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Spin-outs and start-ups

University start-ups and spin-outs boost growth, attract investment, and create jobs and opportunities.

These ventures bring products and services to market that are based on decades of research, and their innovations originate from the type of unrestricted search, and blue-sky thinking that can only take place in a University environment.

They deliver practical solutions that meet modern health challenges, practical solutions for a thriving planet, or alter the world’s approach to manufacturing, engineering, and transport.

They are already playing a key role in the industries the government has said will power Britain's future economic growth - powering the transition to clean energy, harnessing the tech and AI revolution, and making the discoveries that will support a healthier nation.

  • Steelworker near a blast furnace with sparks

    PeroCycle

    Professor Yulong Ding and Dr Harriet Kildahl devised a ‘closed loop’ carbon recycling technology that enables in-process carbon dioxide conversion into carbon monoxide for replacing the coal or coke currently used in the steelmaking process. The technology is being developed by PeroCycle, a new venture launched by the University of Birmingham, leading global miner Anglo American, and venture-builder Cambridge Future Tech, which aims to provide a potential alternative technical solution to enable a deep decarbonization of the steel sector, and beyond.

    Read more about PeroCycle
  • Close up of yellow fixation screws

    4D Medicine

    4D Medicine was founded after 15 years of research by Professor Andrew Dove, a world leader in polymer chemistry, whose work focusses on strategies to control and understand polymer degradation, and so create new materials that degrade in a controlled and predictable manner. A patented, implantable, medical polymer called 4Degra® was developed from this research. 4D Medicine is now focussing on biodegradable and bioabsorbable medical devices that will improve surgical outcomes and enhance patient quality of life.

  • r Robert Neely, Dr Jack Kennefick, Dr Debora Lucarelli and Peter Bream

    Tagomics

    Tagomics was founded in 2020 by researcher Dr Robert Neely and former PhD student Jack Kennefick, who are now the company’s Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Executive Officer. They have been joined by Chief Technology Officer Dr Debora Lucarelli and Chief Financial Officer Peter Bream. The company has developed a novel profiling technology that reveals epigenetic changes, a set of chemicals which bind to our DNA and alter how our genes are expressed, without changing the underlying DNA sequence. Epigenetic profiling is of considerable interest to the biotechnology sector, as it has the potential to improve disease diagnosis and enhance our understanding of how drugs function. Tagomics have extended their platform to extract a multitude of clinically relevant markers (coined multi-omics) in a more sensitive, straightforward, and economical way than current approaches.

    Read more about Tagomics
  • Salinity Solutions team

    Salinity Solutions

    Salinity Solutions was founded by Professor Philip Davies and researcher, Tim Naughton to develop a water treatment system that recovers more water using less energy and a smaller footprint than existing systems. The company employs 12 people, has run successful field trials in multiple sectors, and secured £4.5m in grants and investment. Its water treatment system is already in use in the UK and Germany and will soon be operating in France, Chile and India.

    Read more about Salinity Solutions
  • Sam and Gowsh from Aegis Fibretech

    Aegis Fibretech

    Aegis Fibretech was founded by Dr Sam Moxon and Dr Gowsh Poologasundarampillai to commercialise novel feather-light ‘heat shield’ materials to improve efficiency and safety in cars, electric cars and motorsport. Aegis Fibretech insulating materials are made from environmentally friendly materials, making them an attractive prospect for environmentally conscious sectors such as construction and aerospace.

    Read more about Aegis Fibretech
  • The EvoPhase team: Leonard, Kit, Dominik and Jack

    EvoPhase

    EvoPhase was founded by Dr Kit Windows-Yule, and PhD students Leonard Nicusan, Jack Sykes and Dominik Werner, to help industry break free from design biases that have influenced machinery design for centuries. Their approach is applicable to a diverse range of equipment - and across many sectors. The team is now working on new designs for pharmaceutical and green energy companies.

    Read more about EvoPhase
  • Three members of the Dexter team, Krish, Krishna and Joht, stand in the sunshine

    Dexter

    Dexter was founded by Krish Nirantharakumar, Professor of Health Data Science and Public Health, technology specialist Dr Krishna Gokhale, and Joht Singh Chandan, Clinical Professor of Public Health. Dexter software is untapping the vast potential of Real World Evidence to inform audits that improve clinical care, reduce health inequalities, assist in patient recruitment for clinical trials and enable researchers rapidly to complete observational scientific research.

    Read more about Dexter
  • The Delta g team

    Delta g

    Delta g was founded by Professor Mike Holynski, Jonathan Winch and Andrew Lamb. They have now been joined by startup veteran Tony Lowe, CEO, to fast-track the commercial availability of ground-breaking quantum technology sensors that will map underground spaces. The deep tech company is building a robust, portable sensor to accurately detect buried features, and is set to bring immeasurable benefit to vast infrastructure projects that are currently reliant on disruptive excavations.

    Read more about Delta g

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