Academic Commercial Services: from research to impact
Higher education is a hub for national economic growth, innovation, and skills development. Top universities are expected not only to educate students but to support and grow businesses, using their know-how to help wider industries thrive.
Birmingham researchers are in demand for short-term consultancy projects with industry, non-profit and public sector organisations, and governments. However less well known is the Operating Division (OD) route for commercialisation, which allows researchers to test a commercial idea without having to set up a company.
Academic Commercial Services Manager, Dr Alex Seabright highlights ODs as a flexible model to support academic-led ventures Unlike traditional company formation, ODs provide researchers space to explore ideas for a business within the University’s legal and financial structure. “These serve as a soft landing zone for ideas with commercial potential,” says Dr Seabright. The university handles back-office functions, such as legal, business development, administration, and invoicing, and offers ongoing support, including regular check-ins and preparation for events like trade shows.
Universities often forget that the most valuable intellectual property isn’t necessarily protectable; it’s the expertise living inside academics’ heads. Operating Divisions serve as soft landing zones for ideas with commercial potential, and can support both high-growth ventures and impactful social change.
The OD model accommodates different types of ventures. Spin-out ODs prepare projects with a profitable model for company formation, Consult ODs unite active consultancies under cohesive branding, and SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy) ODs focus on societal impact.
Among the most advanced OD success stories are Dexter, a software tool developed to help scientists with data cleaning and extraction, and EvoPhase, which is driving industrial process efficiency with AI. These are among the ODs on the cusp of spinning out. “They’re so close to flying the nest, they’ve almost forgotten they were ODs – they grow up so fast,” remarks Dr Seabright. “We’ve really got a sense of what an OD is, and how to take it forward.”
With Cambridge and Oxford traditionally dominating the UK’s startup landscape, universities need to find their niche. Developing entrepreneurship among postgraduate students in the OD framework can also go a long way towards building a university’s stature as an incubator. Embedding postgraduate entrepreneurs alongside established academic founders in an OD context gives students exposure to the business lifecycle, while Birmingham offers support through incubation space, digital services, funding access, and mentorship from experienced advisors.
Case studies: Academic Consultancy and Operating Divisions
Academic Consultancy: Professor Gregor C. Leckebusch
Climate scientist Gregor Leckebusch works with industry to identify, assess, and address climate risks, ensuring resilience in a changing world.
Operating Division: EvoPhase
EvoPhase uses AI and evolutionary design to optimise industrial equipment, boosting efficiency and sustainability across sectors like pharma, food and aerospace.
Operating Division: Lingsight
Lingsight researchers apply linguistic expertise to improve the performance of large language models such as ChatGPT, enhance customer service, and inform marketing and branding decisions.
Operating Division: PsyMetRiC
PsyMetRiC predicts physical health risks in young people with severe mental health issues, helping clinicians intervene early and improve long-term outcomes through personalised assessments.