A word from the CEO

2021 was the year when a great deal of what Inven2 has long been working towards finally bore fruit. It takes a long time to commercialise basic research, and it is therefore important to have faith that the processes involved and the expertise invested in them will produce results. We have finally been able to realise values from shares that can make a difference for inventors, for new research and for start-ups. This also means more predictability for Inven2, because a technology transfer office’s (TTO) income can vary greatly from one year to the next.

Photo: Inven2 / Moment Studio

2021 was also the year when, after many years of declining figures, we saw an increase in the number of clinical trials carried out in Norway.  At 177, the number of new trials submitted to Inven2 was the highest ever.  Oslo University Hospital and Akershus University Hospital saw the biggest increase. This is undoubtedly a positive effect of Norwegian hospitals having shown efficiency in carrying out trials throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and of mobilisation as a result of the Government’s action plan for clinical trials. In late 2021, Nordland Hospital also came on board as a partner of Inven2. During 2021, the research institutions that own Inven2, Oslo University Hospital and the University of Oslo, increased their internal efforts to foster more innovation. Inven2’s assignment and authority are now more clearly defined and the total investment is being increased. In addition, the Oslo Science City and UiO: Life Science initiatives are creating good momentum. They have wholehearted support from a good ecosystem for innovation, with clusters and incubators such as Aleap, Oslo Cancer Cluster Incubator, Norway Health Tech, SPARK and several others, ourselves included. A record number of start-up companies from Inven2 projects were launched during the year, based on research from the University of Oslo or the hospitals in the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority.

With an increasing list of attractive licences and start-ups to our name, we embark on 2022 with greater possibilities than ever before. The proportion of experienced inventors at our owner institutions has increased and more are considering entrepreneurship as a career path. The research institutions are increasing their focus on stimulating ideas and innovation. We have gained experience and are better equipped to help move start-up companies forward through investments in the early phase. The authorities are focused on getting more clinical trials carried out for the benefit of Norwegian patients and on developing new business sectors. We expand on our close collaboration with the other TTOs and with the ecosystem for innovation at both the local and national level to achieve this goal. We will use all the resources at our disposal to make sure that publicly funded research generates more new competitive products, services and companies.

We have great expectations of the new year. We look forward to using all the expertise, methods and networks we have developed to make sure that we play an important role in the innovation chain from research to business.