A SHOWCASE to promote Oxfordshire as a centre of world-class hi-tech excellence was being staged today in London.

Over the past 25 years, more than 100 spin-off companies have been set up by Oxford academics.

They include five major publicly-owned firms - Oxford GlycoSciences, Oxford Molecular, Oxford Asymmetry, PowderJect and Oxford BioMedica - together worth about £1.5bn.

Today senior figures from industry, the civil service and research institutions were meeting at the Department of Trade and Industry to look at how best to cash in on discoveries and inventions.

Sir Martin Wood, founder of Oxford Instruments and chairman of the Oxfordshire Economic Partnership, who was speaking at today's event, said: "This is just the kind of event needed to help spread the word about our enormous range of hi-tech and technology transfer success and to encourage new businesses to join us on our future ventures."

On average, Oxford University files one new patent a week.

Those with commercial potential are taken up by Isis Innovation, set up ten years ago to commercialise the university's research.

Prof Sue Iversen, the university's ProVice Chancellor for Research, another speaker at today's event, said: "This event will allow the university to demonstrate how it is already working in partnership with the new regional agencies created by the Government."

The event, chaired by Prof Susan Greenfield, director of the Royal Institution, was also hearing from Science Minister Lord Sainsbury and the former chairman of the Cookson Group, Sir Robert Malpas.

The event was organised with the new South East England Development Agency, which is keen to promote the increasing hi-tech reputation of the region.

Story date: Thursday 04 November

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