Isis Innovation Ltd and the Natural Environment Research Council

Press Release

June 2006

Isis Enterprise and NERC working together to promote Technology Transfer

The extension of the partnership between Isis Innovation and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has been confirmed May 2006 with a programme agreed for a further years joint work. Isis Enterprise, part of Isis Innovation Ltd, Oxford University’s Technology Transfer Company, will continue to support the transfer of technology from NERC’s four wholly-owned research centres. Isis will work with NERC to increase licensing and create spinout companies from the NERC research base.

In the initial fifteen months which have just been completed the teams have developed a good joint understanding of NERC’s national research portfolio, there has been extensive internal marketing within NERC to raise awareness of commercialisation opportunities.  Isis staff are now firmly embedded in the NERC Commercialisation Team, providing day-to-day support and advice on general technology transfer issues and on specific commercialisation opportunities.  A particular success has been members of the NERC Commercialisation Team spending time at Isis, experiencing the detailed operations within Isis.

Both NERC and Isis have agreed new targets to ramp-up activity and develop the culture of commercialisation so that it is recognised across NERC sites and touches a wider audience beyond NERC.

Tim Cook – the Deputy Chair of Isis Innovation commented

“The partnership with NERC has made a strong start and we are delighted that it continues.  We have met staff at the 13 major sites of the four NERC Research Centres and are working with the NERC Commercialisation to steadily build awareness of commercialisation opportunities across NERC”

Notes for editors:

1.  Isis Innovation Ltd. is Oxford University’s technology transfer company. It provides researchers with commercial advice, funds patent applications and legal costs, negotiates exploitation and spin-out company agreements, and identifies and manages consultancy opportunities for University researchers. It is a subsidiary of Oxford University and has established itself as one of the best University technology transfer companies in the UK.  www.isis-innovation.com

2.  NERC is one of eight UK Research Councils.  It uses a budget of about £300m a year to fund and carry out impartial scientific research in the sciences of the environment. NERC trains the next generation of independent environmental scientists. It is addressing some of the key questions facing mankind such as global warming, renewable energy and sustainable economic development.   www.nerc.ac.uk

3.  NERC’s four wholly-owned research centres are: The British Antarctic Survey, the British Geological Survey, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory.

More information:

Dr Mark Mawhinney, General Manager, Isis Enterprise:
T +44 (0) 1865 280830
E mark.mawhinney@isis.ox.ac.uk

Marion O’Sullivan, Senior Press Officer, NERC:
T +44 (0) 1793 411727
Mobile +44 (0) 7917 086369

Ruth Collier, Press Officer, University of Oxford:
T +44 (0) 1865 280532