How chemists can turn university research into products, ventures and new careers
The real-world impact of research is rarely limited to the immediate problem it sets out to solve. Alfred Nobel’s work to stabilise nitroglycerin led to significant transformations across construction, mining, warfare and politics. The fortune it generated later funded the Nobel prizes.
Such societal and financial benefits are behind universities’ increasing focus on research commercialisation through technology transfer offices (TTOs). An estimated 3000 companies are spun out of universities globally each year, and with them come a range of jobs across the innovation ecosystem.
For researchers, this presents a career opportunity previous generations have not seen so abundantly. The next step after a PhD or postdoc doesn’t have to be another laboratory role; the same scientific expertise can lead into product development, licensing, investment, venture creation and corporate partnerships.
How research translation actually works
At most universities, TTOs are the primary facilitator for identifying which intellectual property (IP) can be commercialised, and in what capacity. This may be through licensing, a sale, or via a spin-out company usually called a venture.
Max Meissner, a commercialisation manager at the University of Wolverhampton, UK, led a spin-out following his PhD, so he has seen the research translation journey through both an academic and business lens. ‘Conventional venture building begins with a customer problem, and you develop a solution to solve it. University research usually begins with a scientific discovery, and there may or may not be an obvious application. This creates a fundamental product-market fit challenge because businesses buy solutions to their problems. The TTO team help researchers be more objective about how their technology may meet industrial demand.’
Equally, not every university should try to emulate Silicon Valley’s Stanford or UC Berkeley. Their ecosystem of research institutions, specialist investors, experienced founders and mature incubators has developed over decades. Other regions are now following suit, Max continues. ‘Germany and Switzerland lead Europe in their strong industrial clusters between research institutes and businesses. Universities need to decide what they actually want from research translation. Is the aim a major equity exit, or is it to create jobs, attract local investment and build technologies that bring businesses into the region? Research translation does not have to mean a high-profile spin-out. Consultancy, contract research and licensing can all create substantial impact. The hardest part of the job is deciding which route is right for the technology, the intellectual property and the team.’
The wider innovation ecosystem
Supporting universities in exploiting their IP are business incubators, which accelerate spin-out ventures’ growth by connecting founders with funders, investors and other businesses. These may be university affiliated, like the SETSquared programme in the UK, or more independent, like Conception X’s support for researchers based in the UK and Europe. The Royal Society of Chemistry’s Change Makers entrepreneurial ecosystem provides a connected pathway from its Emerging Technologies Competition to its accelerator programme, supporting early-stage deep tech chemistry ventures with technology development, market access and investment readiness.
Other venture builders, like Y Combinator and Entrepreneurs First, are a further step removed from the academic ecosystem but still target technology founders to help them create and exploit IP. Mission Zero Technologies, for example, emerged from Deep Science Ventures rather than from a university technology-transfer office. Its founders commercialised chemistry and engineering technologies in direct-air-capture of carbon dioxide, showing that researchers can commercialise science through several routes.
All of this has resulted in an explosion of career opportunities for researchers beyond the well-trodden PhD or postdoc path. They now have the potential to develop similar scientific lead experience but geared towards product development, technology investment, or venture creation.
Seb Hudson joined a University of Edinburgh spin-out while simultaneously working on his PhD. ‘The lead academic who spun out the company was still employed by the university, [which] gave him job security to be an entrepreneur. It gave me the confidence to join them while undergoing my PhD research.’
Career opportunities
Commercialisation is often presented as a story about founders, but a much wider group of people helps move the research into practice. For example, patent lawyers combine technical knowledge of research with legislation to assess novelty and ownership. Product developers translate laboratory performance into something customers both want and can use. Policy makers write regulations about scientific research.
On the surface these seem like disparate career paths but they all require an appreciation of science and the ability to communicate it concisely to a non-scientific audience. Coupled with strong foundations in problem solving and numerical literacy, such skills make any career path accessible to researchers.
The transition from academia to industry is so common now that these paths are becoming more formalised. For example, Deep Science Ventures has developed venture science doctorates aimed at putting venture creation and IP commercialisation at the heart of research. Industry fellowships like the Venture Capital Fellowship led by Imperial College London and the Royal Academy of Engineering, will help educate investors on the economic potential of research.
And for those scientists who are committed to pursuing postdoctoral research but are open to doing so in a commercial setting, large technology and research-led companies like Meta, Google and Amazon need a reliable pipeline of scientific talent.
So, chemists do not have to choose simply between academia and ‘leaving science’ as might have been the case a few years ago.
What to do next
If you’re thinking of developing your research beyond a purely academic pathway, below are a few things to consider to help you navigate the commercial landscape.
Choose the path that interests you most
Be honest, is it pursuing the science or the business that interests you most? Setting up a company and leading the impact is incredibly rewarding and looks great on your CV. If you’re lucky, you can often grow it within the safety net of an academic incubator, which might, but not always, offer some job protection. Equally, most ventures take years to develop, and many fail because either the technology requires more capital than expected, customer demand was misunderstood, regulation slows adoption or the market is not ready.
If being a CEO excites you, let your TTO know as they can direct you to relevant training, like how to communicate commercially. Reflecting on his time in a startup, Hudson adds ‘more training on how to present a good business case is needed. Academics focus too much on tiny technical details in time limited presentations. Learn to pitch the high-level impact and commercial return. Nobody’s going to give you money unless they see how they’re going to get a return, how much and when.’
Choose the right route to impact
Commercialising research is not simply about starting a company. It is about recognising where your science can create the most value, understanding what is needed to get it there, and choosing the role you want to play in that journey. This is where speaking to the wider market, like industry partners and potential customers, really helps test your assumptions with honest feedback. As part of your conversation with the TTO, you can also decide whether licensing, collaboration, consultancy or a spin-out is most appropriate direction for you to take.
Commercialisation also creates tension between academic and business priorities. Publishing is important for academic progression, but releasing findings too early can destroy the chance of securing a patent. Early-stage businesses are particularly vulnerable when their technology can’t be protected. Patents offer protections that de-risk investor capital, but filing a patent application requires you to publish your invention – and not everything can be patented. This is where advice from a TTO or patent lawyer is particularly valuable.
Choose the right team
The commercialisation journey requires you to partner with people from the wider ecosystem, including service providers and investors. Often, these profiles speak and behave in different ways to academics, which can be a source of friction unless you anticipate it. For example, researchers may prefer broad exploration, while investors usually want a narrower product and clear commercial milestones. Neither approach is automatically right or wrong. But teams seeking investment must show that they can operate at the pace expected by commercial partners. It is not enough to explain why the technology is brilliant.
Your team must also demonstrate that it can respond to questions, meet deadlines and turn evidence into decisions. Many investors in spin-outs are familiar with the advantages and risks of investing in early-stage technical founders. You should explore how different investors may benefit or potentially hinder your journey. Remember: you can choose to decline an investment.
The route from university research to practical impact is not limited to any one path, and yours may be very different to others. Successes like Ziylo, Feon Energy, Aurora Hydrogen and Vaxxas all began in different academic and funding environments, and with different tools. Advances in technology and market demand continue to create new opportunities for researchers seeking to commercialise their expertise. To be successful, you have to be capable of connecting the science with both the commercial driver and the financial capital.
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