Isis Posts Record Revenues

21 May 2009

Isis Innovation, the University of Oxford’s technology transfer company, achieved increased revenues of £5.6 million in the last financial year, up 18 per cent from the previous year.

Isis managing director Tom Hockaday said: “Isis is a technology innovation business; we manage the successful exploitation of new ideas from Oxford and from elsewhere; we do this for the benefit of people, for the health and wealth of society, across the world.”

“We have had another successful year, delivering value back to Oxford University and out to society.”

Isis returns a proportion of its revenues back to Oxford.  In the last financial year £2.9 million has gone back to the University for distribution to its academics and departments, to support the University’s key activities.  This is in addition to the value of the University’s shareholdings in spin-out companies created by Isis, and the other benefits Isis brings to the University.

 

Isis’ three business divisions have each shown a strong performance:

1. Isis assesses, patents and commercialises intellectual property and received £3.5 million in licence and royalty income, as well as setting up four new spin-out companies.

The technology transfer team struck 69 deals with commercial organisations to further develop Oxford technologies. This included a licence to the newly formed Oxford-Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium Ltd, a joint venture between Oxford, Emergent Biosolutions, the Wellcome Trust and the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation, to develop the most clinically advanced new vaccine for TB. The vaccine entered Phase IIb clinical trials in April 2009.

“This is an example of where we have followed Oxford’s policy of including provisions that seek to increase the availability of medicines to less developed countries,” said Tom Hockaday.

The spin-outs include: Organox Ltd (transplant organ preservation & repair) and Intelligent Sustainable Energy Ltd (revolutionary technologies aimed at helping people reduce and manage their energy consumption).

 

2. Oxford University Consulting saw a fifty percent rise in the number of consulting contracts it negotiated, providing industry and the public sector with access to Oxford’s academic expertise.

“In the current economic climate many companies are moving to a more outsourced model and use academic experts to provide guidance and input” said Tom Hockaday.

 

3. Isis Enterprise provided technology transfer training, market research and innovation management advice to UK companies and to organisations in Croatia, Austria, Brazil, South Africa. The group also established a presence in Singapore.

The company filed 64 new patent applications protecting Oxford inventions, bringing to 400 the number of patent families managed by Isis.

The Oxford Innovation Society, Isis’ network for open innovation, held three successful meetings and dinners for 140 guests and continues to grow.

 

Notes to Editors:

Isis Innovation is the University of Oxford's technology company and manages the University's intellectual property portfolio, working with University researchers on identifying, protecting and marketing technologies through licensing, spin-out company formation and material sales.  Isis files on average one new patent application each week, has concluded over 400 technology licensing agreements, and established 62 new spin-out companies from Oxford.  Isis also manages Oxford University Consulting, which arranges consulting services providing clients access to the world-class expertise of the University's academics to enhance innovative capability.  Last year OUC arranged over 100 consulting deals.  Isis has established a separate business division, Isis Enterprise, offering consulting expertise and advice in technology transfer and open innovation to university, government and industrial clients around the world.  Isis was founded in 1987 and is today one of the world's leading technology transfer and innovation management companies.
www.isis-innovation.com

The Isis financial year runs from April to March.

For more information:

Renate Krelle
Isis Innovation Ltd
T: +44 (0) 1865 280850
E: renate.krelle@isis.ox.ac.uk