Targeting Innovation

To view the Targeting Innovation - Scottish Spin-out Study 2008, please click on the link.

George Boag, chief executive of Targeting Innovation, said: "It has long been recognised that technology from Scotland's universities represents a great opportunity, but this study shows that efforts so far to exploit it have had limited success."

"Many of the more successful companies have taken at least 10 years to realise their potential. This is considerably longer than the traditional venture capital exit horizon, which is typically nearer five years.

"Universities often develop novel research which isn't aimed at any specific market. Because there is a lot of risk at this stage, the private sector is wary of investing until it is clearer how the technology can be exploited and which market it is aimed at. Therefore there is a gap to the market which universities are not well-equipped to address. The real challenge is to find ways to successfully bridge this gap."

Please click on the link for a PDF version of the Targeting Innovation - Scottish Spin-out Study 2008