Imperial Innovations

Imperial Innovations is a UK technology commercialisation and investment company, based in London. Imperial Innovations is traded on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange.

History

Imperial Innovations was founded in 1986^[1] as a department of Imperial College London, later becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the College.

In July 2006, shares in the company were admitted to trading on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange.^[2] Since 2006, Imperial Innovations has raised over £300 million to invest in early-stage technology businesses.^[3]

On 4 November 2010 Prime Minister David Cameron revealed in a speech given in East London that Imperial Innovations had agreed to advise on the creation of an accelerator space for spinout companies at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the new East London Tech City hub.^[4]

Business Activities

Imperial Innovations carries out technology commercialisation and investment activities. Technology commercialisation includes protecting intellectual property developed at Imperial College London and other partners, assisting with technology development and ultimately seeking to license technology to industry or forming a new company around the technology.

Investment is focused on making sustainable, long-term investments in early-stage companies in the sectors of: Therapeutics, Medtech & Diagnostics, Engineering & Materials and ICT & Digital.^[5]

Sources of technology and investment opportunities

In April 2005 Imperial Innovations entered into a 15-year agreement with Imperial College London to commercialise technology derived from research at Imperial.^[6] This agreement gives Imperial Innovations the exclusive right to commercialise unencumbered Intellectual Property developed at Imperial College London. In addition to this, Imperial Innovations has contracts to provide technology transfer services to a number of NHS Trusts in the London area.^[7]

Imperial Innovations carries out technology commercialisation services exclusively for technologies developed from these sources.

Imperial Innovations invests in companies and opportunities that derive from what it describes as the ‘Golden Triangle’ made up of London, Cambridge and Oxford.^[8] This area is home to a large number of world-class research institutions including Imperial College London, University College London and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, which are four of the top ten ranked universities in the world.^[9] The majority of investments made by Imperial Innovations are into companies based on academic research carried out at institutions within the Golden Triangle.^[10]

Companies in Imperial Innovations' Portfolio

As at 31 July 2015, Imperial Innovations valued its portfolio of companies at £327.2 million. It had holdings in 98 companies. Of these, the top 20 most valuable companies accounted for a total net value of £292.3 million.^[11]

Notable companies in Imperial Innovations’ portfolio include Circassia Pharmaceuticals, a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. Circassia is the most valuable company in Imperial Innovations’ portfolio.

Notes

1. Evers, Natasha; Cunningham, James (2014). Technology Entrepreneurship: Bringing Innovation to the Marketplace. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1137020113.
2. Imperial College London https://www.imperial.ac.uk/college.asp?P=7996. Retrieved 30 October 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
3. http://www.imperialinnovations.co.uk/about/. Retrieved 30 October 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
4. "East End tech city speech". Number 10. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
5. (PDF). p. 30 http://www.imperialinnovations.co.uk/media/uploads/files/Imperial_Innovations_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2015.pdf. Retrieved 30 October 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
6. . http://www.imperial.ac.uk/college.asp?P=6349. Missing or empty |title= (help); External link in |publisher= (help);
7. http://www.imperialinnovations.co.uk/about/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
8. (PDF). pp. 16–17 http://www.imperialinnovations.co.uk/media/uploads/files/Imperial_Innovations_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2015.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
9. "QS World University Rankings 2015/2016". Retrieved 30 October 2015.
10. http://www.imperialinnovations.co.uk/about/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
11. (PDF). p. 30 http://www.imperialinnovations.co.uk/media/uploads/files/Imperial_Innovations_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2015.pdf. Retrieved 30 October 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)