IGNITE

About

The IGNITE program is OUBT’s flagship accelerator, designed to transition research from the lab to the commercial space. Student teams are empowered to formulate, develop, and pitch their biotech innovations.

OUBT provides all teams with entrepreneurship development opportunities, including seminars, masterclasses, and networking events. These aim to teach participants about fundraising, venture capital, intellectual property, ideation, business development, and start-up leadership.

Winning teams receive £5,000 in non-dilutive funding, mentorship, patent support, and four months of lab space for proof-of-concept studies.


Why should you take part?

Gain Essential Skills

Acquire crucial knowledge in commercial, financial, regulatory, and legal aspects of biotech through expert-led workshops and talks, preparing you to navigate the complexities of launching a biotech start-up.

 

Receive Expert Mentorship

Benefit from personalized guidance by industry professionals and access to valuable resources, including non-dilutive funding, lab space, and legal support, to help turn your research into a viable commercial product.

Expand Your Network

Connect with industry professionals, peers, and potential collaborators during the program and on Demo Day, enhancing your opportunities for future support and partnerships.

 

Our 2023-2024 Winner

Omnitide Therapeutics: Peptide-based chemokine network neutralizing inhibitors to combat inflammatory diseases.

Since winning, Omnitide Therapeutics has been named a finalist in the Royal Society of Chemistry Emerging Tech Competition and secured a $200k investment from BlueYard Capital as a finalist in the Nucleate Activator Cohort.

 

Acknowledgements

A heartfelt thank you to our esteemed panel of judges for their invaluable expertise and guidance: Claire Shingler from BioEscalator, Katharina Ramshorn from Oxford Science Enterprises, Nenad Svrzikapa from Orfonyx Bio, and Peter Crane from Caeruleus Genomics.

We would also like to thank our sponsors—BioEscalator, Oxford Science Enterprises, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Eppendorf—whose generous support made this program possible.