The Edinburgh Futures Institute provided an inspirational starting point to the study tour. The inscription ‘Patet Omnibus’ (‘Open to All’) at the entrance encapsulates the vision underpinning this beautiful building that has been brought back to life for a new generation, putting innovation at the heart of the community in Edinburgh. This is embodied in the sector co-location spaces – or ‘wards’ from the original hospital building – which physically bring together diverse stakeholders to solve big societal challenges. The tour of the building encouraged reflections about the role of technology transfer offices in convening stakeholders to achieve impact.

Takeaway 1: The Edinburgh Futures Institute exemplifies how physical spaces can foster collaboration and signal purpose. For TenU members, such convening power underscores the growing importance of universities demonstrating both economic and social impact from research.

We were delighted to be able to celebrate the launch of the University of Edinburgh’s Innovation Career Pathway, which seeks to provide tools and frameworks for embedding commercialisation into academic career paths. The panel discussion chaired by our head Ananay Aguilar and featuring Professor Christina Boswell, Vice-Principal Research and Enterprise, University of Edinburgh, and TenU members Paul van Dun and Karin Immergluck provoked the insight that some UK ecosystems are seeking to attain the entrepreneurial culture that has evolved in more established ecosystems over the course of several decades.

Takeaway 2: The lesson from KU Leuven and Stanford is that tools such as the Innovation Career Pathway can be a great way of signalling that commercialisation is valued in a university. This is further helped by consistent championing of this vision by senior leadership.

After a networking lunch with stakeholders from the Edinburgh ecosystem, TenU members travelled to the Usher Institute in the Edinburgh Bioquarter. A panel discussion led by Andrea Taylor, CEO Edinburgh Innovations and featuring Professor Julie Jacko, Dean of Innovation and Engagement, University of Edinburgh College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, and TenU members Lesley Millar-Nicholson and Jim Glasheen, allowed for a comparison of different experiences of ecosystem development. The vision underpinning the Edinburgh BioQuarter of aspiring to be the health data capital of Europe was contrasted with the development of the ecosystem in MIT which has been shaped by co-location with industry. Jim provided a powerful analogy with the natural world describing how different climates encourage different adaptive strategies.

Takeaway 3: In dynamic environments, resilience comes from adaptability and organic partnerships. Fostering serendipitous collaboration and grass-roots initiatives in addition to more planned, integrated structures is key in this process.

The learning and discussion throughout the day provided a reminder that history and context are fundamental to shaping individual ecosystems. There is also scope for strong university leadership to drive forward new and creative innovation agendas, cognisant of the incredible potential of universities to generate impact.

With thanks to our colleagues at Edinburgh Innovations for supporting such a thought-provoking and energising day.

Featured