Scottish uni spinout firms leave rest of UK behind

The fifth annual report for the Spinouts UK survey shows Scotland is home to one in five (20 per cent) of the UK’s spinouts, significantly ahead of the next two best performing regions – London (14 per cent) and south-east England (12 per cent).

The report also highlights Scotland’s reputation as a centre of excellence, with Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Strathclyde and Heriot-Watt universities all featuring strongly in the UK top 20.

Spinouts are defined as companies formed to commercialise intellectual property (IP) owned by a university and exclude start-ups which are not based on IP from the institution.

During the period measured, life science-related spinouts dominated at 43 per cent of the total.

Spinouts in the information communications technology and digital sector were the next most prolific at 23 per cent.

The report also reveals ICT and digital companies have experienced greater success in commercialising products.

According to an expert from IP law firm Marks & Clerk, the figures may be pointing towards greater consolidation among spinouts in the UK.

Patent attorney and partner Richard Gibbs said: “While the number of spinouts has declined, industry experience is helping to forge a more sophisticated and efficient approach to evolving these businesses.”