SCOTLAND's universities are out-performing rivals in other parts of the UK when it comes to creating spin-out companies, research shows.
The findings of a study of spin-out activity in the UK highlights the contribution Scotland's universities make to economic activity by creating companies to commercialise the world-class knowledge bases they have built up.
The Spinouts UK analysis of all companies emerging from UK universities and research institutes since 2000 by Young Company Finance shows two Scottish universities feature in the UK top five, measured by the number of spin-outs.
Edinburgh University ranks fourth with 69 spin-outs. These are defined in the research as companies that left to develop intellectual property developed at the university and took ownership of the IP. Strathclyde university comes fifth with 60 spin-outs.
The list is headed by Oxford university, from which 93 spin-outs emerged.
Imperial College, London, and Cambridge university make up the top five with 88 and 77 spin-outs respectively.
Heriot-Watt, Aberdeen and Glasgow universities rank 14, 17 and 18 in terms of spin-outs respectively.
Paul Chapman, a partner at Marks & Clerk patent attorneys, said the survey showed Scottish universities are up there with the likes of elite universities like Oxford and Cambridge when it comes to commercialising their research.
"Over the past decade Scotland has been a market leader in terms of creating spin-out companies," he said.
The study found there have been 284 spin-outs from Scottish universities since 2000. A total of 253 start-up businesses have been created, which did not take over intellectual property.
Mr Chapman noted other research showed Scotland has created more university spin-out companies than any other part of the UK over the past 10 years.
Mr Chapman said Scotland appeared to have been quicker to spot the potential for commercialising knowledge and to provide infrastructure to support spin-outs than many other areas of the UK.
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