Welcome to the March 2017 edition of our eNews.

After several months of planning, we are delighted to announce the rebranding of Isis Enterprise as Oxentia. The name Isis has a long history within Oxford – the name of the River Thames as it runs through the Cotwolds – but the time has come to refresh our brand and we will therefore be using ‘Oxentia’ as the name under which we undertake our innovation consultancy and training activities. In the article below, we describe the vision of Oxentia and our future direction.

On March 8th, Oxentia held the inaugural University Enterprise Forum, where Pro Vice Chancellors from universities across the United Kingdom were invited to discuss how higher education institutes can position themselves at the centre of their local innovation systems. With the success of this event, we look forward to hosting future knowledge sharing forums.

Our consultants have been busy delivering another cohort of Leaders in Innovation Fellowships (LIF) for the Royal Academy of Engineering. Oxentia have now delivered training programmes for the LIF programme for the third year running, and have seen the programme grow to include 14 Newton Fund partner countries.

As ever, please get in touch to exchange ideas, ask questions, or meet us at upcoming events.

With Best Regards,

Dr Steve Cleverley,

Head of Oxentia

Oxentia is the new name for Isis Enterprise, the successful innovation management and technology commercialisation consultancy, that originally began as an operating division within the world leading technology transfer company, Oxford University Innovation. Since 2004, Oxentia has delivered services to a worldwide customer base of public and private sector clients in over 60 countries and is a key part of Oxford’s innovation ecosystem.

The name Oxentia was developed from two core concepts; ‘Ox’ is a reflection of Oxentia’s location and experience within the city of Oxford and ‘entia’ echoes the 12-year history operating as Isis Enterprise. Oxentia’s vibrant logo expresses the global nature of its business and is reminiscent of the Radcliffe Camera, a key component of the Oxford skyline.

Oxentia’s activities are all underpinned by core values of trust, excellence, creativity and collaboration, as is our commitment to working in partnership with our clients to build capacity, develop capability and deliver impact through innovation for the benefit of economies and societies.

Keep up with Oxentia through our LinkedIn page and our Twitter feed.

University innovation finds itself at an inflection point. The demand for more effective translation of university research into real world technologies is increasing. Student bodies have become substantially more entrepreneurial, and universities need to harness this momentum to remain relevant. Additionally, for the first time, bespoke resources to support the development of university spinouts are beginning to emerge in the form of university venture funds (UVFs) and patient capital.

To tap into themes emerging from this rapidly changing landscape and provide leadership for the sector, it is critical that universities communicate and collaborate on innovation strategies. With this in mind, Oxentia recently brought together senior university management focused on the innovation ecosystem, called the University Enterprise Forum.

Held as an evening session at the Hilton Paddington Hotel in London, 22 Pro Vice Chancellors and Deputy Vice Chancellors from across the country came to discuss university innovation at the inaugural University Enterprise Forum. Discussion was focused on the areas of funding, investment, entrepreneurs, and industry collaboration.

There is immense potential for stronger sharing of ideas on how best to capitalise on innovation, and a need to collaborate between universities to maximise their efforts. Oxentia look forward to developing further University Enterprise Forums and other information-sharing events.

If you are interested in receiving a summary of the themes discussed, please contact Pete Moores.

For three consecutive years Oxentia have played a key delivery role in the Leaders in Innovation Fellowships (LIF) programme, hosted by the Royal Academy of Engineering. Oxentia have now delivered specialised training programmes for the LIF programme for 14 partner countries and coached over 400 emerging entrepreneurs.

In March, Oxentia delivered the latest LIF programme where delegates from the Phillipines, Columbia, China, and India spent two weeks in London learning about entrepreneurship. Oxentia provided training in business modelling, leadership, finance, marketing, intellectual property, and regulation, and coached fellows on how to pitch their technologies to investors. After the fellows return to their home countries, the Royal Academy of Engineering and Oxentia will continue to support them through the LIF programme by providing remote mentoring, coaching, and hands-on commercialisation support. The overarching aim of the programme is to cultivate an entrepreneurial mind-set and develop business propositions for the fellow’s innovations. 

To learn more about Oxentia's technology innovation training, please see our website.

Oxentia is Oxford's Global Innovation Consultancy.

Working in partnership with our global clients to build capacity, develop capability and deliver impact through innovation for the benefit of economies and societies.