Founding a spin-off company
The commercialization of university research results is challenging, as the path to a marketable product is generally very long. Convincing an industrial partner to invest into the development of such results is therefore often not possible. The imponderables and the risks are too high. Thus, a newly founded company is often the more promising way of exploitation. Such a spin-off company will try to obtain the necessary financial resources from investors, e.g. from venture capitalists, who are more willing to take such a risk.
The universities of Basel, Bern and Zurich support the founding of spin-offs by providing advice, infrastructure and contacts. The main contact points are the innovation offices of the universities. The spin-off guidelines of each university apply.
Founding a company based on results made at the university
Research results made at the university belong to the university. A spin-off company that wishes to use and commercialize them must obtain a license from the university.
A use of the university's infrastructure by the spin-off company (rooms, equipment, etc.) must be regulated in a separate contract.
Support of Unitectra
We support prospective company founders in evaluating inventions made at the university, protecting and managing intellectual property (primarily by filing patents) and strengthening this intellectual property in the course of the proof-of-concept phase at the university.
Unitectra is also responsible for drafting and negotiating the license agreements between the universities and the spin-off companies for the use of the intellectual property developed at the universities.