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Spinouts: How Can Universities Turn Research Into Successful Businesses?

Whether it’s a new drug, software or material, brilliant university research can create huge rewards – for founders, universities and the economy.

What happens when university research becomes a business? It’s called a spin-out and it’s built Silicon Valley, with Stanford University at the centre. In the UK, Oxford alone has launched more than 200 in the last 15 years.

Whether it’s a new drug, software or material, brilliant university research can create huge rewards – for founders, universities and the economy. But also battles over who really owns the idea and should get a share of the equity.

Does the spin-out system deliver or does it stall? Evan Davis and a panel of guests discuss.

Guests:
Molly Allington, CEO of Albotherm
Harry Destecroix, co-founder of Ziylo and also founder of incubator Science Creates in Bristol
Amber Hill, founder of Research Grid

Production team:
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producers: Phoebe Keane and Sally Abrahams
Production co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge
Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar
Editor: Matt Willis

Available now

31 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Thu 2 Oct 2025 12:04
  • Tue 7 Oct 2025 21:30

Podcast