DPFS Resource Request (University of Birmingham)

Medical research in the UK aims to find new ways of treating and diagnosing people with disease. It is important that when new medical innovations are made, steps are taken to ensure that this knowledge is exploited to its full potential and is able to make the transition from the laboratory into patient healthcare application. This proposal asks for resource to support the management of a portfolio of such innovations within the University of Birmingham, currently at an early stage of development, through to a stage where they can receive further investment and be effectively translated into new healthcare opportunities.

This project focuses on providing key support to nine commercialisation cases, which have been identified from the College IP portfolio, prior to future application for DPFS funding. A Technology Transfer Officer is requested to provide dedicated project management/development support and expertise to advance DPFS projects across the College?s portfolio of activity. It is also proposed that a flexible consultancy approach is employed to buy in external subject/sector/commercial expertise to ensure that innovative and commercially and/or health service relevant approaches are used to achieve successful exploitation and application of the new innovations arising from the College. This approach will provide the necessary resource and expertise to ensure proposals are developed which are commercially focused and have clearly defined and achievable translational objectives and endpoints. The new resource will work with and complement existing Technology Transfer support available within the College and across the University of Birmingham, to provide seamless support for Translational research.