The popularity of the TV show Dragons? Den, where would-be entrepreneurs explain their bright ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in a bid to take their products to market, perhaps highlights how many of us dream of one day coming up with something that will make the world a better place, or possibly make a lot of money. Working as they do at the frontiers of knowledge, university researchers are better placed than many to experience that ?Eureka!? moment - so how can they take their commercial ideas forward?

Putting research into practice

The scientific and commercial expertise of its staff enabled him to work through all the stages necessary to turn the idea into reality: first protecting the intellectual property (IP), then, with fellow zoologist Dr David Kelly, finding investors and in 2002 setting up a company. That spin-out company - Oxide (Oxford Insect Technologies), now based in Milton Park, Abingdon has recently been selected as one of 39 visionary ?Technology Pioneers? by the World Economic Forum because of its potential contribution to reducing the incidence of debilitating and widespread insect-borne diseases such as dengue fever, and limiting the devastating damage to crops caused by fruit flies and other pests. ?Isis does a genuinely useful thing that would be hard to do any other way,? says Dr Alpha. ?Getting all the parties together, for more detail www.product-launching.com finding individual investors and potential managers - there's no way an individual academic would be able to find them, without the coordinating role of Isis.?

Many products are health-related and include novel ways to deliver drugs, a potential vaccine for tuberculosis, and using mobile phone technology to monitor patients with long-term health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Other ideas address environmental issues through, for example, the development of greener fuels, the use of improved heating controls in buildings, and a way to tackle the very serious problem of groundwater contamination by arsenic in Bangladesh.

The role of Isis Innovation

So how exactly does Isis Innovation work with academics and what can it offer those who think they may have an idea with commercial potential? Than you have to visit www.product-creation-secrets.com ?We are very, very firm believers that the key to our success in technology transfer is to do it in a way that helps and supports researchers,? says Mr. Hock day. ?Our existence depends on researchers at Oxford wanting to work with us.?

When a researcher comes to Isis with an idea which is often at a very early stage of development they are allocated a Project Manager, who has a doctorate and expertise in the relevant scientific field as well as a background in industry. The first step will usually be to protect the IP in the idea or invention. Isis has plenty of experience of the legal issues involved, with an average of one patent application per week being filed and 400 patent families currently under management.

Helping to patent methods that can tackle the problem of groundwater contamination by arsenic in Bangladesh

Helping to patent methods that can tackle the problem of groundwater contamination by arsenic in Bangladesh