EVENING POST

Leeds University's technology transfer partners, Techtran, has received a £2m shot in the arm from intellectual property company IP21PO.The deal sees 1P2IPO receive 20 per cent equity share in the Techtran business.

In addition, IP2IPO chief executive David Norwood takes a place on the Techtran board as non-executive director.

The funding will be used to boost the commercialisation of intellectual property at the university. A pioneering partnership deal was struck with Leeds University in December, 2002, and Techtran’s expertise in business creation and development has turned a wide range of intellectual property from the university into spinout companies and licensing deals.

Techtran has interests in 15 Leeds University spinout companies to date.

JP2IPO is an intellectual property company that commercialises university technology.
Partnership in November, 2003, it announced a partnership with CNAP, the flagship genomics research centre within the University of York.

It also has partnerships with the universities of Oxford, Southampton and Kings College, London.

Leeds University has a long history of successful entrepreneurial activity based on leading edge research.

It was the first university in the UK to set up a dedicated technology transfer function. In 1977, electronics engineer Prof David Rhodes set up Filtronic to design and manufacture communications components.

Leeds University Pro Vice Chancellor, Professor David Hogg, who oversees the university’s knowledge transfer activities, said that the university was committed to making the greatest possible contribution to society through its research and teaching.