New University Partnership
IP2IPO Group PLC
05 December 2005
Immediate Release 5 December 2005
IP2IPO GROUP PLC
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
IP2IPO Group plc (AIM: IPO) ('IP2IPO'), the intellectual property
commercialisation company, is pleased to announce that it has entered into an
exclusive long-term partnership with the University of Bristol.
The University of Bristol is one of the leading research universities in the UK.
In the most recent national Research Assessment Exercise, 15 of Bristol's
departments - ten of them in science, engineering and medicine - received the
top 5* rating. A further 21 departments - eight in science, engineering and
medicine - received a 5 rating.
Under the terms of the partnership, IP2IPO has agreed to work with the
University of Bristol to identify and facilitate the formation of spin-out
companies from across the University and to invest an initial fund of £5 million
in such companies in return for equity stakes in them. In addition, IP2IPO will
receive 13.3% of the equity in spin-out companies from the University at the
time that the company is established prior to investment. The partnership has a
term of 25 years.
David Norwood, Chief Executive of IP2IPO, commented: 'We are very pleased to be
entering into this partnership with the University of Bristol and look forward
to working with them to generate value from what we consider to be an
exceptionally strong scientific research base. We have already identified a
pipeline of very promising opportunities and are confident that the partnership
will lead to the creation of an exciting portfolio of high-growth spin-out
companies.'
Professor Eric Thomas, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, said: 'We
have an excellent track record in putting our research to work for the common
good. Our partnership with IP2IPO is a way of building on our success in the
field of enterprise and maximising the impact of the knowledge generated by
Bristol academics.'
For more information please contact:
IP2IPO 020 7489 5200
David Norwood, Chief Executive Officer
Buchanan Communications 020 7466 5000
Tim Anderson, Mark Court, Mary-Jane Johnson
University of Bristol 0117 928 8867
Barry Taylor, Communications Director
Notes for editors
IP2IPO is an intellectual property (IP) company that specialises in
commercialising university technology. The Company was founded in 2001 and
listed on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange plc in October 2003.
IP2IPO's first partnership was with the University of Oxford. In return for an
investment of £20 million, IP2IPO has acquired 50 per cent of the University of
Oxford's equity in spin-out companies and technology licenses based on
intellectual property created at the Chemistry Department until 2015. In
November 2003, IP2IPO created a £5 million seed capital fund for investing in
spin-out companies across the University of Oxford, not just those originating
within the Chemistry Department.
In March 2002, IP2IPO entered into a second long-term partnership with the
University of Southampton. Under the terms of this partnership, IP2IPO is
committed to working with the University of Southampton in the identification
and facilitation of spin-out companies from across the University of Southampton
and to investing £5 million in early-stage University of Southampton spin-out
companies over a four year period in return for equity stakes in those
companies. In addition, IP2IPO also received a 20 per cent stake in Southampton
Asset Management Limited, a company that has been formed to hold the
University's equity stakes in its spin-out companies. The partnership has a term
of at least 25 years.
IP2IPO entered into its third long-term partnership in May 2003 with King's
College London. IP2IPO will work with King's College London to help identify and
progress commercialisation opportunities as well as invest £5 million in seed
capital in spin-out companies from King's College London over a five year period
in return for equity stakes in those companies. In addition, IP2IPO will receive
20 per cent of King's College London's equity in spin-out companies and
technology licenses. The partnership has a term of 25 years.
In October 2003, IP2IPO announced a fourth partnership with the Centre for Novel
Agricultural Products ('CNAP'), based at the University of York. CNAP is a
flagship research centre that specialises in plant and microbial gene discovery.
Under the terms of the partnership a new company, Amaethon Limited, has been
created which has the right to commercialise CNAP's IP for 25 years. IP2IPO has
invested £1.15m in Amaethon Limited in return for a 40% equity stake in Amaethon
Limited (the remaining equity being owned by the University of York) and will
also invest in the spin-out companies based on CNAP's IP which Amaethon Limited
creates.
In June 2004, IP2IPO acquired Top Technology Ventures Limited, an investment
adviser to early stage technology funds. This combines IP2IPO's expertise in the
creation of new ventures based on world leading university IP with Top
Technology's focus on making early stage venture capital investments.
In January 2005, IP2IPO acquired Techtran, a company set up in 2002 to
commercialise university intellectual property under a long-term technology
commercialisation contract with the University of Leeds. Under the terms of the
contract Techtran receives a significant (30%) interest in spin-out companies
created and technology licences negotiated, in return for the provision of
technology transfer services to the University.
In May 2005, IP2IPO announced the launch of LifeUK, a new subsidiary company.
LifeUK, which has since been renamed Modern Biosciences, will in-license life
science intellectual property created by medical researchers at universities
with which IP2IPO already has partnerships, other universities in the UK and
similar academic and charitable research institutions. Modern Biosciences'
objective is to further develop the intellectual property which it in-licenses
with a view to creating substantial value either by subsequently licensing these
development programmes to the pharmaceutical industry or via the creation of new
ventures.
To date, 5 spin-out companies from the IP2IPO portfolio have listed on the AIM
Market of the London Stock Exchange plc: Offshore Hydrocarbon Mapping plc,
Synairgen plc, VASTox plc, Proximagen Neuroscience plc and GETECH Group plc, and
there has been one trade sale: Toumaz Technology Limited was sold to Nanoscience
Inc.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange