Business brain spin-off

MANY university spin-off companies are little better at using their intellectual capital than small to medium firms, an Anglia Polytechnic University study reports.

The findings are based on a survey of 60 firms in advanced materials, information technology, and scientific instrumentation. Fifteen university spin-offs and five small to medium firms were examined.

However, report author Andrew Webster said university spin-off firms have a substantial advantage over SMEs in their field when the company has been set up specifically to bring investment and collaborative research deals into a particular department.

Spin-offs working on cutting edge research were another exception, he said.