Four leading UK universities collaborate to showcase industry-ready innovation

Researchers from Cambridge, Imperial, Oxford and UCL will exhibit licensable technology built from research at IP4U University Tech Fair.

On Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 September, over 80 researchers from Imperial College London and three other leading UK universities will showcase game-changing innovations that could tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

At IP4U University Tech Fair – held at Imperial’s South Kensington Campus – industry specialists will be able to explore the latest technologies designed by academics in the fields of sustainability and future health.

Alongside meeting researchers from Imperial, University College London, the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, visitors will be able to book one-to-one meetings with technology transfer professionals to explore ways to bring the innovations from concept to creation and put them into action within their organisations. Visitors will also be able to organise meetings with other delegates, and the event sponsors.

The event highlights the important role that university Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) play in brokering partnerships between universities, researchers and industry. This collaborative showcase enables industry to access groundbreaking technologies from across these leading university research institutions in one place. 

Collaboration between scientists, industry and institutions can help us address future challenges and build the UK’s reputation as a Science Superpower.

Event details

IP4U is structured over two days, with Sustainability the focus on 19th September and Future Health under the microscope on 20th September.

Each afternoon, specialist sessions delivered by the TTO teams will explore and demystify routes to industry collaboration with universities, through technology licensing, partnerships, consultancy and through investing and supporting the growth of startups and spinouts.

On the morning of both days, senior leaders from Cambridge Enterprise, Imperial Enterprise, Oxford University Innovation and UCL Business Ltd. - the Technology Transfer Offices of the universities – will discuss the contribution of technology transfer to wider society.

The sessions will be chaired by prominent figures in the field, with Chi Onwurah MP, Shadow Minister for Science, Research & Innovation bringing her insights and experience gained through many years in Parliament to the discussion on the 19th of September, and AstraZeneca’s Director of Transactions, Sally Mardikian – a former TTO exec herself - chairing the panel on the 20th of September.

Dr Simon Hepworth, Director, Imperial Enterprise, said: “The IP4U University Tech fair is the result of close collaboration between four of the UK’s leading universities, and I’m delighted that Imperial is playing host to what I hope is the first of many such events. This is an exciting opportunity for us to support our academics and showcase their technology innovations that could shape the future of industries, deliver improved treatments to patients, or open up whole new ways of working. All of that is made even better by doing it in partnership with top UK universities with a strong record of delivering real world impact from science.”

Head online to register for IP4U via Eventbrite, and see the full programme online at ip4u.tech.