On this day 125 years ago, Queen Victoria spoke the University of Birmingham (UoB) into existence by signing a Royal Charter which brought Joseph Chamberlain’s radical vision to life as England’s first civic university. To mark this moment, Professor Gino Martini, chief executive of Precision Health Technologies Accelerator (PHTA), a UoB enterprise helping build the world’s leading life sciences cluster right here in Birmingham, examines UoB’s innovation story.
By Professor Gino Martini
UoB has always been a home to exciting innovations. It’s a university of firsts. But developing a ‘blue sky’ idea into a commercial prospect is no easy task.
Start-ups and spin-outs – a 125-year journey
University start-ups and spin-outs have become big business, positively impacting the economy both at regional and national levels.
UoB is proud to nurture the type of innovations that can only originate from a university dedicated to research that is purposeful, pragmatic and pioneering – and the process of developing and delivering innovations with real-world application has been 125 years in the making.
Pacemakers, plastic heart valves, synthesised Vitamin C – invented in UoB
Here at UoB, pacemakers and plastic heart valves were developed; the first artificial vitamin (Vitamin C) was synthesised; allergy vaccines were pioneered; the key components of artificial blood were synthesised; and the first clinical trials of the contraceptive pill outside the US were carried out.
Uni spin-outs account for nearly 10% of UK equity funding
All this innovation provides the opportunity for commercialisation, and according to the Russell Group, universities are a striking UK success story – their spin-out companies raised £1.66bn in equity funding in 2023, 9.54% of all equity funding raised by UK companies.
4D Medicine – creating implantable soft tissue
Spin-out 4D Medicine, for example, is commercialising a new class of liquid resins that can be 3D-printed into complex shapes to help our bodies recover from a wide range of medical conditions.
The company is developing implantable devices for use in soft tissue repair and orthopaedic applications and, as healing takes place, these materials are safely absorbed into the body and expelled via normal metabolic processes.
SARS antigens – created by UoB spinouts
In early 2020, The Native Antigen Company, which was originally created in 2010 to capture knowhow and expertise embedded in another UoB spin-out, Hybrid Biosystems, was among the first companies in the world to make SARS-CoV-2 antigens commercially available for researchers developing diagnostics and vaccines.
Mouth-cancer detection lollipop
Dr Ruchi Gupta’s game-changing mouth-cancer detection lollipop is one of the newest innovations to come into the public eye. This novel diagnostic for mouth cancer will be made from a novel smart hydrogel and the team aims for it to replace current painful, invasive, and time-consuming diagnostic procedures.
World-leading – Birmingham’s health and life sciences district
UoB’s commercialisation infrastructure is centred around UoB Enterprise, based at Birmingham Research Park, and PHTA, at the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus.
This ecosystem provides natural grow-on space for spin-outs and start-ups, which can incubate at the BioHub Birmingham and then scale-up to take space within PHTA.
This constantly evolving pipeline of ambitious young companies not only maximises collaborative opportunities, but helps to keep life sciences businesses in the region – creating skilled jobs and making significant contributions to the local economy.
Maximising potential
It’s vital that innovative companies are given the support they need to stay in the West Midlands region, and Birmingham’s health and life sciences district does just that.
But we go far beyond offering premium Category 2 lab and office space – we catalyse collaborations by enabling access to clinical-academic experts who are leading their field, as well as providing opportunities to work together to maximise the potential of their innovations.
Global recognition
David Coleman, CEO, University of Birmingham Enterprise, said: “Spin-outs are critical to the UK’s future economic growth, and our region, with its outstanding research facilities, has the capacity to become a leader in this space.
“Birmingham-born technologies can achieve global recognition, and we continue to contribute to initiatives that put UoB at the forefront of entrepreneurial activity in the region.”
Businesses working with both UoB Enterprise and PHTA also benefit from comprehensive support from the earliest stages of innovation – from intellectual property protection to advice on investment and financing.
Worldwide impact – benefiting patients and communities
Our aim is to make it as easy as possible for our region’s entrepreneurs, spin-outs and growing businesses to find the talent, expertise and facilities they need to thrive – ultimately benefiting patients and our local communities.
