The University of Manchester’s Intellectual Property Commercialisation Company, UMIP Ltd, was shortlisted in two categories at the PraxisUnico Awards which were held at the Association’s Gala Dinner at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham on 16^th June. 

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell has been appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester.

Dame Nancy was selected following an international search which produced an impressive shortlist of candidates.

A distinguished Life Scientist, Dame Nancy has been a member of staff at the University since 1987 and Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor since 2007.

She will take-up her post on 1^st July 2010 succeeding Professor Alan Gilbert, who is retiring after six years.  Professor Gilbert was the inaugural President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, which was established following the merger of the Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST.

Arago Technology wins  prestigious award for performance improvement.

Arago Technology, a company spun out of The University of Manchester by its IP commercialisation company, UMIP, was awarded the Existing Performance Improvement prize at the Energy Innovation Awards ceremony.

The technology is based on research by professors Ian Cotton and Simon Rowland from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering,.

The company was also highly-commended for the big prize, the Energy Innovation Grand Prix, at the awards evening at the Hilton Hotel in Manchester on Thursday night (17^th June).

Collecting the awards, Simon Rowland said: "We are a new company, these are our first awards and we are really delighted that the community can see what we are trying to achieve to enable greater power transmission through existing overhead line infrastructure."

Arago Technology was incorporated in early 2010 following several years of joint research and development by EPL Composites Solutions and a team from the National Grid High Voltage Labs at The University of Manchester.

The majority of their current research and development is focused on creating an electrically insulating transmission tower Cross-Arm. This Composite Cross-Arm is suitable for retrofit to existing transmission towers or as an option for new line build. This technology is not limited to a specific tower size and can be adapted to suit any tower.

For the up-rating of existing lines, the Composite Cross-Arm allows tower voltages to be increased without any change to the overall tower structure or height. The increase in voltage will usually require a change in the conductor (the wire carried by the towers).

Significant improvements in power transfer capability can be achieved through the combination of the Composite Cross-Arm with the use of a low sag novel conductor to increase current.

Arago Technology focus on the development of new, ground-breaking technology but also work with potential clients and partners to identify how technology can best meet their needs.

 www.aragotechnology.com

 The Arago team

University of Manchester spin-out Arvia Technology, which makes water cleaning products, has attracted another £250,000 from private equity backer MTI Partners.

The investment kicks off a second round of funding which is expected to raise £750,000.

Arvia, which has offices in Manchester and Liverpool, has developed Nyex, a patented renewable material, which destroys organic pollutants by applying a low-power electric current.

The new money comes from the UMIP Premier Fund (UPF), which is managed by MTI from its office in Manchester.

MTI said the investment was “recognition of a number of impressive user trials of Arvia's water treatment technology, and ever increasing commercial interest from a broad range of markets”.

Arvia's technology is cost effective, requires little maintenance and produces no secondary solid or liquid waste which needs to be disposed of.

The company was named among the Global Cleantech 100 last September and won the Institution of Engineering and Technology's North West Innovation Award last July. Its customers include water utilities and groundwater remediation companies and it is getting inquiries from overseas markets.

MTI investment manager Dr Mark Rahn said: “Arvia Technology has made significant progress towards commercialisation since our first investment in September 2008. Its water treatment technology has matured from being impressive in the laboratory, to a proven market changing, and most importantly, commercially viable proposition.

“I have no doubt that Arvia will achieve accelerated commercial success in the coming months.”

MTI said it had made three energy and environmental sector investments in the North West in the past 12 months and was looking to invest in other clean-tech companies across the region.

Arvia's chief executive, Martin Keighley, said: “There is still a lot of work to do, but this investment comes at a crucial time as we step up taking this innovative and highly disruptive technology to market.”

“Global interest in Arvia has grown rapidly in recent months, with enquiries coming from the likes of the United States, France and Israel, and the big challenge is to now deliver on opportunities from markets as broad as groundwater remediation, nuclear decommissioning and pulp & paper.”

 

UMIC, UMIP and Harrison Goddard Foote invite you to attend a seminar:

The UMIP Premier Fund has invested an undisclosed amount in University of Manchester medical technology spin-out BiOxyDyn.

The company, based in the unviersity's Core Technology Facility, has developed an innovative new approach to 3D lung imaging.

It uses an enhanced form of magnetic resonance imaging which exposes the patient to zero radiation compared to a CT scan, where the dose can be the equivalent of up to 100 chest x-rays.

BiOxyDyn hopes that this will play a major role in the diagnosis and monitoring of two prominent conditions, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.

COPD is projected to become the 4th leading cause of death worldwide by 2030 , while asthma affects 6.5 per cent of the British population.

The investment is managed by Watford-based MTI Partners, which runs the UMIP Premier Fund. In January it invested £250,000 in Ai2, another University of Manchester spin-out.

BiOxyDyn is in talks with a major pharmaceutical company which has recognised the benefits of reliable imaging technology in improved monitoring of the effect of new drugs in clinical trials.

MTI'S Mark Rahn said: “We're delighted to have completed the investment in BiOxyDyn. It's clear that the USP's of their product will prove instantly attractive to the market as high quality lung imaging is currently very poorly served and lung diseases and disorders are so commonplace.”

“We're also pleased to have managed another med-tech investment in a University of Manchester spin-out, further highlighting its status as a leader in that field.”

Prof. Geoff Parker, one of BiOxyDyn's directors, said: “Although we can't go public on the exact size of this deal, the timing of the investment couldn't be better. There currently simply isn't an inexpensive or practical 3D lung imaging technique available that can capture the structure and function of the lung, so we feel we've got something the market will want quickly.”

Prof. Parker continues: “We've had some exciting interest from a major pharmaceutical player, so the race is on to continue developing our products and engage with the market.”

The UMIP Premier Fund makes late-seed stage investments, in a total of 15 - 20 companies, initially in the £250,000 to £750,000 range, with a view to following up with a further investment of up to £3m.

UMIP, The University of Manchester’s IP commercialisation company and Manchester Integrating Medicine and Innovative Technology (MIMIT) have together appointed consultant David Maddison as Designer-in-Residence. UMIP identifies, protects and commercialises innovative ideas from the University’s 5 star research base and David will be providing product design expertise to complement this commercialisation process.

David Maddison

UMIC and UMIP co- hosted a BBSRC–sponsored workshop on the morning of the April 21^st at the Core Technology Facility. The event focused on informing young academic entrepreneurs of potential careers in start-up businesses particularly in the Life Sciences and Environmental business sectors. In addition, the organisations were preparing potential academic candidates at the post-graduate stages of their careers to enter the BBSRC-sponsored YES events; the NWEST regional final is held in Manchester, in November.

Prof. John Peberdy (Emeritus Professor, University of Nottingham) presented the process and benefit of entering the Biotech YES event to students. “Deciding on a career may be seen as challenging by PhD students and early-stage researchers in the Biosciences because of their limited awareness of the opportunities outside of academia.  Biotechnology YES, a national competition for these young scientists, provides an opportunity for learn about the process of commercialisation of scientific discoveries and in so doing come to understand the wealth of potential jobs that they might seek,” John commented.

Over 75 people registered and the event was both vibrant and informative. “With such a good turnout, and with the quality of presenters, it was always going to be a great event. In addition, the level of discussion around improvements that could be made to the process of linking Incubation and Technology Transfer to young entrepreneurs in the University was most helpful,” said Martino Picardo, UMIC’s managing director.  “I particularly felt the presentations by Curtis Dobson (AI2 Ltd and academic), Rod Benson (CEO Imagen Biotech, ex Astra Zeneca and academia) and Laura Lennox (former Biotech Yes applicant and now Business Development Manager, Epistem Ltd) were of great value in presenting the opportunities for graduates and post-graduates.

We now anticipate strong representation from the local Universities at the Regional Biotech YES event in November and we are grateful to the BBSRC for their continued support of our activities in this area. We look forward to the Regional Biotech YES event in November and to hosting a workshop for more senior academics in the November time-frame also.”

World Intellectual Property Day - April 26th 2010

Most people are aware of intellectual property (IP) - of copyright, patents, industrial designs and trademarks.  However, many still view these as business or legal concepts with little relevance to their own lives.  To address this gap, WIPO’s Member States decided in 2000 to designate an annual World Intellectual Property Day.  They chose April 26, the date on which the Convention establishing WIPO originally entered into force in 1970.

Each year, WIPO and its Member States celebrate World Intellectual Property Day with activities, events and campaigns.These seek to increase public understanding of what IP really means, and to demonstrate how the IP system fosters not only music, arts and entertainments, but also all the products and technological innovations that help to shape our world.

WIPO issues a message from the Director General each year, broadcasts a short publicity spot on international television channels, and dispatches posters and other promotional materials to IP offices and organisations. 

The aims of World IP Day are:

• to raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life;
• to increase understanding of how protecting IP rights helps promote creativity and innovation;
• to celebrate creativity, and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of societies across the globe;
• to encourage respect for the IP rights of others.

For further information, pelase visit the WIPO website at www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/2010/

April 21^st, 2010 – 8:45 to 1:30pm

Agenda and registration form:

Registration form

alison.warren@umic.co.uk

UMIC, the facilities management and business support service provider for The University of Manchester, was delighted to welcome Lord Mandelson, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, to the world-class business incubation facilities at the Core Technology Facility on Friday 12 March 2010.

The Core Technology Facility provides complementary space to the successful Manchester Bioscience Incubator. The building was funded by both the Northwest Development Agency and European Regional Development Funds to develop and build "grow-on" and additional incubation space for biotechnology and hi-tech start-ups and SMEs.

From L to R: Dr Martino Picardo (MD, UMIC), Lord Mandelson, Prof Rod Coombs (VP Innovation & Economic Development)

 Technology Transfer; IP Commercialisation

UMIC and UMIP will host a BBSRC–sponsored workshop on the morning of the April 21^st at the Core Technology Facility on Grafton Street. The event will focus on informing young academic entrepreneurs of potential careers in start-up businesses and particularly, in the Life Sciences and Environmental business sectors in general. In addition, the organisations are preparing potential academic candidates at the post-graduate stages of their careers to enter the BBSRC-sponsored YES events (www.biotechnologyyes.co.uk/, the NWEST regional final is held in Manchester, in November.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Plasma Clean Limited, a hi-tech spin-out from The University of Manchester has been awarded a £112,829 Grant for Research and Development from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA)

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

The ISO 9001:2000 certified specialist oligonucleotide reagent manufacturer, Link Technologies Ltd, is pleased to announce an exclusive license deal with The University of Manchester Intellectual Property Limited (UMIP) to the University’s “Exciplex” technology. Exciplex diagnostic probes offer ultra-biospecificity and significantly increased detection sensitivity over conventional systems due to negligible background signal.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

The University of Manchester’s intellectual property commercialisation company, UMIP, was voted Technology Transfer Office of the Year at the Genesis biotechnology conference in London last night.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

The University of Manchester’s award winning intellectual property company (UMIP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Sharon O’ Kane as its Entrepreneur in Residence. Sharon will be engaging in an advisory role with UMIP to enhance the University’s spin-out company and licensing activities and to encourage intellectual property entrepreneurship at the University.

Dr Sharon O' Kane

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

A multi-disciplinary University team from the School of Mathematics (EPS) and Manchester Business School (Humanities) has developed a novel means of helping mining companies accurately calculate reserve valuations and specify optimal production decisions. The technology provides a solution to an inaccurate methodology used as common practice within the mining industry for the past 40 years and will have a positive impact on helping to increase mining companies’ profits and their longer-term stability. The cutting-edge techniques used to create the Reserve Valuation and Optimisation Model (RVOM) are a significant step forward from traditional methods, and the Team is now seeking a leading commercial partner to join the project to enable RVOM to become the mining industry standard for valuation.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Over 200 people from the Northwest’s biomedical sector gathered last night (Thursday 12th November) at the annual Northwest Biomedical Awards at Mere Golf and Country Club.

The awards, organised by Bionow, the Northwest Regional Development Agency’s (NWDA) biomedical cluster support group, were a resounding success and showcased the very best of the region’s world class biotechnology sector.

Mark Hughes, NWDA Executive Director of Economic Development, said:

“England’s Northwest is one of the UK’s top three biomedical clusters, home to world class biotechnology companies and internationally renowned research capability in this sector. The Northwest Biotechnology Awards recognises excellence in the sector and rewards the success and achievements of the people and organisations that are making a significant contribution to the industry and the region.”

The winners were:

Biomedical Project of the Year (sponsored By Pannone LLP)
Winner: ICX-RHY Project, Intercytex

Healthcare Project of the Year (sponsored By TrusTech/NHS)
Winner: The Oesophageal Doppler guided intraoperative fluid management in major surgery, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Innovation in Diagnostics Project of the Year (sponsored by ThermoFisher)
Winner: Candidaemia Species, Myconostica

Promising Biomedical Technologist of the Year (sponsored by Novartis Vaccines)
Winner: Dr Christian Zakian, University of Manchester

Emerging Technology Project of the Year (sponsored by Waters Corporation)
Winner: Renephra, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Biomedical Start Up Company of the Year (sponsored by Baker Tilly)
Winner: Biofortuna Ltd

Biomedical Company of the Year (sponsored by AstraZeneca/MedImmune)
Winner: Advanced Medical Solutions

Personality of the Year – Dr Sharon O’Kane, Renovo

Outstanding Contribution – Dr Linda Magee, MAHSC

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Dr Christian Zakian from the School of Dentistry at The University of Manchester has been awarded a prestigious accolade for his pioneering work in the biomedical field.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Manchester hi-tech specialists back Lancaster business

Manchester Technology investment specialists, MTI Partners, has announced its latest investment through the UMIP Premier Fund (UPF) in North West start up CableSense Ltd.

The company has developed an innovative new approach to managing large scale, wide structured cabling systems, and MTI has made a £500,000 investment deigned to accelerate the delivery of its proposition to market.

CableSense’s solution is differentiated by being readily retro-fittable at a low cost to existing cabling installations. The system’s utilises CableSense’s proprietary technology for network cable monitoring, scanning and mapping.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

A team led by Prof. Tony Peyton from the University of Manchester School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering has been shortlisted in The Engineer Technology & Innovation Awards 2009.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

University of Manchester Professor, David Sandoz thanked UMIP recently when he collected the prestigious Sir Harold Hartley Medal from the Institute of Measurement and Control.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

It was celebrations all round recently as UMIP enters its sixth year whilst sister firm UMIC celebrated the tenth anniversary of The Manchester Incubator Building and its own fifth birthday. The two organisations came together for a joint event at the CTF building on Grafton Street on September 23^rd which was headed by Sir William Castell, Chairman of the Wellcome Trust.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Sustainable power company ENER-G (www.energ.co.uk)  is marking the 25^th anniversary of its global combined heat and power (CHP) business, launched in 1984 following pioneering research and development work by Manchester academics.

Caption 2: Pictured outside the ENER-G factory are Alan Barlow (left) and Clive Rowland

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

The Fast 50’s were presented to the top 50 fastest growing companies in the Greater Manchester area based on annual growth over a three year period.  

The event was held at Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United Football Club.

Torsten Schanze, Operations Manager of Nanoco Technologies, received the award on behalf of the company. In a statement he pointed out that: "This accolade recognizes the tremendous speed at which Nanoco has developed over the past couple of years. The move into new and purpose built facilities, the recent expansion of those facilities, the flotation on the stock market and the number of new hires show that the company is moving in the right direction, especially in these difficult economic times."

Torsten Schanze, Operations Manager at Nanoco Technologies Ltd accepts First Place at the Crain’s Fast 50 Business Awards; presented by Paul Ellaby from Hill Dickinson

 Nanoco Technologies  Ltd., the subsidiary of London Stock Exchange, AIM traded Nanoco Group PLC, is a leader in the global quantum dot market.  Nanoco develops, manufactures and supplies the quality and quantity of quantum dots its customers require, at a price which enables quantum dot applications to come to market successfully throughout the world. Nanoco is focused on the development and mass production of its Heavy Metal Free quantum dot technology. Visit www.nanocotechnologies.com. 

 Ruth Hailwood, Nanoco Group plc:   +44 (0) 161 603 7900

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Manchester-based water treatment company Arvia Technology has won the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) North West Innovation Award.

The University of Manchester spin-out offers a low carbon, chemical and waste free process for the onsite treatment and recycling of industrial waste water.

The technology captures pollutants using Nyex, Arvia’s patented material and then destroys them by applying a low-power electric current.

Arvia says this combined function is an innovation first and also 90 per cent cheaper than conventional techniques.

Chair of the judging panel, Unilver’s Malcolm Sarstedt said: “We were very impressed with the number and consistent high standard of entries - demonstrating that the north west of England is still a hot bed of innovation.

“Sustainability is now a key driver for change, and Arvia has not only achieved effective, sustainable water treatment, but also significant cost benefits compared to competing technologies. This is an excellent example of the sort of innovation that industry is looking to apply.”

Arvia’s chief executive Martin Keighley said: “We’re absolutely delighted to win this award, particularly as entrants were drawn from all industries. For Arvia to be recognised in the face of such stiff competition is a great achievement.”

Keighley recently attended the launch of the Government’s new National Innovation Investment Fund at the London Stock Exchange.

Arvia, whose customers include water utility and ground water remediation companies, was one of only four companies invited to attend and offer their vision for the future of high-tech venture capital investment in the UK to an audience which included science minister Lord Drayson and business secretary Lord Mandelson.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

UMIC are celebrating ten years of successful biotechnology incubation and growth with a
major event involving industry, government and investor delegates on Wednesday 23rd September 2009. Speakers include Sir William Castell, Chairman of the Wellcome Trust and ex-CEO of Amersham plc .

The event will also celebrate the 5^th anniversary of UMIP and UMIC.

Roundtable discussions on financing & investment, drug development, and national policymaking will be led by experienced local professionals who have ‘been there, done that’.

Finally a showcase exhibition throughout the event will highlight Northwest biotech, UMIC partners, collaborators, spin-out companies and research projects within The University of Manchester.

We anticipate strong delegate representation from government, research councils, industry and academia.

Please visit the UMIC webite for more information www.umic.co.uk/anniversary_event/

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Manchester, England, 6th July 2009 - F2G Limited, the Manchester UK based antifungal drug discovery and development company, today announced the initiation of a Phase I clinical study of FG3622, the company’s lead antifungal drug candidate.

Paul Strzelecki has been appointed Honorary Visiting Professor at The University of Manchester, at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

The University of Manchester’s Intellectual Property Commercialisation Company, UMIP Ltd, has won the Business Impact category at the Unico Awards which recognise and celebrate the impact of innovation.   

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Nanoco Group PLC began trading on the London Stock Exchange AIM Market at 0800 GMT, Friday, 1

st May under the ticker symbol "NANO". Shares have traded up over the first few days with the company now valued at greater than £90m. The commencement of trading represents Nanoco’s successful conclusion of the reverse takeover which was announced in late February 2009.

Zeus Capital:

Nanoco is a leading nanotechnology company involved in the development and manufacture of fluorescent semi-conducting materials called quantum dots (QDs).

QDs are a platform technology with wide-ranging applications across several industry sectors from solid state lighting, solar energy and next generation displays to life sciences. Applications based on QD materials have the potential to offer significant improvements over materials traditionally used, giving benefits to performance and energy savings.

Zeus Capital, the Manchester based investment bank, is Nominated Adviser and Broker to Nanoco Group PLC. Nanoco’s chief executive Dr Michael Edelman said: "This listing represents the next milestone in Nanoco's rapid development."

"Trading on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange allows Nanoco to continue to further strengthen its shareholder base and balance sheet, providing the resources needed to meet the growing demand for its products."

Nanoco was founded in 2001 by two academics from Manchester University - Professor Paul O'Brien and Dr Nigel Pickett - to advance the development of quantum dots.

"Nanoco’s successful growth", says Dr Michael Edelman, "is based on focusing our efforts on the development and mass production of high performance quantum dots and partnering with strategic quantum dot application developers around the world to get these exciting materials into the market."

The Nanoco Group PLC business strategy is to work in partnership with quantum dot application developers. These application developers tend to be large global technology companies working to incorporate quantum dots into a specific end use application such as LEDs, solar cells and displays.

For further enquires please contact:

Nanoco Group PLC, Manchester, UK (www.nanocotechnologies.com);

7th May 2009

The University of Manchester and its intellectual property commercialisation company (UMIP) has signed an agreement with the Johnson & Johnson Corporate Office of Science and Technology (COSAT) to establish a proof-of-principle (PoP) Fund.

COSAT was established in 1978 to foster a long-standing focus on innovation and entrepreneurship by supporting and creating access to breakthrough science and technologies.

The Fund will allow scientists at the University to submit ideas with the promise of having a positive impact on human health. It will lead to projects that explore how new technological approaches, such as regenerative medicine, will impact the treatment of such chronic conditions as Alzheimer’s and diabetes as well as to the generation of new diagnostic markers and medical devices and materials which may help manage disease and wellness.

Successful projects could, post proof-of-principle and further development, be taken to market. This augments the University’s capability for funding innovative projects beyond spin-outs, which is already underpinned by the UMIP Premier Find (UPF).

Professor Rod Coombs, Vice-President for Innovation and Economic Development at The University of Manchester, said: "This fund will prove invaluable for scientists as they look to take their research to new levels and could lead to new technology platforms which will underpin new therapies. We are delighted that COSAT has chosen Manchester as a centre of excellence."

Clive Rowland, Chief Executive Officer of UMIP, said: "This agreement will allow scientists to make major strides forward in their research as well as help them to develop that research into products with commercial potential. UMIP will make decisions on how to distribute the fund, based on the commercial case of each individual submission."

Joe Smith, COSAT, and Prof Rod Coombs

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

The University of Manchester's graduate internship programme is the flexible, cost effective way to solve your recruitment needs.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

The University of Manchester spin-out company Photo Therapeutics has been acquired for $20M by the US-listed company PhotoMedex. Photo Therapeutics (PTL), established in the late 1990s, is based on patented technology developed by Colin Whitehurst, a researcher at The University of Manchester’s Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, with funding from Cancer Research UK., CEO of UMIP said: “Both companies are at the leading edge of new technological developments in extremely important therapeutic areas such as cancer and dermatology. Their international recognition is a great success for The University and for the world-leading cancer research and care organisations in Manchester like The Paterson Institute and The Christie which all work in partnership with Cancer Research UK in the Manchester Cancer Research Centre.”

Assistance with the formation and development of the company was provided by The University of Manchester’s Intellectual Property commercialisation company, UMIP and Cancer Research Technology.

Photo Therapeutics develops non-laser light devices and associated skin care products for the treatment of a range of clinical and aesthetic dermatological conditions. The company’s systems treat a wide range of conditions including acne, photodamage, skin rejuvenation, psoriasis, post-surgery wound healing and non-melanoma skin cancer.

PhotoMedex is the leader in the development, manufacturing and marketing of medical laser products and services across multiple specialty areas, including dermatology, urology, gynaecology, orthopaedics and other surgical specialties.

Sue D'Arcy, CEO of Photo Therapeutics, said: “We are all excited about the acquisition, it gives Photo Therapeutics the opportunity to leverage the direct sales force that PhotoMedex Inc has in the States and move to the next level with this great technology."News of the acquisition comes a week after Epistem announced its $4m R&D collaboration with Novartis. Epistem was also spun out from the Paterson Institute.

Clive Rowland

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

 Nanoco Technologies Ltd, Manchester, UK  (www.nanocotechnologies.com); 26^th February 2009

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

UMIP  is pleased to announce the appointment of Imran Hakim as its Director of Entrepreneurship.

Imran - The Institute of Directors ’ Young Director of the Year, 2008 - will be working with UMIP to enhance the University’s spin-out company and licensing activities and to encourage intellectual property entrepreneurship at the University.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Following the success of its first Masterclass in late 2008,
MTI Partners invites you to join them at their next UPF Masterclass.  The theme is:

"Expert advice on the road to success for technology businesses:  Does experience breed wisdom?"

•  Are you routinely offered expert help from the business experts, patent agents, corporate financiers, headhunters or sales and marketing consultants?

•  Are you unsure of the value and cost of this help?

Come along and hear some advice from professional experts; then listen to that advice being critically examined by entrepreneurs who have arrived as well as those still travelling, and participate in the discussion.

In this second UPF Masterclass, organised by MTI Partners (manager of Manchester’s UMIP Premier Fund), we have arranged for a panel of experienced North West entrepreneurs to review expertise offered by professional advisors on key aspects of business development ndash; and to judge what’s helpful and what’s hopeless.

Entrepreneur Panelists

Alasdair Rawsthorne
CTO Transitive

Scott White
CEO Nano ePrint, Azea Networks

John Mills
CEO DataLase, COO Plastic Logic

Simon Cartmell
CEO Apatech, plus other senior positions  

Professional Experts

Frank Suhadolnick
Barnes Kavelle
Recruitment

John Melotte
Corum Group
Mergers & Acquisitions Services

Ian Brookes
Winning Pitch PLC
Business growth / sales coaching

John Hughes
KPMG
Private Equity and Transaction Services

Don’t miss this valuable networking opportunity.

Venue:
Lecture Theatre
Daresbury Laboratory
Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus
Warrington
Cheshire    WA4 4AD

2:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, 31st March 2009

Networking 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. with light refreshments served
To ensure you have a place, please RSVP by registering at:

http://upf-masterclass2.eventbrite.com

before  16th March 2009

See the review of the previous UPF Masterclass 25 November 2008 here:

http://www.theupf.com/masterclass.html

MTI announces the appointment of Martin Keighley as CEO of its portfolio company, Arvia Technology Ltd ('Arvia'), to drive the commercialisation of the business and build the management team.

Prior to joining Arvia Martin Keighley was European Managing Director for Tata Chemicals / Brunner Mond.

Arvia has developed a low cost and low maintenance process for the removal of micro pollutants from water and is a spin-out company from the University of Manchester's School of Chemical Engineering.

The UMIP Premier Fund (UPF) and Alliance Fund Managers (AFM) invested £800,000 in Arvia in September 2008, which enabled the Company to undertake commercial trials at customer sites validating Arvia's technology. On completion of the commercial trials the Company will be aiming to have in place the necessary management team to enable Arvia's products to go into full scale commercial delivery.

The UMIP Premier Fund was established in 2008 with the objective of providing late seed capital to spin-out companies primarily from the University of Manchester that have promising new technology. MTI is the manger of the UPF and has made three investments since its launch. With offices in the UK and the US, MTI possesses a wealth of experience in technology investing.

Commenting on today's announcement, MTI Managing Partner, David Ward said:
"The ability to attract world class business talent underlines the quality of UPF investments and its dealflow. Arvia has just taken a significant step forward."

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Manchester enjoyed great success at the 7th Northwest Biomedical Awards Dinner held on the 3rd December at the Mere Golf and Country Club, Cheshire. Representatives from both UMIP and UMIC were delighted as spin-outs and projects from The University of Manchester scooped a selection of prizes ranging from £1000 to management strategy sessions with Pannone LLP.

The awards were presented as follows:

1. Biomedical Project of the Year - won by Dr Neil Gibbs and Prof Chris Griffiths for CURAPEL - the development of a novel treatment for inflammatory skin diseases, funded by UMIP's Proof of Principle Fund.

2. Promising BioMedical Technologist of the Year - won by Dr Goldspink from RENOVO - a University of Manchester spin-out located in UMIC's Core Technology Facility.

3. Biomedical start up of the year - won by CONFORMETRIX with PHAGENESIS as runner up. Both University of Manchester spin-outs. CONFORMETRIX, located in UMIC's Core Technology Facility, can rapidly determine highly accurate and biologically-relevant (aqueous) 3D and 4D structures of any small soluble molecule.

4. Healthcare Project of the Year - won by Manchester Central Healthcare Trust

5. Emerging Technology Project of the Year - won by Prof Geoff Parker, ISBE and the Wolfson Molecular Imaging centre, for his Oxygen MRI project (diagnosis of lung diseases). The project was funded by UMIP's Proof of Principle Fund.

6. Biomedical Company of the Year - won by DxS Diagnostics located at UMIC's Manchester Biocience Incubator.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

The University of Manchester, via its intellectual property commercialisation company UMIP, has licensed a new technology to Pipeline Engineering which uses acoustic technology to detect full and partial blockages as well as leaks in gas pipelines. Acoustek® is set to revolutionise the market as it can quickly and accurately locate features at distances of up to 10km.

The technology, which has been developed by an academic team at the University of Manchester over several years has been successful in recently securing more than £500k of funding from sources including BP, EPSRC, BP (via ITF), KTP and Pipeline Engineering which will enable the team and industrial partners to develop the technology into a commercial offering.

Pipeline Engineering has a long history of providing pipeline pigging and pipeline management solutions for the flow assurance industry and Acoustek® is a revolutionary new system which keeps it at the forefront of the market sectors in which it operates.

BP's support of, and investment in, the development project has already enabled the development team to trial Acoustek® on a live gas installation with early results being excellent and giving further confidence to the technology.

Commenting on the success of the Acoustek® trials, UMIP Venture Manager Dr Frank Allison, said: "It is so difficult to trial new technologies such as this in a live environment. However, by virtue of BP's investment in developing the technology we, along with the support of Pipeline Engineering's field service team, have been able to undertake testing on a working live gas subsea pipeline in the North Sea over a number of months".

He continued: "The second great benefit is the analysis of the findings and how the Acoustek technology processes the signal. It provides a much clearer picture of the problem in a short time which enables the appropriate remedies to be put in place quickly."

Gordon Short, Director of Technical Development at Pipeline Engineering said "Radiographic detection and diver interventions can cost multiples of £100k's. Add to this the loss of production and the cost, and environmental implications should the use of chemicals be involved, then the benefits of early detection using Acoustek® become obvious".

David Mackay of BP added: "In a recent problem, Acoustek® was able to survey a section of offshore gas pipeline and correctly identify and locate a near complete blockage approximately 500 m from the host platform. The initial survey was performed in a matter of hours. The technique offered several advantages over radiographic techniques in this instance, including remote survey without the need for an ROV support vessel, and the ability to survey sections of the pipeline buried under rock."

At present, Acoustek® can be applied using ATEX certified equipment which can be introduced either via the pig trap or permanently attached for continuous monitoring of a gas pipeline. Over the next two years, the package of funding aims to enable the team to further develop and improve the equipment which is anticipated will extend the range and improve the accuracy of the technique even further.

The team would welcome commercial interest from other O&G companies who require assessments of their gas networks.

Contact: Dr. Frank Allison, Venture Manager, UMIP
Email: frank.allison@umip.com Tel:+44 (0)161 306 8831

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Nanoco Technologies Ltd, Manchester

Manchester based, Nanoco Technologies, manufacturer of heavy metal free quantum dots, has won the UKTI Business Innovation Award in the category of Clean Technologies.
The award was presented at the UK Nanoforum event run by the UK Trade & Industry and attended by c. 350 people from around the world.

Dr Sergio Kapusta, Chief Technology Officer of Shell Global Solutions International presented the award. He highlighted Nanoco Technologies' pioneering work in getting quantum dots into a number of green technology applications such as printable solar cells and solid state lighting and was excited to learn about the scale up technology which enables Nanoco to supply its customers with large amounts of quantum dots and thus open up this technology for mass market applications.

Dr Michael Edelman who received the award on behalf of Nanoco Technologies gave special thanks to the Nanoco Team for their dedication and continued ability to innovate: "This award is an important recognition for the work we have been doing in commercializing quantum dots for use in clean technology applications."

As the winner of the category, Nanoco Technologies also received a free exhibitor pod at Tokyo nanotech 2009, the world's largest nanotechnology show which is held in February 2009.

To see footage: http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=92891&videoChannel=6

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

MTI Partners is delighted to announce the second investment by the UMIP Premier Fund (UPF). This latest investment is in a company called Arvia Technology Ltd (Arvia), a company operating within the rapidly developing environmental technology sector. Partnering with Alliance Fund Managers (AFM), which has invested through the Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF) Liverpool Seed Fund, and private individuals, GBP 800,000 has been invested in Arvia to bring to market its groundbreaking water purification products.

Arvia is a spin-out company from the University of Manchester's School of Chemical Engineering and the company is a product of UMIP's well regarded technology transfer and incubation process. Arvia Technology Ltd has developed a continuous, low cost and low maintenance process for the removal of pollutants from water for both the industrial and the municipal sectors.

Nigel Brown, the founder and Technical Director of Arvia stated:
"This investment comes at just the right time for Arvia, as it is now able to put working units in the field, prove the economic and performance benefits and continue to develop the high calibre management team alongside our new investor partners."

Managing Partner of MTI Partners, David Ward said:
"Arvia's capability in materials development underpins this technology offering to the global water market that is gaining importance and becoming more innovative. This investment is a perfect fit for MTI's Materials Science/Cleantech practice."

Arvia will locate to Merseyside in the near future and it will form part of the growing cluster of high-tech companies in the region.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

On the 2nd June Chancellor Alistair Darling visited UMIC's Core Technology Facility building in Manchester to meet two successful biotech spin-outs, Renovo (LSE:RNVO) and Epistem (LSE:EHP). The Core Technology Facility was established with NWDA and ERDF funding to provide grow-on incubator space for biotechnology and high-tech early stage companies.

Although Darling was in Manchester to officially launch the Manchester Independent Economic Review - a major study into Manchester's economic potential ndash; he specifically requested a chance to look around company laboratories and to meet company executives.

Professor Mark Ferguson, Renovo's CEO explains: "We were pleased to show the Chancellor around Renovo including our recent expansion to new facilities on the first floor of the Core Technology Facility. He saw first-hand our development of novel pharmaceutical drugs to reduce scarring and accelerate healing."

Mark continues: "We discussed the challenges facing biotechnology companies like Renovo. We've grown from just 2 founders - Dr Sharon O'Kane and myself - and spun out of The University of Manchester as a private VC backed company in 2000. Renovo now has over 180 full time employees, we are publicly listed on the main list of the London Stock Exchange, and we spend close to £30 million per annum on research and development."

During the Chancellor's visit, Peter Sanderson, chairman of The University of Manchester Intellectual Property Limited (UMIP), presented an overview of the University's IP commercialisation activities. Ernie Richardson, CEO of MTI Partners, expressed his enthusiasm for ideas developed at the University now in the process of commercialisation.

MTI Partners are the fund managers for the recently-launched £32 million UMIP Premier Fund. Ernie comments: "We have seen evidence of some incredible ideas within the research departments of The University of Manchester. This Fund will enable those researchers to gain access to the finance and business skills to turn their ideas into real business - what could be more exciting?"

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

In April 2008, MTI Partners and The University of Manchester, together with its in-house intellectual property company, UMIP, announced the first close of the UMIP Premier Fund at £32 million.

April 17th marked the day of the much anticipated launch of the fund which provides investors with the opportunity to invest in businesses emerging from The University's "5-star" rated academic departments and which have benefited from UMIP's stringent business selection and development programme.

The lunchtime event took place in the Egg at UMIC's conferencing facilities on Grafton Street and consisted of presentations by Professor Alan Gilbert, President and Vice-Chancellor, Peter Sanderson, Chairman of UMIP and Ernie Richardson, managing partner of MTI, who will manage the fund. The speakers were introduced by Professor Rod Coombs, VP for Innovation and Economic Development. The event was attended by the University's research community and a selection of existing spin-out companies held stands to showcase their technologies.

The Fund will have preferred access to all investment opportunities generated by technology research at The University and will make late-seed stage investments initially in the £250k - £750K range with both the intention and capacity to provide follow-on investment up to £3 million.

Investors in the Fund include the European Investment Fund, NESTA, partnerships UK, Co-operative Insurance and others.

For further information about the UMIP Premier Fund, please visit the website
www.theupf.com
 

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Financing to bring advanced medical diagnostics for
life-threatening infections to market and establish US presence.

April 2008, Manchester UK and Charleston, SC- Myconostica Ltd, a Manchester UK-based medical diagnostic company specializing in rapid and highly specific tests for life-threatening fungal infections, today announces that it has closed an $7.7 million (£3.9M) oversubscribed round of financing from a number of leading international private equity investors. The new funds will be used to launch the company's first two products and establish new US headquarters in Charleston, SC.

Over 10 million people are at risk of invasive fungal infections in Europe and
North America each year. This number is increasing rapidly with the large
growth in patients whose treatments involves transplants and/or the use of
immuno-suppressive drugs, leaving them susceptible to fungal infection. Current
diagnostic methods are too slow and non-specific for optimal patient care.
Myconostica which was formed in 2006 as a spin out from the University of
Manchester, is developing and commercializing tests based on highly specific genetic "signatures" unique to each disease and allow faster and much more
precise diagnosis. These "molecular diagnostics" are simple and can detect
multiple fungi in a single process.

The completion of the series C financing was led by Nexus Medical Partners (Boston and Charleston) and also featured Innoven Partenaires (France), the principal international investors joining existing investor Amphion Innovations (AIM: AMP-L) in the round. This second close brings the total raised, in the current Series C financing, to approximately $8.6 Million(£4.4 M).

The capital raised in this round of financing will support the launch of
Myconostica's first two products. The first product is the world's first real-time molecular diagnostic simultaneously testing for both Aspergillus and Pneumocystis. The second product is a fungal DNA extraction system. The diagnostic product, announced at the Trends in Medical Mycology meeting in Turin in October 2007, is CE marked, which enables sales in Europe and several other territories. The investment will also allow development of further diagnostic tests in the FXG series targeting other critical fungal infections. Myconostica will be applying to the FDA for regulatory approval to launch the products in the US market.

Following the latest fund raising, Myconostica are also pleased to announce the opening of its US headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina. The new office, Myconostica's first outside of the UK, will be the focus for North American operations and was chosen after careful review of alternative locations. South Carolina has a growing cluster of medtech and biotech industry.

Gregory Zaic, Nexus's senior partner in charge of Nexus's Charleston office, introduced the company to key clinicians at MUSC, thanks to suggestions by MUSC's president, Dr. Ray Greenberg. The company is establishing clinical cooperation with members of the MUSC faculty. The location of Myconostica's US office is being facilitated by the City Of Charleston's Life Science Initiative (of which Nexus is a supporter). Nexus is one of the four venture capital firms to receive state sponsored funding under the South Carolina Venture Capital Investment Act.

Myconostica welcome:

• Dr. Edwin Snape to their Board. Dr. Snape is co-founder and head of the healthcare practice at Nexus Medical Partners (Boston and Charleston) and has been involved in venture investing for the past 30 years. He brings further valuable commercial and diagnostics sector expertise to the company.
• Spencer Kerry as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Kerry, a Cambridge law graduate who qualified as an accountant with Deloitte and Touche, has over ten years experience in various senior corporate financial roles most recently as Business Controller at Edinburgh based biotech company Ardana PLC.

Dr. Snape indicated "I am pleased to accept the Board position at Myconostica. The company represents an excellent example of Nexus bringing into South Carolina an exciting, knowledge-based company. In addition, the $2 million invested by Nexus through its fund, was supplemented by three times that amount of capital via coinvestors."

Professor David Denning, founder of Myconostica, and a world leading authority on fungal disease at the University Hospital of South Manchester, said, "I am very pleased with the exceptional level and quality of international response to this financing opportunity as it allows us to continue the exceptionally rapid
progress in the development of our company and our current and future products. The medical need for these products is clear and growing."

Jerel Whittingham, Chief Executive Officer of Myconostica commented, "At such a difficult time in financial markets, Myconostica's success in this oversubscribed fund-raising is a tremendous endorsement of our commercial prospects and we will only succeed commercially by making a real difference medically. "

For further information please contact:

Myconostica Ltd
Jerel Whittingham, CEO, (Manchester):
+44 (0)7779 095604 / +44 (0)161 998 7239
Dr. John Thornback, Chief Operations Officer (currently in US):
Mobile/Cell +44 (0) 7968 726573

About Myconostica Ltd.
Myconostica is a medical diagnostics company, spun out of The University of
Manchester in 2006 specializing in molecular diagnostic tests for life-threatening
invasive fungal infections. Myconostica has its Head Office and laboratories in
South Manchester, and has strong links to the University Hospital South
Manchester and the Regional Mycology Laboratory, Manchester. Founded by
David Denning, Professor of Medicine and Medical Mycology, Myconostica has a
strong pipeline of products, the first of which will be launched in 2008.
On the web: www.myconostica.co.uk
Myconostica is a partner company of Amphion Innovations.
 

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

MTI and The University of Manchester today announce the first close of Europe's largest institutional fund to have a single university focus ndash; the UMIP Premier Fund ("the Fund").

With funding from a broad range of UK and European institutional and supranational investors, including EIF (European Investment Fund), NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts), Co-operative Insurance Society and others, the Fund has initial backing of €42 million (£32 million). The fund manager, MTI, believes that it is likely the Fund will eventually close at €65 million (£50 million).

The Fund will make most of its initial investments in the £250,000 - £750,000 range, but with the intention and the capacity to continue investing up to an average of £2m - £3m. Once it is fully invested, the Fund is expected to comprise a portfolio of approximately 20 investments.

The University of Manchester & UMIP
The University of Manchester is the UK's largest university, with over 30,000 students and 4,500 academic and research staff, and the alma mater of 20 Nobel Prize winners. The University has a successful spin-out track-record, and the early stage commercialisation of the University's intellectual property through successful spin-outs will continue to be managed by The University of Manchester Intellectual Property Ltd ("UMIP").

Companies which have emerged from the University have attracted over £150m of funding over the last 5 years and include successes such as Transitive, and Renovo - a wound treatment company listed on the London Stock Exchange and valued at approx. £300m.

The UMIP Premier Fund will have preferred access to all investment opportunities generated by technology research at The University of Manchester, which has an abundance of 5-star research departments, and boasts some of the finest technology investment opportunities in the UK. The Fund will focus on investing in young technology companies, and will have both the ability and capacity to support their growth through follow-on investment.

Professor Alan Gilbert, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester said: "This is a ground-breaking initiative establishing a hugely creative vehicle for providing academics with access to the capital to develop the world-leading research, for which the UK is renowned, into world-beating companies."

MTI
UMIP has teamed up with the UK's leading technology investment manager, MTI, in order to exploit the rich seam of latent opportunity within The University of Manchester and to turn it into commercial success.

The UMIP Premier Fund will draw on MTI's experience of investing in technology companies and developing their operational and marketing excellence. MTI's experience in injecting new skills, contacts and strategies will drive growth and success in these investment areas.
MTI has more than two decades of investment management experience, and over that period has managed four venture funds dedicated to technology investments. MTI is in the process of appointing a dedicated, professional technology fund manager for UMIP to be based in Manchester.

Ernie Richardson, CEO at MTI, said: "We have seen evidence of some incredible ideas within the research departments of The University of Manchester. This Fund will enable those researchers to gain access to the finance and business skills to turn their ideas into real businesses, and generate substantial value. What could be more exciting? The support of our investors like EIF, has enabled us to create the biggest such fund in Europe."

A launch event will be held in London during May.

For further information on The UMIP Premier Fund please visit www.theupf.com

Contact information:
MTI
Ernie Richardson, Managing Partner + 44 (0) 1923 250 244
Robin Hepburn, Media contact for MTI + 44 (0) 20 7796 9999

The University of Manchester/UMIP
Professor Rod Coombs, VP for Innovation and Economic
Development, The University of Manchester + 44 (0) 161 275 8860
Clive Rowland, CEO, UMIP + 44 (0) 161 603 7751
Allan Prits, Marketing Manager, UMIP + 44 (0) 161 306 8532

An innovative piece of software that takes pressure off teachers by marking exam papers quicker and more efficiently than humans has secured a quarter-of-a-million pound funding.

University of Manchester spin-out company, Assessment21, has become the first to create a tool that can not only mark multi-choice answers but also open-ended responses. Until now many have tried and failed to create software that can do this. The product - ABC (Assess By Computer) - is seen as a major breakthrough for the education sector. UMIP (The University of Manchester's IP commercialisation company) helped develop a management team and worked with the company to raise external funding.

South Yorkshire Investment Fund and three business angels have invested £250,000 to take the software to market ndash; specifically aiming at the higher education and professional associations markets.

The main advantages are that, compared to manually marking papers, the ABC software is quicker, more efficient and more consistent but still leaves the final judgments to humans. It allows students to remain anonymous to the marker, takes away the difficulties of reading illegible handwriting and the physical problems of handling bulky paper.

Assessment21 director Gerard Lennox said: "The product is a classic example of how to take cutting-edge research, apply commercial experience and a relatively small investment to create a viable company that satisfies a clearly identified market need."

The technology handles all aspects of the assessment process, including setting exam questions, administration and marking. It has been used for four years at The University of Manchester on a wide variety of assessments including final year exams and course work.

Heather White, Senior Business Manager at UMIP, said "It's very pleasing to see a truly innovative product which has already proved its worth in the University being taken to external markets by Assessment21, as the benefits of the software are very significant in terms of time savings and security."

For information about Assessment21 contact Gerard Lennox 07973 218271
www.assessment21.com
 

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

A piece of software developed in Manchester that can detect osteoporosis by automatically reading routine dental X-rays has secured a deal that could see it help millions of women world-wide.

The technology, Osteodent, which is being commercialised by UMIP (The University of Manchester's IP commercialisation company), has secured a deal with Swedish company Crebone AB for the rights to sell the software until 2010.

The software is designed to increase the detection rates of osteoporosis, which can be treated effectively if identified early. Currently, most women with osteoporosis don't realise they have the condition until late in the disease when they suffer a bone fracture of the spine, hip or wrist. In the UK alone, there are an estimated 3.5million suitable dental X-ray examinations carried out each year.

The University of Manchester received a €1.4m EU grant in 2003 to conduct a study of 670 women's X-rays in the UK, Sweden, Belgium and Greece. The results of the study, which have recently been published, show that Osteodent is the most accurate method for identifying individuals with osteoporosis using dental X-rays and clinical markers.

Since the results of the European study were announced there has been a high level of interest in the product. German dental company, KaVo, is currently undertaking an audit project using Osteodent software that is aimed at improving dentists diagnostic abilities.

Osteodent has been developed by The University of Manchester's Dr Hugh Devlin, Dr Jim Graham, Dr Danny Allen and Professor Keith Horner. The initial idea was conceived 18 years ago. UMIP now has two patents on the software, one for North America and one for the rest of the world. Osteodent won the BioNow Healthcare Project of the Year 2007, sponsored by TrusTECH.

Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging, Keith Horner said: "Currently it tends to be only 'the worried well' or those with well-informed GPs whose osteoporosis risk is properly assessed. Osteodent will open up the opportunity of being tested to millions of women who attend a dentist and would otherwise not be tested.

"We're very excited about this product because we know it has enormous potential. As Osteodent works as part of a routine dental appointment it could have substantial benefits for our NHS financially. In countries with private healthcare systems, Osteodent could also be very lucrative to dentists."

Professor Stuart C. White, Chair of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology at UCLA School of Dentistry in the USA commented: "Osteoporosis affects millions of aging men and women worldwide. Since a large fraction of adults seek dental care annually, Osteodent offers the opportunity to screen many individuals for early signs of osteoporosis. This is a truly exciting development."

For more information contact Dr Stephen France at UMIP on 0161 606 7249.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation

Nanoco Technologies Ltd, Manchester, UK 18 January 2008

Nanoco Technologies and Sigma-Aldrich are looking at a bright future together with the signing of a distribution agreement and launch of a new range of products based on Nanoco´s leading edge quantum dots.

The first materials available through this collaboration form the new Lumidotâ„¢ range of seven core-shell fluorescent quantum dots . Quantum dots (QDs) are nm-sized semiconductor nanoparticles that emit bright, near-monochromatic light (luminesce) under light or electrical stimulation. Emission color can be tuned by choosing nanocrystal size, making QDs ideal luminophors for cutting-edge applications including ultra-thin displays, solid-state lighting, anti-counterfeit protection, and next-generation solar cells. Nanoco developed unique manufacturing methods for making multi-gram quantities of QDs reproducibly and with precise control of size, structure, and luminescence characteristics. The new core-shell LumidotsTM distributed by Sigma-Aldrich have luminescence colors spanning the entire visible spectrum, in addition to good stability and batch-to-batch reproducibility, essential for research into high-technology applications.

The relationship makes the most of the core skills of both companies. Nanoco is unique in the Nanomaterials market as a company that manufactures large quantities of quantum dots. Sigma-Aldrich provide an excellent distribution channel as they are uniquely positioned to deliver smaller quantities of chemicals to commercial, academic and government labs around the world.

"This partnership is great for both companies and for global research", said Michael Edelman, CEO of Nanoco Technologies, "It brings Nanoco´s manufacturing expertise together with the excellent distribution network operated by Sigma-Aldrich. We are excited to be working with them to extend the range of nanomaterials available to the worldwide research market. We plan to expand this collaboration by offering new ranges of quantum dots later in 2008 and beyond."

"The new LumidotsTM are an important addition to our line of nanomaterials products, providing researchers around the world reliable access to high-quality quantum dot nanocrystals. Using these materials, scientists and engineers can focus on developing applications that take advantage of the unique properties of quantum dots. This fits with the main goal of Aldrich Materials Science ndash; we focus on materials so that our customers can focus on results," said Dr. Ilya Koltover, Product Manager, Aldrich Materials Science.
Sigma-Aldrich will distribute research quantities (less than 1 g) of the quantum dots and the Lumidotâ„¢ range will be supplied as convenient 2 mL and 10 mL solutions in toluene, available to order from the Sigma-Aldrich website.

Nanoco will continue to offer larger quantities of quantum dots to partners who move beyond research to development of commercial QD applications.


About Nanoco (www.nanocotechnologies.com)
Nanoco is a nano-material science company that holds patents related to industrial-scale production of Quantum Dots. Quantum Dots are Fluorescent semi-conducting nanocrystals that can be used in a range of applications from biological imaging to next generation solar cells and displays. The University of Manchester spinout was founded in 2001 and works in partnership with technology driven corporations to bring quantum dot based applications to the market around the world.
 

Nanoco Technologies is unique in the nanomaterials market as a company that manufacture large quantities of quantum dots and partner major R&D and blue-chip industrial organisations in the development of quantum dot applications. A flagship example of the UK's ability to transform world-class research into cutting edge business, as recognized by the government organisation, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) who asked Nanoco Technologies' CEO, Michael Edelman to deliver a Keynote speech to an international audience at the UK NanoForum 2007 held in London on 27 November 2007.

Michael presented a case study on Nanoco Technologies showing how the company and its patented nanotechnology platform have grown from a University of Manchester spin-out to become an independent company enabling the quantum dot market and competing in the global marketplace to be the quantum dot supplier of choice for all application developers.
Nanoco solves the problem of scale manufacturing of quantum dots and leads the world in semi-conductor nanomaterials with a focus on next generation, heavy metal free quantum dots.

"We make strategic partnerships with global application developers and have substantive co-development contracts in place", said Michael Edelman, "Support from UKTI has been key to our success. I was delighted to be asked to speak at this international nanotechnology conference, a great platform to show our strengths and to acknowledge the support that UKTI have given to help get us where we are in the global marketplace."

The UK NanoForum was attended by over 350 delegates from over 22 countries.
Other UK companies presenting case studies included QinetiQ, Oxonica and NanoSight.

About Nanoco (www.nanocotechnologies.com)
Nanoco is a nano-material science company that holds patents related to industrial-scale production of Quantum Dots. Quantum Dots are Fluorescent semi-conducting nanocrystals that can be used in a range of applications from biological imaging to next generation solar cells and displays. The University of Manchester spinout was founded in 2001 and works in partnership with technology driven corporations to bring quantum dot based applications to the market around the world.

About UK NanoForum 2007 (www.uknanoforum2007.com)
This one-day conference and exhibition brought over 100 senior international delegates from more than 20 countries together with the best of the UK's nanotechnology community.
The event included keynote addresses, themed workshops, an exhibition showcasing more than 60 UK nanotechnology companies/universities and extensive partnering opportunities.
With a focus on trade, investment and collaborations, UK NanoForum 2007 provided a networking forum for industry, academia, venture capitalists, technology purchasers and those seeking to develop joint ventures.

About UK Trade & Investment (www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk)
UK Trade & Investment is the Government organisation that helps UK-based companies succeed in an increasingly global economy. Its range of expert services are tailored to the needs of individual businesses to maximise their international success. We provide companies with knowledge, advice and practical support.

Technology Transfer; IP commercialisation