The University of Nottingham has proudly celebrated the pioneering individuals and teams transforming world-class research into ventures driving innovation, sustainability and economic growth across the Midlands and beyond.
Enterprise Excellence: A celebration of University of Nottingham spin-outs, held on Wednesday 1 October, showcased the achievements of the university's thriving spin-out portfolio – now close to 40 active companies delivering impact in diverse sectors.
Opening the event, Professor Jane Norman, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, praised the university's culture of innovation and commercialisation.
With almost 40 spin-out companies, including 25 launched in the past seven years, Nottingham research is creating real-world benefits for society, the environment and the economy. These individuals are central to the growth of our portfolio, and tonight is a great opportunity to celebrate with them.
The celebration came shortly after the publication of the latest Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF5) results, in which the University of Nottingham once again demonstrated its leadership in innovation and regional engagement. The KEF, published by Research England, evaluates how universities contribute to society and the economy through collaboration with businesses, charities, public bodies and communities. Nottingham's strong performance reaffirms its position among the UK's top research-intensive universities and spotlights its pivotal role in driving growth and innovation across the East Midlands.
Traditionally strong in life sciences and deep tech, Nottingham's spin-outs now represent an increasingly diverse range of industries. Highlights include a social enterprise advancing the circular economy, AI-driven solutions for animal welfare and engineering, ventures tackling workplace inequality through inclusive mentoring, and a fast-growing cluster of clean tech companies aligned with the university's zero-carbon ambitions.
While University of Nottingham spin-outs have raised more than £100 million in venture capital over the past five years, Professor Norman acknowledged the barriers to finance facing early-stage businesses, particularly in the Midlands. To address this, the university has invested £5 million in equity finance into its portfolio over the last five years, partnered in Midlands Mindforge, a patient capital fund supporting regional spin-outs, and launched Forging Ahead, alongside 14 other universities, to accelerate commercialisation and strengthen the Midlands' innovation ecosystem.
"The Midlands has always been a region of makers, doers and visionaries," added Professor Norman. "These initiatives will help ensure that tradition continues long into the future."
The event featured inspiring presentations from several of Nottingham's spin-out companies, including: VetVision AI Ltd (2023), delivering AI-driven, 24-hour monitoring systems for animal welfare; The Reverse Mentoring Practice Ltd (2021), offering transformative mentoring programmes to promote workplace inclusivity; Forge Genetics Ltd (2023), providing proprietary gene-editing technology for the biotech and pharmaceutical industry; and Keep Energy Systems Ltd (2020, formerly Cheesecake Energy), developing long-duration energy storage solutions for a cleaner energy future.
Alongside these showcases, guests explored an exhibition and networked with founders and executives, highlighting the breadth of entrepreneurial talent emerging from Nottingham's research base.
Dr Robert Hyde, co-founder of VetVision AI Ltd, said: "The support from University of Nottingham Technology Ventures has been foundational in our spin-out journey. From the outset, this has enabled us to take groundbreaking research from the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science and turn it into real-world improvements for animal health, and this event has highlighted the impact of this approach with so many ambitious companies aiming to make real-world impact from their research."
With ongoing collaboration and support from Nottingham Technology Ventures (NTV) – the university's wholly owned subsidiary responsible for managing the spin-out portfolio and its investments – Nottingham spin-outs are well placed to play a vital role in shaping a greener, fairer and more innovative future for the region and beyond.
