Intellectual Property, Entrepreneurs and Company Successes

The speed with which a nation can turn intellectual property (IP) into successful products and services has become a competitive issue in the global race for economic growth. This lecture looks at efficient processes which lead to the successful exploitation of intellectual property rights (IPR) . IPR is often generated at universities and the first step is to recognise its value and decide what to do with it. This may lead to licensing or the creation of a new start-up. Then seed finance from university seed funds and business angels is needed before the venture capital (VC) community can pick up the project as it matures. Britain has Europe's most mature VC industry and a healthy stock market but needs to improve the efficiency of the university spin-out process. The lecture gives an overview of the state of play and some suggestions as to best practice and improvements.