̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Innovate Cambridge

Cambridge Enterprise reports on continued growth and ambitious plans for the Cambridge Cluster

skbf2 — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 12:55:32 +0000

25 new spinouts were formed in 2023-24, taking Cambridge Enterprise’s total portfolio to 174 companies. In the same period, it has helped with the submission of more than 450 patent applications and more than 750 approvals for commercial and research licences.

New initiatives designed to further boost the number of high-potential spinouts emerging from the ̽��ֱ��, include the Technology Investment Fund (TIF) which during its first 9 months has invested more than £2 million across 20 projects.

Founders at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, a Cambridge Enterprise initiative to support ̽��ֱ�� entrepreneurs, launched 2 new programmes, START 1.0 and SYNC in 2023-24. START 1.0 is an accelerator programme for very early-stage founders. Its first cohort included 11 companies, working to address global challenges ranging from climate change to healthcare with 7 securing further funding within 6 months. SYNC is a new co-founder matching programme that will support, accelerate and scale new founders and companies from the ̽��ֱ��.

Dr Jim Glasheen, Chief Executive, Cambridge Enterprise, said: “Cambridge Enterprise remains committed to ensuring the innovations that spring from the ̽��ֱ�� achieve their broader positive impact on society, and to our vital role in activating and enhancing the globally recognised Cambridge innovation ecosystem.”

Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, the ̽��ֱ��’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Innovation, added: “Cambridge Enterprise is crucial in translating the ̽��ֱ��’s research into positive social and economic change. From the full spectrum of innovation services that it provides for the ̽��ֱ�� to its critical role in enabling transformational impact from ̽��ֱ�� research, Cambridge Enterprise sets the standard for university innovation.”

Reflecting on the success of Cambridge Enterprise's innovation activities, its Chair, Ajay Chowdhury, said: “Cambridge Enterprise is in an incredibly strong position, with consultancy and research tools revenues at an all-time high, new initiatives to accelerate innovation and spinout formation, record levels of venture investment and great achievements for our portfolio companies.”

In partnership with the ̽��ֱ�� and Cambridge Innovation Capital, Cambridge Enterprise leads Innovate Cambridge, an inclusive, ambitious innovation roadmap for Cambridge to encourage collaboration and action to help Cambridge realise its potential as a globally leading cluster. In October 2024, a ten-year plan for the city and region was unveiled at the Innovate Cambridge Summit, attended by over 400 leaders.

Read Cambridge Enterprise's Annual Review 2024

In its 2024 Annual Review, Cambridge Enterprise, the ̽��ֱ��’s innovation arm, reports significant growth across a wide range of activities supporting the translation of ̽��ֱ�� research into societal benefit and helping Cambridge realise its potential as a globally leading cluster.

Cambridge Enterprise is crucial in translating the ̽��ֱ��’s research into positive social and economic change.

Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Innovation, ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge

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̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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Hitting the right note for innovation in Cambridge

skbf2 — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 19:19:54 +0000

Kathryn Chapman, Executive Director of Innovate Cambridge, on the secrets of successful innovation and her ambitious plans for innovation in Cambridge and beyond.

Shadow Science and Technology Secretary discusses AI and innovation during Cambridge visit

ljm211 — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 15:08:23 +0000

̽��ֱ��visit took place at Cambridge Innovation Capital and was hosted by Innovate Cambridge – an initiative which is bringing together partners across the city region to deliver an inclusive future for Cambridge and its science and technology cluster. ̽��ֱ��Shadow Minister met with experts on AI from the ̽��ֱ�� and from industry, discussing both the challenges it presents, as well as the enormous potential for AI to serve science, people, and society.

̽��ֱ��first two sessions of the day were convened by AI@Cam, the ̽��ֱ��’s flagship AI mission which is working to meet the challenges and opportunities of these new technologies as they emerge. At the opening roundtable, academics including Professor Dame Diane Coyle (Director of the Bennett Institute of Public Policy), Professor Neil Lawrence (DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning), and Professor John Aston (Professor of Statistics in Public Life), provided expert analysis on AI policy challenges as well as the role AI can play in public service reform. ̽��ֱ��group discussed how governance systems need to evolve for the AI era, and how an increasingly complex information infrastructure can be managed. In addition, they considered the opportunity that AI presents for improving public services and breaking down siloed decision-making within government.

Mr Kyle took part in a series of ‘flash talks’, focused on areas where research in AI is delivering benefits to society. These included work by Dr Ronita Bardhan, from the ̽��ֱ��’s Department of Architecture, on a new deep-learning model which makes it far easier and cheaper to identify ‘hard-to-decarbonise’ houses and develop strategies to improve their green credentials. Dr Anna Moore presented her work in the Department of Psychiatry, using AI systems to speed up the diagnosis of mental health conditions in children.

In the afternoon, Mr Kyle met with leaders representing civic institutions, academia and business organisations from across the city, including Councillor Mike Davey, Leader of Cambridge City Council, and Andrew Williamson, Managing Partner at Cambridge Innovation Capital. They spoke about their shared vision and strategy for the region to ensure Cambridge remains a globally leading innovation centre, and a collective desire to deliver benefits both locally and across the UK.

̽��ֱ��day concluded with a spin-out and business roundtable at which participants discussed the need for government and the private sector to be active in ensuring AI benefits all parts of the UK, and people are re-skilled as jobs change. Mr Kyle was also interested to explore how the UK can become a more attractive place to scale companies. Key considerations included the need to improve access to talent, capital and infrastructure, as well tackling the regulatory barriers which can make the UK less competitive.

Peter Kyle MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, met academics from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and leaders from the Cambridge community for a day focused on AI policy and innovation.

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