Developing shared services in technology transfer and spin-out formation

In 2025, Teesside University led a Research England-funded initiative to explore options for a shared Technology Transfer Office (TTO) model across five North East universities: Teesside, Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, and Sunderland. The project aimed to enhance spin-out formation by leveraging regional collaboration.

Research Consulting supported the proposal development, and subsequently, delivery of the awarded project through an action learning approach.

The project was funded by Research England under the CCF-RED: shared technology transfer office functions pilot, announced in May 2024.

Using an action learning approach, the project piloted shared service models across governance, performance, sustainability, and functional roles. The core activity involved ten facilitated action learning pilot sessions delivered where TTO staff discussed real examples and scenarios from different stages of the spin-out process. This allowed participants to reflect collectively on how shared activities—whether through expertise, policy alignment, or collaborative mechanisms—might have enabled opportunities to progress more effectively or at greater scale.

Other elements included discussions with comparator institutions on shared TTO activity, interviews with a range of stakeholders (including Directors of Research and Innovation offices, and student enterprise officers) and a thematic exploration of potential in areas including SHAPE disciplines, digital technologies and social enterprise considering regional capability, pipeline, and opportunities for shared activity.

Key findings highlighted strong existing collaboration mechanisms, such as the Northern Accelerator, and identified opportunities where shared expertise and governance structures could enhance future delivery. The work led to a concluding report that identified current practices and gaps, and specific opportunities for further development to enhance the breadth and depth of shared activity. The report identified recommendations for near-term and longer-term implementation.