Edinburgh Innovations, the University of Edinburgh’s commercialisation service, has released figures revealing its recent investment in spinout companies.
Spinouts are private companies made by university staff or students which are licensed to use the university’s intellectual property.
This means that university research can be developed and commercialised, allowing for companies to achieve real world impact whilst millions are reinvested into university research each year.
In 2024/25, 64 new spinouts were created and £56m was invested in spinout companies out of a total £113m dedicated to university-associated companies.
The most prominent of these recent spinouts are health related companies, such as Prothea Technologies, Concinnity Genetics, and Omecu.
These companies and a large portion of university investment each year now centre around the development of artificial intelligence (AI).
Looking at the University of Edinburgh’s List of Investment from July 2025, it is evident that the university has a clear vested interest in the development of technology and artificial intelligence.
This includes £11m invested in NVIDIA, £8m in Microsoft, and £7.5m in Meta Platforms Inc. among other companies.
One of the core aims detailed in the university’s annual impact review, especially in regards to their investment in spinout companies, is: “Tackling the climate and environmental crises.”
With the damaging effects of AI on the environment through pollution and resource consumption, the university faces a difficult challenge in remaining relevant in a discipline which is rapidly developing, optimising its use of AI, and keeping true to its goal to tackle the climate and environmental crises.
Image by Will Lander for The Student.