For many years, 2 - 4 spin-offs were created annually at the University of Basel. In 2019, there were 9, and the Innovation Office of the University is behind this impressive growth. It has played a decisive role in the development of the regional start-up ecosystem over the past two years. Now the first successes are becoming apparent.
Last year, nine spin-offs were created at the University of Basel - more than twice as many as the long-term average. Not only the quantity but also the quality is good: 62 million francs of venture capital flowed into spin-offs of the University in 2019. An important reason for these achievements is the activity of the Innovation Office. It not just motivates and supports young scientists who want to set up a start-up, but also contributes to the advancement of the entire start-up ecosystem in Basel.
The basis of the offer is an open incubation space for startup projects. Many of the monthly meetings of the Entrepreneurs Club are also held there. However, the club also regularly collaborates with partners for these events, in whose rooms the meeting is then held. In addition to the physical events, an online community called Pupella has been launched. And to improve gender diversity, the team has established the Femtrepreneurs program together with partners.
According to Christian Elias Schneider, Head of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at The University of Basel: "the University supports startups since many years, however 2019 was the first year, in which our efforts from the Innovation Office paid off."
The nine spin-offs include:
Acthera - proprietary lipids able to release active ingredients, such as small molecules.
Advancience - game-based psychometric toolkit.
ATICure - immunotherapy for cancer treatment with unprecedented application possibilities.
BioInitials - non-invasive medical devices to monitor the health-state of the oral cavity.
Bottmedical - flexible micrometer-thin pressure sensor foils with first application in oral health and sleep improvement.
Deep Breath Initiative - Rapid and sensitive real-time analysis of exhaled breath.
Nuonex - reliable and fully automated sample preparation in cryo electron microscopy.
SalutaCoach - personal online health coaching programs to optimise metabolic health.
Smart-Pick - a novel technology to maximize the effectiveness of male gametes selection.
The Innovation Office is not going to rest on its laurels. A whole series of further initiatives are planned for 2020. Among other projects, the team is working on an innovative financing mechanism to incentivize even more researchers to found their companies.
(SK)
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