Edinburgh Innovations has announced the appointment of Lizzie Withington in the newly created role of Director of Venture Creation.
The role, within the University of Edinburgh’s commercialisation service, includes building new spinout companies around emerging technologies and growing and maintaining a network of investors and experienced CEOs to ensure spinouts have effective management and funds to launch, succeed and scale.
In November, Edinburgh Innovations (EI) announced record research translation figures for the financial year 2023/24, including the launch of 127 companies, five of which were spinouts (staff companies where the University retains intellectual property rights); 140 patents filed and £141 million invested into University-associated companies.
Ms Withington will join EI in July from Newcastle University, where she is currently Company Creation Manager. During her time at Newcastle, she has spearheaded the development of a portfolio of 42 spinout companies, generating income of £40m per year.
She also lectures in Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation and has founded several successful tech companies.
Ms Withington said:
I’m thrilled to be joining Edinburgh Innovations as Director of Venture Creation at such a pivotal time. The University of Edinburgh’s commitment to turning world-class research into high-impact ventures aligns perfectly with my passion for innovation and entrepreneurship.
I look forward to working with the exceptional team at EI to accelerate the creation of dynamic, investor-ready startups and spinouts that address global challenges and deliver real economic and societal value. ”
Dr Andrea Taylor, EI’s CEO, said:
The Director of Venture Creation role is key to delivering EI’s ambitious strategy as we turn up the dial on innovation, and I am extremely pleased to have secured someone with Lizzie’s unique combination of experience, energy and enthusiasm.
The University of Edinburgh has world-leading research and a strong track record in major therapeutics and life sciences spinouts. We also have pioneering emerging technologies in engineering biology, semiconductors, quantum and photonics.
It’s now time to increase the rate of venture creation in order to translate these technologies into innovations that deliver economic growth and make ideas work for a better world. ”
