Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · 9h

TODAY! 4-6pm @ Kro Bar, Oxford Road.

Come down and quiz us over how to get your research off the ground. Funding, connections, pitching, IP protection, commercial pathways, or even just where to start

Grab a drink, say hello, and let’s talk about how your research could make real-world impact 🙌

University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · 9h

TODAY! Come down and quiz us over how to get your research off the ground. Funding, connections, pitching, IP protection, commercial pathways, or even just where to start

Grab a drink, say hello, and let’s talk about how your research could make real-world impact 🙌

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University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · 9h

ukri.org manmetuni.bsky.social @rncmlive.bsky.social @salforduni.bsky.social

University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · 9h

🕸️ Universities across Greater Manchester came together through Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund (CCF) to turn more research into real-world impact — led by the University of Manchester Innovation Factory. ⚡
🔗 Read more: www.uominnovationfactory.com/news/ccfred/

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University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · 1d

Massive congratulations to Complement Therapeutics (University of Manchester spinout) for getting their gene-therapy candidate to clinical trials in the US!

Read more here: www.uominnovationfactory.com/news/complem... Huge high fives to founder @rdunwin.bsky.social and the rest of the CTx team

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University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · 9d

As a TTO (Technology Transfer Office 😉 ) we love a good acronym… but they’re not always obvious!

For our next few #TuesdayToolkits we'll be deconstructing our most commonly used acronyms to clear up any confusion.

First up, TRL, PoP, PoC

University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · 9d

The University of Manchester is a national leader in IP & commercialisation in the 2025 KEF results 🎉

We achieved the highest rating for IP & Commercialisation : licensing, spinouts, investment, and real-world impact.

Read more 👉 www.uominnovationfactory.com/news/2025-ke... @manchester.ac.uk

University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · 15d

It was great to welcome @officialuom.bsky.social VC @duncanivison.bsky.social to the Innovation Factory yesterday.

Together, we’re shaping #Manchester2035: stronger industry links, driving quality innovations to catalyse further groundbreaking research, and a focus on tangible, positive change 💪

A large group of people stand, smiling, looking at the camera together

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University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · 16d

🎤Are you ‘Pitch Perfect’? This week’s Tuesday Toolkit outlines a successful narrative structure for pitching your projects for funding.

Any questions - get in touch with our commercialisation team who are perfectly pitched to elaborate on this! bit.ly/3W1WpDU

University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · 17d

We're here! Come and find Elliott Jennings & Tibor Papp at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit today and tomorrow.

They are here along with 4 of our agri-tech spinouts: FOTENIX, PhovIR, Plant Organelle Technologies and SporeSense.

Come and say hi at Stand 5! 👋 #agtech

University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · 21d

On 23 Oct, Venture Café Manchester launches at Sister, Renold Building, with its first Thursday Gathering: Global Connection | Local Innovation.
JOIN US! For information and sign up head here: venturecafemanchester.org/event/ventur... @venturecafe.bsky.social

University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · 21d

🎭 This spinout is dramatically different to our other portfolio projects - welcome Tiny Human Dramas! 🎭

This @manchester.ac.uk spinout transforms real research into powerful short plays in just 24 hours.

Read more about how they bring academic insights to life on stage: tinyurl.com/4ayp65hj

University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · 23d

We invited Khadija Ashfaq, Investment Manager at Northern Gritstone, to demystify the due diligence process for investors. 🤓

She shared valuable insights during our staff training, so we’re passing a few on to you. 👀👇

*a credible moat in business terms: your competitive edge that keeps rivals out.

University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · Aug 28

Our Head of IP, Freddy Guemeni, has been featured on IAM’s Strategy 300 for the second year in a row! 🤩 A well-deserved recognition that truly reflects Freddy’s dedication to the IP space.

You’re our IP hero, Freddy! 👏 Read more about his work here: www.uominnovationfactory.com/news/iam-300/

University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · Aug 27

What a year it’s shaping up to be for @manchester.ac.uk spinout 👏 This £4M seed round, co-led by Northern Gritstone & SCV, will fuel rollout of PhovIR's portable Near Infra-Red (NIR) sensing platform.

Read the full story here 👉 bit.ly/45RfSf3

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University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · Aug 11

¡Bienvenidos a Manchester, YLB! 🇧🇴

Our @manchester.ac.uk spinout, Watercycle Technologies, recently hosted Bolivia’s state-owned lithium company, Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos, at its Manchester HQ in Runcorn.

Read all about it here: www.uominnovationfactory.com/news/watercy...

University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · Aug 5

Catch them at the Rosemary Branch Theatre in London at 4pm on 6th August and 2pm from 7th-9th August.

Get your tickets here!👇

Tiny Human Dramas - Camden Fringe

What is it like to live another life? To step into someone else’s shoes and experience the world as they do? In this smart and exhilarating new show, anthropologists and theatre artists work together ...

camdenfringe.com

University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · Aug 5

We’re excited to support Tiny Human Dramas, one of our newest spinouts, as they bring their latest production to ‪@camdenfringe.bsky.social‬ 🎭

Blending theatre with real-world research, they explore everything from reincarnation to hospice care, transforming findings into powerful plays.

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University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · Jul 22

Congratulations to the winners at the Ideas with Impact Awards! ✨

The awards recognised those going above and beyond to translate their research into real-world impact, including FOUR Innovation Factory-supported winners: HalioGen Power, Molla Pharm, SporeSense, and Imprinted Diagnostics.🙌

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University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · Jun 25

We're thrilled to share that we came out with not one, but two project winners at Masood Entrepreneurship Centre 2025 Venture Further Awards!

Congratulations to the Technology category winners:
🥇 Graphene Thermal - Patrick Sarsfield
🥈 PulsR - Leo Feasby
(Both pictured with our ID manager, Andrew 💪)

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University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · Jun 24

Academics, do you really know what’s expected of you when seeking investment? 🤔

For this week's Toolkit Tuesday, Northern Gritstone CIO Marion Bernard, shares the 3 fundamentals academic entrepreneurs need to know before entering the investment conversation.

Full interview: tinyurl.com/mr3vy3xc

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University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · Jun 12

🐝 We’re proud to share that Apini, a @manchester.ac.uk spinout, has secured £1.8M investment from Northern Gritstone!

Formed with support from @uomif.bsky.social , they’re developing a novel drug for chronic inflammatory diseases — aiming to treat without immune suppression.

🔗 tinyurl.com/4p8hsr74

Scientist in a lab coat and safety goggles smiles while handling a test tube, with a rack of various coloured test tubes in the foreground. Text overlay reads: 'Apini secures £1.8M investment from Northern Gritstone.' Logos of University of Manchester Innovation Factory, Apini Therapeutics, and The University of Manchester are shown at the bottom."

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University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · Jun 10

🤔 Question: Patent or publish? Answer: BOTH - (timing is everything!)

Get all the info from last week's 'Patent or Publish' session for this week's Toolkit Tuesday 👉 tinyurl.com/yyf44nfy

Thanks to @rdunwin.bsky.social & Andy Weightman (CTO of licensed research project, GiFT) for their input!

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University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · Jun 9

We're there! Our Travis brings a rare blend of technical and entrepreneurial experience – from developing on-device AI and multi-modal speech recognition systems, to founding and scaling startups across AI, gaming, and EdTech.

Come and chat about creating impact with your research!

University of Manchester Innovation Factory @uomif.bsky.social · Jun 3

Got a new invention? Disclosure is your first step to getting the support you need to maximise impact📍

It’s all about formally starting your commercialisation journey, and getting the right support from day one.

It’s Toolkit Tuesday, so let’s break it down👇 🔧

tinyurl.com/bdfbbmst

Invention Disclosure Process - UoM Innovation Factory

An innovator’s first step to commercialisation is innovation disclosure at the University of Manchester Innovation Factory.

www.uominnovationfactory.com