Tag: United Kingdom

  • Winsome Cheung: Startups, here’s what to know when negotiating with big pharma

    Winsome Cheung: Startups, here’s what to know when negotiating with big pharma

    If you’ve never been in a licensing negotiation, you might think big pharma always has the upper hand over startups desperate to get a deal done to secure licensing fees and milestone payments. Actually, these are two parties that share the same goal, and sometimes, a startup has a product so good it holds all the cards.

    But is it always straightforward?

    Deal negotiations between pharma companies and biotechs are the bread and butter of Winsome Cheung, a partner in the life sciences transaction group at global law firm Covington where she’s represented clients on both sides of the table.

    Winsome — who, during her PhD in medicine, explored commercialising her research with Cambridge Enterprise — ponders how that experience went on to shape her thinking as a lawyer on today’s episode of The Next Leap podcast.

    We also talk about industry trends she’s observed in recent years, provisions in licensing contracts that could scupper M&A deals years down the line like exclusivity or reach-throughs, and why universities should have standardised templates in place for things like material transfer agreements.

    Let’s nerd out over contract law!

    (more…)
  • Stuart Wilkinson: What does a sweet shop have to do with spinouts?

    Stuart Wilkinson: What does a sweet shop have to do with spinouts?

    Stuart Wilkinson, chief executive officer of Knowledge Exchange UK (the professional body for tech transfer practitioners in Britain), has personally experienced the myriad ways university research commercialisation can impact people’s lives. It’s given him a holistic view of the sector far beyond what his previous two decades focused on the University of Oxford might have you think.

    But while spinouts are the easiest story to tell, they’re just a small piece of the commercialisation puzzle. The majority of university IP gets out into the world through licensing agreements and R&D collaborations with existing businesses, or through consulting. That means the economy needs to be thriving: businesses need both the cash and the workforce to forge these partnerships.

    Having rebranded from PraxisAuril earlier this year, Knowledge Exchange UK is ready to play an increasingly big role in shaping how research commercialisation is done. One example is its plan to help its members better collaborate on a regional level to share resources and solve problems in ways that account for and benefit their locality.

    The organisation is also looking to drive forward the professionalisation of the sector. Here, Stuart ponders a proposal from his former Oxford colleague Tom Hockaday, who recently called for a Master’s degree in technology transfer… and why that means tech transfer is not unlike the evolution of the paramedics profession.

    (more…)