§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information she collated on the performance of the companies that were spun out of universities in 1999–2000. [73130]
§ Ms HewittThe first survey of Higher Education Business Interaction carried out in 2001 showed that 199 companies were spun out from universities in the academic year 1999–2000, compared to an average of 70 each year for the previous 5 years. In 1999–2000, UK universities identified one spinout for every £8.6 million of research expenditure, compared with one spinout for every £13.9 million in Canadian Universities in 1999, and one spinout for every £53.1 million in the US. The Survey also covered employment, turnover and equity value of spinouts established by universities but responses were incomplete and raised concerns about the burden associated with collecting this data. A modified second survey currently underway seeks a build on data previously collected to provide a more systematic overview of exploitation performance across the higher education sector.