. Edinburgh Innovations leads the University’s activities in industry engagement and business development, enterprise support for students and staff, and the identification, management and commercialisation of University intellectual property. By pinpointing opportunities and building partnerships, Edinburgh Innovations helps turn ideas into successful projects and thriving businesses that benefit society and the economy.The University of Edinburgh was ranked first in the world for ‘Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure’ by The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024, which assess the performance of universities against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The University scored 100 out of 100 for its contribution to SDG9, which includes its research, patents citing university research, research income from industry and number of University spinouts. This top ranking reflects the University’s flourishing culture of innovation and is a testament to its ongoing commitment to deliver positive change through research, education and partnerships. In 2023/24, Edinburgh Innovations helped to launch 127 start-up and spinout companies founded by staff and students, making Edinburgh the leading entrepreneurial University in the Russell Group of ‘world-class, researchintensive’ universities (according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency). 1,000 academic staff are now working on innovation activity across the University, and in 2023/24 140 patents were filed and 55 licenses were entered into by those involved. A total of £141 million was invested in University-associated companies across the year, including £73 million into staff spinouts. Edinburgh Innovations has supported the development of the University’s Research and Innovation Strategy 2030, which launched this year. One aim of the Strategy is to establish a clear and compelling Innovation Career Pathway for academics keen to focus on industry collaboration, commercialisation and impact. Implementation of these aims is already underway: in 2023/24 the first Innovation Fellows were appointed by Edinburgh Innovations to blaze a trail for innovation-focused scholarship at the University, and EI has also been instrumental in launching the University’s BRAID (Bridging Responsible AI Divides) Fellowships programme, in partnership with the BBC and the Ada Lovelace Institute. These unique fellowships will bring together arts and humanities researchers with industry and the public sector on projects that will help drive responsible innovation in artificial intelligence.Old College Capital (OCC), the University’s in-house venture investment fund, supports the University’s research, staff and students by investing in high-growth, early-stage businesses associated with the University, and follows a co-investment model by partnering with experienced private sector investors. Working closely with founders, investors, and the University representatives, OCC accelerates the journey of startups and spinouts that are looking to make a positive impact on people and our planet. OCC’s returns are reinvested back into the University ecosystem to support future generations of ambitious, deeptechnology companies. In 2023/24, OCC announced the expansion of both its team and investment capacity, which will allow the fund to support the most exciting ideas and technologies emerging from the University This article was published on 2025-01-23
