Innovation and Enterprise
Students, Researchers and Staff
Our impact strategy follows our mission statement: we apply the transformative power of physics through translation of our research and expertise to create products, services and companies that meet societal and business needs, and through embedding innovation and entrepreneurship into our teaching and training programmes.
Over the last few years we have dramatically increased the pace of innovation as evidenced by the production of inventions, patents, licence deals and spinout companies and creating a Entrepreneurship for Physicists course for our students.
We are working on technology that is changing society inc. quantum technology, bio imaging, satellite instrumentation, AI, fusion and solar energy, superconductivity, climate models, precision metrology and more.
- Created 18 spinout companies & supported student and alumni startups
- 180+ inventions patented & licensed 70+ inventions to industry
- Carried out 100+ academic consulting projects
- Developed Entrepreneurship training with the Business School
When inventing hardware or software, or working with companies, we provide support with Intellectual Property, Innovation Funds, Confidentiality, Conflicts of Interest, Collaboration Agreements and provide Enterprise Training. Support is available to all undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as post-docs, researchers, academics and support staff.
For examples of how we have enabled a positive impact on society, see our Research In Action.
If you have any questions please contact the Innovation and Enterprise Manager, Dr Phillip Tait
Undergraduate Students
For information on Commercialising your ideas
Oxford University Innovation(link is external)
For information on entrepreneurship training
The Saïd Business School(link is external)
The short option S33 Entrepreneurship is a collaboration between the Saïd Business School and the Department of Physics and is run in Trinity term for all 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate Physics students.
It is a bespoke course being delivered over 7 sessions of Trinity Term to equip undergraduate Physics students with the knowledge and skills to transform ideas and inventions into scalable businesses. During the programme you will learn from expert start-up coaches, ex-Physicists turned entrepreneurs, industry experts, and senior faculty from the Saïd Business School to guide you through this introductory course. The course will conclude with an assessment.
The Saïd Busines School also offer E-School, a new online learning platform for Oxford students run by the Entrepreneurship Centre. The platform includes on-demand content to help aspiring student entrepreneurs start, grow and scale their own high-growth start-ups.
E-School(link is external)
To find out what entrepreneurial activity is happening in and and around Oxford
EnSpire Oxford(link is external)
Postgraduate Students
For information on Commercialising your ideas
Oxford University Innovation(link is external)
For Academic Consultancy
Oxford University Consutling(link is external)
For information on training
MPLS Enterprise(link is external)
The Saïd Busines School also offer E-School, a new online learning platform for Oxford students run by the Entrepreneurship Centre. The platform includes on-demand content to help aspiring student entrepreneurs start, grow and scale their own high-growth start-ups.
E-School(link is external)
To find out what entrepreneurial activity is happening in and and around Oxford
EnSpire Oxford(link is external)
Researchers and Staff
For information on Commercialising your ideas
Oxford University Innovation(link is external)
For Academic Consultancy
Oxford University Consutling(link is external)
For information on training
MPLS Enterprise(link is external)
The Saïd Busines School also offer E-School, a new online learning platform for Oxford students and staff run by the Entrepreneurship Centre. The platform includes on-demand content to help aspiring student/staff entrepreneurs start, grow and scale their own high-growth start-ups.
E-School(link is external)
To find out what entrepreneurial activity is happening in and and around Oxford
EnSpire Oxford(link is external)
Department of Physics Innovation and Enterprise Committee
The Innovation and Enterprise Committee is a Standing Committee of the Physics Management Committee. A chair is appointed by the Head of Department.
Terms of Office
Members are appointed by the Head of Department for a period of three years, renewable once.
Membership
Three nominated members of academic staff
One representative from Oxford University Innovation
One representative from MPLS Innovation Business Partnerships
Ex officio members
Head of Department
Associate Head of Department for Industry, Enterprise, Business
Innovation and Enterprise Manager
Members
Prof Armin Reichold (Chair)
Prof Chris Lintott
Dr Peter Leek
Dr Carly Howett
Mr Adrian Coles
Dr James Semple
Prof Ian Shipsey
Prof Andrew Turberfield
Dr Phillip Tait
Remit
i. To foster a department culture that respects and encourages innovation and enterprise across all departmental activities and including all staff, academics, researchers and students.
ii. To develop initiatives that celebrate innovation and enterprise and the impacts they enable.
iii. To ensure department duties and recognition policies recognise engagement with, and success in, innovation and enterprise.
iv. To maintain an understanding of the research, technology, skills and services of the department with a view to facilitating their application beyond academia.
v. To identify commercial and societal challenges that can be tackled by capability within the department.
vi. To foster an effective interface between the department and the users of physics (e.g. businesses).
vii. To identify the administrative barriers, either within the department or the university, faced by those engaging in enterprise activities and/or with external organisations.
viii. To propose departmental and university administrative mechanisms that support efficient impact-driven activity and external collaboration, whilst also adhering to the university statutes (e.g. protecting IP) and government regulations (e.g. export controls).
ix. To improve awareness and understanding of departmental and university mechanisms required to collaborate with external organisations and commercialise research.
x. To promote the provision of teaching, experience and support in innovation and enterprise for Physics students (e.g. by proposing new short course option and developing high quality projects engaging a wide variety of external organisations).
xi. To share best practice, raise awareness and ensure an inclusive approach when fulfilling its mission (e.g. by sending a precis of the committee meeting minutes to an agreed list of affiliated members in the department and counterpart groups in the university).
xii. To review the department’s progress against an agreed set of innovation and enterprise metrics.
The Committee will meet termly and additionally as deemed necessary by the chair. The minutes of the meetings will be reported to the PMC.
Increasing Diversity in Enterprising Activities
IDEA (Increasing Diversity in Enterprising Activities) is a set of long term and sustainable actions and interventions aimed at addressing inequalities in entrepreneurship. While the University of Oxford is a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship, and has committed to supporting entrepreneurship (as detailed in the Strategic Plan 2018-23, the KE Strategy, and Innovation Strategy), there are still inequalities in the entrepreneurship ecosystem which need to be addressed. IDEA is currently focussing on gender, with an aim to broadening the scope as the programme develops.
Why do we need this?
The playing field is not, and has never been, level. Globally, women hold fewer than a quarter of senior leadership positions, and in 2020 less than 2% of European tech investment capital went to female founders. The UK government’s 2019 Alison Rose Review(link is external) highlights gender inequalities throughout the entrepreneurial life cycle, showing that women entrepreneurs are at a disadvantage every step of the way. We need to act now to change this picture for current and future generations of women, and to create the conditions that will enable significantly more women to become leaders and entrepreneurs.
How do I participate?
If you’re interested in participating, simply sign up here(link is external), and we’ll keep you informed about upcoming opportunities and events. For more information, visit our site here(link is external) and don’t forget to join our LinkedIn group(link is external)!
Spin Out Equity Rule Change - 2021
The University has implemented a new equity sharing policy to enable new spinouts to become faster, easier and more transparent. The policy sets the founding equity share in spinout companies at 80% for founder researchers and 20% for the University in nearly all cases. Please see the equity sharing Q&A(link is external) for further information.