Welcome to the latest edition of The Catalyst. Innovation is the catalyst for change, and Oxford University Innovation’s quarterly newsletter brings you the latest news, developments, and opportunities from across Oxford’s innovation community.

In this issue, we spotlight achievements, new spinouts and technologies, through to events, initiatives, and collaborations – all of which are driving innovation-led impact and advancing the response to today’s most pressing global challenges. Read on to discover technologies ready for partnership and licensing, updates about our portfolio of companies, and all the latest coming out of our innovation ecosystem.

News from OUI

Oxford University ranks number 1 in Europe for spinouts

The University of Oxford has been ranked first in Europe for spinout success based on the value created by deep tech and life sciences spinouts, according to the European Spinout Report 2025 from Dealroom.co. This comprehensive analysis of the academic spinout sector in Europe found that deep tech and life science startups spun out of European universities had a combined value of $398bn, with Oxford at the forefront.

National award recognises thriving OUI-led UK network

ImpactU, the OUI-led UK-wide network supporting university-based mission-led companies, was named a finalist at the Knowledge Exchange UK Awards. Since its inception, Impact U has built a thriving network of 40 universities and more than 450 hub members, with 14 mission-led companies having received investment. The collective recently secured €300,000 from Financière de Tubize (FdT) to go towards ventures developing innovative health technologies in low-resource settings.

OUI’s Clinical Outcome Assessments going digital

OUI supports and oversees digital migrations of its diverse portfolio of Clinical Outcomes Assessments (COAs), working with licensees who choose to implement electronic administration. COAs capture patient perspectives on the impact of treatments and provide valuable insights that support clinical research and healthcare decision-making. In certain settings, this evolution to electronic COAs (eCOAs) can enhance efficacy by improving data quality, reducing administrative burden, enabling real-time monitoring, and enhancing participant engagement, to name just some of the benefits. You can find out more on the OUI website

Portfolio news

In financial year 2024/25, OUI supported the creation of 19 new companies, including 15 spinouts and 4 startups, in fields ranging from quantum technology and hydropower systems to cancer therapeutics. Our portfolio of companies raised £489.8m of investment in the same period, despite challenging external economic conditions. Every spinout and startup we support represents a powerful example of how Oxford's knowledge and research can translate into real-world application, and each is a bold step towards a better future.

Professor Sally Collins and Oxailis Ltd colleagues

New spinout promises breakthrough diagnostic technology

OUI was delighted to announce the launch of Oxailis Ltd, a new Oxford spinout company built on more than 17 years of world-leading knowledge and research from Oxford's Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health. Oxailis is developing AI-powered software that enables non-invasive, quantitative measurement of tissue perfusion - a critical marker of organ health - using standard ultrasound systems, promising earlier, more equitable diagnosis of Fetal Growth Restriction.

An image of the Serum Institute of India manufacturing facility

OUI accelerates licensing of Oxford vaccine to save lives

Rift Valley fever is a devastating disease currently gripping West Africa, and OUI's swift actions enabled the University of Oxford to licence its investigational vaccine to the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. OUI's expertise in finding the most suitable route to take Oxford’s research into the world - maximising speed, scale and impact - will now see the manufacture of up to 100,000 doses of vaccine candidate ChAdOx1 RVF, creating the largest-ever reserve of this vaccine ready for clinical testing. In global health emergencies, licensing to established organisations with proven capabilities ensures the fastest course from knowledge into solutions that save lives.

Dark Blue Therapeutics acquired by multinational Amgen

OUI celebrated the acquisition of Dark Blue Therapeutics (DBT) by Amgen in a deal worth up to $840m. DBT was spun out of the University of Oxford in July 2020, building on cancer biology research supported through Lab282, a £13 million public–private partnership bridging the gap between academic discovery and drug development.

Technologies available to license

The University of Oxford’s intellectual property, including patented technologies, software, copyright, data, designs and know-how is offered for commercial use under licence from OUI. We are constantly adding new inventions and developments to our portfolio, giving you access to the fruits of Oxford’s latest, world-leading knowledge and research, and helping you advance your social, environmental, and economic aims.

An illustration of an antibody binding to a virus particle

EDE Dengue monoclonal antibodies

Biologicals, Healthcare, Pharma/Biopharma

Clinical-ready human monoclonal antibodies that target the Envelope Dimer Epitope on dengue virions, enabling cross-serotype neutralisation from a single conserved site and deployable IgG/fragment formats for passive immunisation.

CD61–CD103 Immune synapse platform

Biologicals, Pharma/Biopharma

Immune-synapse mechanism that yields more cytotoxic, less-exhausted Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes and improved tumour control in preclinical models, unlocking potent, tumour-selective T-cell responses.

Find out more about improving T-cell tumour control

The image shown is a compact linear actuator.

Rotary gas valve for better control and fast repetition speeds

Engineering (Non-medical), Manufacturing

Valve offering fast rotation of the rotary element inside the external casing that leads to intermittent alignment of the two slits, enabling gas from inside the rotary element to escape.

Discover more about controlled gas release valve design

The diagram shown is a novel method for producing fluorochemicals using solid-state milling with activators, avoiding the need for hydrochloric acid.

Novel mechanochemical method of producing fluorochemicals

Agriculture/AgritechChemistry, Cleantech/Sustainability, Materials

Novel solid state approach to the production of fluorochemicals directly from a fluoride source such as the mineral fluorspar.

Learn more about producing fluorochemicals from fluorspar

Innovation ecosystem news

OUI is a catalyst for innovation and our unrivalled ecosystem sits at the heart of our vision for a better future built on the University’s knowledge and research. Through our portfolio, partnerships, and initiatives, we are constantly seeking to enrich this ecosystem and advance the depth and ambition of Oxford’s innovation pipeline.

OUI event drives investment in Oxford science at JPM conference

OUI brought together investors, corporates, advisers, and Oxford founders at its ‘Investing in Oxford’ event at JP Morgan Healthcare Conference week in San Francisco.

The event connected world-leading Oxford healthcare science with the global capital and partners needed to scale it, and included a fireside chat with Terumo CIO/CFO/GEO Jin Hagimoto and OUI Chair Baroness Nicola Blackwood about the OrganOx story - from its early formation through to acquisition - and fast-paced pitches from outstanding Oxford spinouts.