How the University of Edinburgh's relationship with industry is changing

Monday 3rd July 2017, 1:00pm

The University of Edinburgh is a great place to do business. New breakthroughs and the accelerating pace of change in technology mean that academia is engaging more than ever with industry.

Building for the future

The University of Edinburgh currently has more than a thousand projects running in collaboration with industry, touching upon a dozen sectors of the economy, with all three colleges involved, frequently together. 


Of the University’s £300 million research income, currently only £25 million comes from industrial partnerships. 

Engagement with industry comes in many forms. It ranges from the contractual – consultancy work or commissioning research – to the collaborative – working together on research or hosting companies’ research and development strands. 

Edinburgh Research and Innovation is the University of Edinburgh's office charged with commercialising world-class research and academic expertise.

"The plan is to almost double that figure to £43 million in the next few years.

Historically, there has been much emphasis on University spin-outs by the government and funders. It may be that royalties, licensing or just selling the intellectual property is an even better way to create value for the University. There may be fewer spin-outs, but better quality and with a better return.

We are agnostic about the route to commercialisation. What we have to do is look at the intellectual property and judge what best suits it.”

George Baxter, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Research and Innovation 

View pages 10 & 11 of the summer 2017/18 edition of Bulletin, the staff magazine for the University of Edinburgh, to discover how and why the University is such a great place to do business.



Bulletin Summer 2017



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