£5m funding for universities’ joint offices initiative
THE Midlands Innovation university partnership, which includes Loughborough University, is to launch a connected system of technology transfer offices following a £5m award from Research England.
The award will establish the Midlands Innovation Commercialisation of Research Accelerator (MICRA) as a single gateway to the collective intellectual property resources from the eight Midlands Innovation universities – Aston, Birmingham, Cranfield, Keele, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham and Warwick.
Dr Kathryn Walsh, director of Loughborough University’s Enterprise Office, said: “I am delighted that this visionary approach to collaborative working has received backing through this CCF award. Loughborough University has already achieved significant successes in licensing, business creation and incubation.
“Working in close collaboration with colleagues across the Midlands Innovation universities gives us an opportunity to take this success to a new level.”
The Midlands Innovation universities already generate more new inventions and patents per unit of research income than any other leading group of UK universities, and the funding is expected to be a key driver for significant new investment and jobs in the region.
Collaborating with industry and organisations from all sectors, the MICRA programme will provide support and access for enterprise development, investment and investor relationships to help entrepreneurs drive their ideas forward, meet a wider community of like-minded people and find the most appropriate, targeted incubation support within the partnership.