The University of Bristol is at the heart of a rapidly developing innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Bristol. With six faculties and ten research institutes housing 1,800 research staff supporting 25,000 students, the University is at the cutting edge of global research, tackling some of the world’s most pressing issues. Our research creates a positive impact on society – from infection and immunity, to human rights, climate change and cryptography – through the dissemination of knowledge and technologies, licensing of research outcomes, creation of new companies and creating partnerships.
From students to commercialisation A thriving innovation ecosystem requires inputs from a variety of stakeholders, from student entrepreneurship development to collaboration to company incubation to investment. The University is at the core of this: driving new programmes in student innovation, developing a new enterprise campus and providing incubation services.
Undergraduate students can undertake an integrated four-year masters degree studying a core discipline, such as anthropology or physics, plus innovation in our Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. During the programme they work on a variety of practical problems presented by local organisations, as well as their own business ideas.
Students can also enter the New Enterprise Competition and apply for support from our Student Enterprise Team. They are able to attend events to develop their enterprise skills and turn their business ideas into valuable business models.
Postgraduate students and early career researchers can apply to become a Quantum Technology Enterprise Centre Fellow – spending a year developing their business to be ready to enter the market or raise investment. They can explore potential markets for their products with support from the renown ICURe (Innovation to Commercialisation of University Research) programme, and new businesses can apply to enter our world-leading incubator, SETsquared Bristol.
For intellectual property developed from staff research, the Research and Enterprise Development Research Commercialisation team finds appropriate commercialisation pathways such as licensing to existing or spin out companies. The team also supports spin out companies as they build their capabilities and find investment, and encourages them to apply for funding from the University of Bristol Enterprise Fund which co-invests with angel and institutional investors.
The University is also developing a new state-of-the-art campus in the heart of the city, on the east side of Temple Meads train station. Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus – anticipated to open in 2022 – will be at forefront of digital and business research, education, skills and innovation, building on Bristol’s reputation as a leading digital tech cluster. The Campus will bring together world-leading researchers, educators and innovators from science, engineering, social sciences and enterprise to explore the benefits and challenges of digital technologies on humans, communities and the wider society.
Students, academics, researchers, businesses and local communities will work together to tackle global challenges – from driverless cars to AI and big data, our ageing population to the future of work. The campus will also be home to the Bristol Digital Futures Institute, which will transform the way we understand, create and use digital technology, as well as the world’s first open-access Quantum Technologies Innovation Centre, building on our world-leading research in disruptive quantum technologies, providing specialist facilities and expertise for businesses.
Beyond the University In all of these initiatives, we work with partners across the city and beyond – local development agencies, the City Council, private incubators and co-working spaces, and other universities in the region. We are part of the GW4 Alliance which brings together the research capabilities and infrastructure of the four most research-intensive and innovative universities in the UK: Bristol, Bath, Cardiff and Exeter.
The Alliance identifies areas of complementary expertise across our universities to develop research communities at scale which address major global and industrial challenges. We are also part of the SETsquared Partnership of universities – Bristol, Bath, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey – which aims to turn innovation into thriving business and drive economic growth within our regions and across the UK.
The University plays a role in the Local Enterprise Partnership which is a business-led partnership between businesses, universities and the region’s councils and combined authority. Their role is to secure the region’s continued economic success by promoting an environment where businesses thrive, and healthy and productive communities grow in a sustainable way.
Our future With the University of Bristol’s excellence in research, commitment to impact, and active and growing innovation programmes, the Bristol innovation ecosystem will continue to flourish, putting our city on the innovation map for generations to come.
A top ten UK university…home to the best university business incubator in the world…in the number one place to live in the UK.
