The latest technologies stemming from research at Oxford and Cambridge were presented Tuesday to investors at an event held at the Royal Society of Chemistry. With 17 spinouts already this calendar year, the two universities report that a similar joint event last year led directly to investment in several of the ventures that presented.

Organised by the research commercialisation offices of Cambridge and Oxford universities, the event showcased technologies from both institutions in fields as diverse as treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders and broadcasting technology that uses machine learning technologies to deliver personalised content to each viewer.

The exciting companies that presented today are just a taster of what is going on at our two universities. And while competition is what keep both of us at the top of our game in research and teaching, collaborations such as in today’s event are what will achieve the greatest societal and economic benefit from that world beating research.

Tony Raven, CEO, Cambridge Enterprise

Speakers at the event included founders and management of the spinout companies and leaders of innovation programmes from both universities. It was sponsored by Parkwalk Advisors.

Mark White of Rainbow Seed Fund commented, “the quality of the audience is testament to the track record of Oxford and Cambridge’s success in presenting spinout opportunities in a way that investors can understand.”

Tony Raven, CEO of Cambridge Enterprise, said: “The exciting companies that presented today are just a taster of what is going on at our two universities. And while competition is what keep both of us at the top of our game in research and teaching, collaborations such as in today’s event are what will achieve the greatest societal and economic benefit from that world beating research.”

Professor Ian Walmsley, Pro-Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation at Oxford, said: “There is real interest and enthusiasm at the moment from the investor community, who see great potential in technologies from research-intensive Universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.

“At Oxford, we see innovation as a priority, and complementary to the world-leading research taking place in our labs and libraries. The growth of the local ecosystem supporting entrepreneurial staff and students is also fantastic and an important part of our ability to support research outcomes.”

The ventures presenting this year were Covatic, PsyOmics, Oxford Antibiotics and Cytora.