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AgorIP: bringing innovation to life across Wales
AgorIP is working hard during the current crisis to continue supporting not only businesses and innovation within south and north west Wales and the Valleys, but also the NHS, health and wellbeing across the whole of Wales.
Welsh for Open IP, AgorIP is a flagship project within Wales that is funded to work across all of the sectors where there is a measurable benefit to the region – jobs, products, IP and investment. It brings academics, clinicians and businesses together, taking pioneering research and developing cutting-edge technologies to drive commercial success with the support of Swansea University and the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government. The project has developed systems and processes that are simple and accessible yet adaptable to each sector, with a core team of technology transfer managers, external advisers, links into the investment community and a procured IP protection and legal service. This is strong foundation from which to operate. On top of this, Agor has a fund it can use to invest – historically into spin-out activity but more recently looking at the development for ideas to a stage of commercial readiness. AgorIP aims to provide NHS Wales organisations with a framework for commercialisation, as well as support and capacity to commercialise specific innovations. Its NHS portfolio has evolved from largely Swansea-based innovations to include projects with NHS organisations from other parts of Wales, such as Cwm Taf, Hywel Dda and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Boards, and the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust. The project now has three dedicated secondees in place in the three health boards, who work within the NHS to find innovations that directly benefit the health and wellbeing of everyone in Wales and beyond.
“AgorIP play an active role in innovation and IP management across the NHS in Wales. We have an established network of secondees – managers placed within the hospital setting – looking for new and innovative ways the frontline staff work. We are able to very quickly identify, assess and, where appropriate, fund these projects to a commercial conclusion. We are also working in the background on the development of a pan-Wales policy on IP and providing training to all staff on IP and commercial matters. So far we have a strong portfolio of projects from novel breathing masks, intubation devices and software systems that will be making a real difference to the lives of patients.” Michael Smith Senior Technology Transfer Manager at AgorIP, responsible for maintaining the NHS portfolio.
