Maximising Academic Translational Projects Towards Optimal Commercialisation Outputs and Impact

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Our application aims to build upon our excellent track record in successful research translation to improve patient benefit by addressing unmet clinical needs. The approach is defined by clear and robust processes to identify high potential opportunities that can be progressed along the Technology Readiness Levels through clear work plans and defined milestones. In responding to feedback from the MRC CiC review panel, our revitalised CiC programme is now led by an experienced team including a new PI (Helen Philippou, Professor of Translational Medicine), an experienced university funded programme manager and an extensive Commercialisation team. This is reinforced through appropriate industrial advisor expertise to enable each project to generate sufficient key data and evidence that will enable further development and onward investment. Sources of follow-on funding might include Innovate UK, Medical Research Council Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme, Seedcorn and investor funding for new spin-outs, and direct-licensing with industry. To date our portfolio of projects have converted £1.76m of MRC CiC funding into ~£36m in follow-on funding. This funding comprises £14.8m from research councils, £10.2m from industry and £10.8m from Innovate UK. In the last year alone, 2017-2018, the CiC portfolio at Leeds has generated a total revenue of £23.5m (£10.8m from Innovate UK, £10m from industry and £2.6m from other sources). Furthermore, since 2017, we have had 9 patents granted, an additional 13 publications, over 40 new industrial partnerships and 8 additional early-phase industry discussions. As our projects continue to mature, this success will increase. Our distinctiveness has been our interdisciplinary approach to address grand challenge research questions, harnessing our national standing across the health technologies cluster with projects from the Faculties of Engineering, Maths and Physical Sciences, and Biological Sciences in addition to Medicine and Health. This year, we have added Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality technologies into our portfolio. We have set new criteria that will further enhance the impact of MRC CiC projects by enabling an accelerated realisation of collaborative outputs and impact from translational projects at the University of Leeds.