Research breakthroughs made at one of London’s top universities have been turned into businesses employing more than 2,000 people, a new report reveals.
A life-saving breathing device for Covid-19 patients is one of the ideas developed at University College London that was rolled out globally and has changed the lives of people around the world.
More than 70 ‘spinouts’ from UCL research are currently in operation and have attracted more than £2.8 billion in investment over the past five years, according to a report by UCL Business, the organisation that turns ideas from UCL’s academics into companies.
The businesses created include a firm that develops gene therapies for hard-to-treat cancers and a social venture that helps children to eat more healthily.
The report said the UCL-Ventura - a low-cost breathing aid developed by a team at UCL and others – ended up reaching Covid-19 patients in more than 30 countries, including Pakistan, Peru and Uganda.
The device reduced the number of patients who needed to be moved onto invasive mechanical ventilation.
It was made possible because a team at UCL Business made the designs available through an e-licensing platform that allowed them to be rapidly distributed around the world.
Dr Anne Lane, CEO of UCL Business, said: “Behind every spinout success are also individual stories of impact. Whether it’s through life-saving gene therapies, pioneering technologies, or community projects, there are people across the world who have been positively impacted by the work we do alongside UCL researchers and academics.”
