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Venture creation: spinouts, spin-ins, and startups

We actively foster an entrepreneurial culture, empowering individuals and organisations to transform their innovative ideas into successful businesses. Through our dedicated support for spinouts, spin-ins, and startups, we provide the resources, mentorship, and networks needed to bring pioneering concepts to life.

Our spinout programme allows researchers and academics to commercialise their innovations, turning ground-breaking research into profitable ventures. We provide essential support, including intellectual property advice, business development, and access to funding. Spin-ins enable external entrepreneurs to leverage our academic expertise and infrastructure to grow their businesses, while startups benefit from our entrepreneurial ecosystem, designed to accelerate their path to market.

Through partnerships with key industry players and access to state-of-the-art research facilities, we ensure ventures have every opportunity to succeed. If you have an innovative idea and the ambition to bring it to market, Heriot-Watt University can help you every step of the way.

Venture creation in action

Explore how we bring innovative ideas to life through venture creation at Heriot-Watt. These case studies illustrate our approach—turning cutting-edge research into successful commercial ventures, driving real-world impact, and nurturing entrepreneurial talent across diverse sectors.

A man pictured in a science lab

Celestia: a spin-in success story driving inward investment in the UK space sector

Heriot-Watt University’s unparalleled expertise in antenna technology, signal processing, and space applications attracted Celestia to establish a spin-in partnership on campus.

A person holding organic flax

From flax to fabric: how Converge helped spark a sustainable textile venture

A shining example of Converge’s impact is Fantasy Fibre Mill, an innovative enterprise co-founded by Heriot-Watt MSc Fashion and Textile Management graduate, Rosie Bristow.

Aerial view of mangrove forest in Gambia. Photo made by drone from above.

Empowering communities in The Gambia through renewable energy innovation

Heriot-Watt engineering student Ramu Camara champions renewable energy solutions to address healthcare, education, and economic growth in The Gambia.

Aerial view of solar thermal plant

Revolutionising global construction through AI-driven safety innovation

Proscan, an AI-powered construction safety tool developed by Heriot-Watt entrepreneur Amr Ghyada, is transforming quality management across global construction sites.

Multicoloured environmentally friendly bricks

Transforming the construction industry with eco-friendly building materials

Discover how sustainable building materials are reshaping the construction industry, driving eco-innovation and reducing environmental impact.

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