Celebrating University research to commercial reality

It’s been three years since we have been able to hold our annual Ideas to Reality celebration in person, and this week’s event reminded me how much I have missed it.

Bringing together members of industry, the University and the wider innovation ecosystem, Ideas to Reality is a showcase and celebration of world-changing research, ideas and expertise from across the University of Cambridge commercialised through consultancy, licensing and company creation. It allows us to demonstrate our role in supporting academic research commercialisation and show our appreciation for the trust of the academic and wider community. Returning to the Great Hall of King’s College, this year’s event showcased six examples of successful academic commercialisation across a range of research disciplines.

How fitting, too, that the event fell on the day that the results of Knowledge Excellence Framework 2 were published, revealing that Cambridge secured the highest performance scores in many areas including IP and commercialisation. Professor Andy Neely OBE, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations, referenced the University’s mission ‘to contribute to society…’, commenting on the role and importance of research innovation and commercialisation as means to achieve impactful societal contributions.

A showcase featured examples of the support we can provide, the relationships that can develop and the impact that can be achieved through collaboration and partnership. With perspectives from the academics and their Cambridge Enterprise partners, the audience heard the journeys of:

• Ultra-fast charging battery technology company Nyobolt, presented by Professor Dame Clare Grey FRS and Dr Elaine Loukes
• Vaccine antigen design company DIOSynVax, presented by Dr Rebecca Kinsley and Dr Terry Parlett
• Visual clarity simulation tool Clari-Fi, presented by Dr Sam Waller and Dr Sian Fogden
• Zero-carbon refrigeration pioneer Barocal, presented by Dr Xavier Moya and Sarah Richardson
• Online research and engagement platform THIScovery and new approaches for maternity care, presented by Professor Mary Dixon-Woods and Dr Helen Atkinson
• Social enterprise Kalamna CIC and its phonics-based toolkit for teaching Arabic, presented by Dr Saussan Khalil and Dr Emma Salgard Cunha

Between the stories told in the showcase, and the conversations between the guests, the overriding sense from the evening was one of passion and collaboration. The buzz in the room was warm energy, excitement and determination – some of the many qualities that make this entrepreneurial community so successful and so special.