In the top 20 research organisations in Europe for research-driven deep tech and life science spin-offs, the Max Planck Society (MPG) ranks second, just behind France's CNRS, while Helmholtz follows in fifth and Fraunhofer in tenth. When it comes to the number of so-called "unicorns" - start-ups valued at over $1 billion - and the total capital valuation of spin-offs to date, Max-Planck takes the lead: four unicorns and a combined valuation exceeding $67 billion.
The Max Planck Society ranks second in the European Spinouts Report 2025.
© European Spinouts Report 2025
"The ranking shows that knowledge generated through excellent basic research can provide an outstanding foundation for deep tech spin-offs that succeed in the market," says Bram Wijlands, Managing Director of Max Planck Innovation, the technology transfer subsidiary of the MPG. "We're proud to see our efforts recognized in the European Spin-out Report. The upward trend in spin-off creation is set to continue in 2025. As of today, we've already launched 13 new spin-offs- three more than in 2024. This gives us a strong basis for continued growth in deep tech spin-offs from the Max Planck Society."
The European Spin-out Report 2025 is the first comprehensive analysis of Europe's academic spin-off ecosystem, produced by Atlantic.vc, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Dealroom.co, MITO Technology, Northern Gritstone, and Oxford Science Enterprises. It evaluates research institutions across multiple metrics, including the number of spin-offs founded since 2022, the number of spin-offs that have raised more than $10 million and the number of 'unicorns' emerging from them
According to the report, the number of deep tech and life science start-ups emerging from European research institutions has surged from around 100 per year (2000-2010) to over 500 annually since 2015. These ventures now represent a total valuation of $398 billion and have created more than 167,000 jobs across over 7,300 companies. Key focus areas include quantum technologies, photonics, nuclear science, and life sciences.
The UK, Switzerland, France, and Germany are the continent's leaders in value creation through spin-offs. However, there's a downside: while 86% of early-stage funding comes from European sources, nearly half of late-stage financing for European deep tech and life science start-ups now comes from outside the continent - primarily from the United States. Since 2019, US-based companies and investors have captured almost $24 billion in value from these spin-offs.
Looking ahead, the Max Planck Society will step up its efforts to launch potential spin-off projects. "We're investing more in formats to better prepare young researchers for entrepreneurial roles and are pioneering new ways to validate research results for direct market application," says Patrick Cramer, President of the Max Planck Society. "But there's still a gap between Europe's and the US's capital markets when it comes to further development - both in venture capital funding and in exit opportunities for young start-ups. Policymakers must finally take action."
