evidoria

← Back to browse

Good practice Imported

ETH transfer — Spin-off & Licensing Engine at ETH Zurich

Switzerland · Zurich · See the Switzerland profile · See the Zurich profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 29% 76/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

ETH Zurich's central tech-transfer office turns university IP into companies: a record 43 spin-offs in 2023, 620 total by 2024, and CHF 425m+ raised by spin-offs in 2024 alone.

43
New spin-offs (2023)
26
New spin-offs (2022)
~620
Cumulative spin-offs (by 2024)
CHF 425 million+
Private investment raised by spin-offs (2024)
35
IP agreements concluded with spin-offs (2024)
25
Patent licences or assignments (2024)
141
Invention disclosures (2024)
107
Patent filings (2024)
49
Licences (2024)
~4,500
FTE jobs created (sample of 145 spin-offs)
~CHF 900 million
Revenue generated (sample) (2017)
~CHF 5 billion
Equity value (sample)
3.6x
Average investor money multiple
93%
Five-year survival rate
~10%
Spin-offs with a completed exit
95%
Spin-offs still based in Switzerland
ETH transfer — Spin-off & Licensing Engine at ETH Zurich

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
ETH Zurich (ETH transfer office)
Period
2005–present
Region (NUTS)
CH04
Keywords
Technology transfer, university spin-offs, IP licensing

Context

ETH transfer is ETH Zurich's central technology-transfer office, founded in 2005 to manage the university's patents, licences and spin-off pipeline, building on an entrepreneurial track record dating back to 1973.

Activities

ETH transfer manages invention disclosures, patent filings, licensing agreements and the spin-off pipeline; artificial intelligence and biotechnology are now the largest sectors for new spin-offs.

Results

Annual output has risen steadily: a record 43 new spin-offs in 2023 (up from 26 in 2022) took the cumulative total to ~620 by 2024, with spin-offs attracting CHF 425 million+ in private investment that year. An independent 2020 study of 145 spin-offs (about a third of the total) found ~4,500 FTE jobs created, ~CHF 900 million in 2017 revenue, ~CHF 5 billion equity value in the sample, and a 3.6x average investor money multiple. 93% of spin-offs survive past five years and about 10% have completed an exit; 95% remain based in Switzerland.

Conclusions

Female co-founder participation has been rising (around a quarter of the 2023 cohort) from a low base, though remains a minority.

Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years)
Staffing & skills
Central university technology-transfer office (ETH transfer) managing disclosures, patents, licensing and spin-off support

Conditions for success

  • Decades-long institutional track record (since 1973) with a dedicated office since 2005
  • Strong investor networks enabling large annual private-investment rounds
  • Concentration in high-growth sectors (AI, biotech)

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

Do you run this practice? Claim it — verified implementers get a public contact pathway and can propose corrections.

Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

Similar practices you may find useful