In this Director’s Diary, Dr Helen Turner reflects on her experience at Climb26, highlighting the importance of collaboration, relationship-building and knowledge exchange in strengthening university commercialisation and innovation ecosystems across the UK.
Climb26 provided a valuable opportunity to connect with colleagues from across the innovation landscape and reflect on the importance of bringing different parts of the ecosystem together.
Over two days in Leeds, the event brought together universities, investors, founders, commercialisation professionals and innovation support organisations from across the UK. While the programme covered everything from cybersecurity and investment readiness to founder pitches and commercialisation best practice, the strongest takeaway for me was the importance of creating spaces where people can build relationships, exchange ideas and learn from one another.
Last year Forging Ahead was in its infancy. To see it now convening sessions as host of the University Zone was a real milestone for how far the project has come in a short space of time. The project is built on the belief that stronger connections between universities, investors, businesses and innovation support organisations lead to better outcomes for innovators and regions alike, and Climb26 provided an excellent platform to demonstrate that in practice.
Across the two days, Forging Ahead helped bring together university commercialisation teams, investors, founders and ecosystem partners to explore how we can better support the journey from research and innovation to real-world impact. With representatives from all 16 partner university commercialisation teams involved, alongside colleagues from universities and support organisations across the UK, the University Zone became a focal point for thoughtful discussion and knowledge exchange.
One of the highlights was a roundtable discussion exploring a simple but important question: how can university commercialisation work better in practice? Bringing together universities, investors, spinout founders, commercialisation professionals and ecosystem partners, the conversation was open, honest and highly insightful. What stood out most was the willingness to share experiences, challenge assumptions and explore how we can work more collaboratively to help more university innovations reach the market successfully.
The quality of innovation emerging from UK universities was also evident throughout the event. Founder pitching sessions showcased exciting spinouts and research-driven businesses, demonstrating the breadth of talent and opportunity in our university ecosystems.
Day two shifted the focus towards the teams and processes that underpin successful commercialisation. A particularly interesting discussion centred on the SETsquared Partnership’s Deal Readiness Toolkit, which is helping to streamline commercialisation processes and support technology transfer professionals as they prepare opportunities for investment and growth. It is a great example of how regions can learn from each other.
I also enjoyed the broader conversations around innovation ecosystems and the organisations working to strengthen them. Bringing together initiatives from different regions of the UK created valuable opportunities to compare approaches, learn from one another and explore how collaboration can accelerate progress for founders, universities and investors alike.
A huge credit goes to CRSI and the Climb team for convening such an excellent mix of stakeholders. The diversity of perspectives created opportunities for thoughtful discussion and the sort of conversations that often spark new ideas, future collaborations and lasting partnerships.
There is no single blueprint for building a successful innovation ecosystem, but one theme came through repeatedly: strong ecosystems depend on relationships, trust and a willingness to learn from one another. Those ingredients take time to develop, but events like Climb26 provide the space for those connections to grow.
Across both days, there was a genuine enthusiasm to work together to create better outcomes for founders, universities, investors and the wider economy. That spirit of collaboration was evident throughout the event and serves as an important reminder of what can be achieved when different parts of the innovation landscape come together around shared goals.
Thank you to everyone involved in organising the event and to those who shared their insights and experiences. I left with a renewed appreciation of the value of creating opportunities for people from across the innovation ecosystem to connect, collaborate and collectively strengthen the pathways from research and innovation to impact.
