For Staff and Students
There are clear benefits to working with us to commercialise the ideas and technologies you develop through your research.
We won't pretend that technology commercialisation is easy. It can take a lot of time, and involves a great deal of work. We are here to help relieve that burden as much as possible.
Tell us about your idea
The first step in innovation is for you to tell us about your idea. This could be for a business, a product, an app, a new methodology, or just a better way of doing things.
It is never too early for you to talk to us, and there’s no wrong time to let us know. You can talk to us in confidence and we won’t discuss your ideas without your express consent.
Contact innovation@uhi.ac.uk for more information.
Protect and commercialise your research
Most academic research that has commercial potential requires legal protection as a patent or other form of intellectual property. It is therefore important that you let us know about it before you publish or share information about the work publicly.
The university has a simple form for telling us about your ideas and innovations. We will keep this information in strictest confidence and help guide you towards next steps.
Contact innovation@uhi.ac.uk for more information.
Start a business
We can provide bespoke advice and guidance to help you become a successful entrepreneur. We will support you to conduct qualified market research, establish freedom to operate, perform competitor and trend analysis, and define your company’s unique value proposition. Where appropriate, our support will involve guiding you towards relevant training schemes, funding opportunities, and wider business development resources.
We will assess four main components of business readiness :
- People. Do you have the right team, with the right motivation, mindset, and vision to create a successful business?
- Technology. Have you established your IP position and freedom to operate? Is there a platform opportunity for the technology, product or service?
- Market. Have you qualified market interest in your technology? What about competition, your value proposition, and marketplace trends?
- Money. How much do you need for a minimum viable product? Have you defined an exit strategy?
Contact innovation@uhi.ac.uk for more information.