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Good practice Imported

Inven2 — the Nordic Region's Largest University Technology Transfer Office

Norway · Oslo · See the Norway profile · See the Oslo profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 42% 71/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Jointly owned by the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Inven2 is the Nordic region's largest technology-transfer office: in its first decade it filed 260 patent applications, signed 388 licences and helped launch 55 start-ups.

260 applications
Patent applications filed (2010–2020) (2010–2020)
388 agreements
Licence agreements signed (2010–2020) (2010–2020)
55 start-ups
Start-ups established (2010–2020) (2010–2020)
582 million NOK
Reinvested into research and innovation (2010–2020)
~5 billion NOK
Portfolio company value (2024) (2024)
2 companies
New companies formed (2024) (2024)

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Inven2 AS (jointly owned by the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital)
Period
2010–2024
Region (NUTS)
NO01
Keywords
technology transfer, life-science commercialisation, patent licensing, spin-out incubation

Context

Inven2 AS is the technology-transfer office jointly owned by the University of Oslo, Oslo University Hospital and the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority, commercialising research results across both institutions.

Objectives

To commercialise university and hospital research through patenting, licensing and spin-out creation, and reinvest returns into further research and innovation.

Activities

Inven2 manages invention disclosures, patent applications, licence agreements and the launch of start-up companies from University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital research.

Results

Over its first decade (2010–2020), Inven2 recorded 2,072 new invention disclosures, 260 patent applications, 388 licence agreements and 55 start-ups established, reinvesting NOK 582 million into research, innovation and inventors. Portfolio company value grew from roughly NOK 500 million in 2010 to about NOK 15 billion in 2020. By 2024, Inven2's portfolio spanned roughly 40-50 companies worth around NOK 5 billion; those companies raised NOK 670 million for development that year, while NOK 24 million was returned to research and innovation through licence income or share sales.

Conclusions

Financial data provider PitchBook independently lists Inven2 among the investors in Oslo University Hospital spin-out Ultimovacs (which has raised $104 million to date), corroborating Inven2's self-reported investor role. However, reported financial impact is concentrated in a handful of high-value biotech deals, and only 2 new companies were formed in 2024 versus roughly 5-6 per year in the 2010-2020 decade; no equity or inclusion data for founders was found in any source.

Implementation

Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M) — Manages a multi-billion-NOK company portfolio and reinvested NOK 582 million into research/innovation over 2010-2020; own operating budget not disclosed.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Operating continuously since 2010, with a decade-plus track record reported through 2024.
Staffing & skills
Inven2 AS staff (headcount not disclosed in sources reviewed)

Conditions for success

  • Joint ownership across a university, hospital and regional health authority pools capital, IP and clinical expertise
  • Concentration in high-value biotech deals can drive outsized portfolio returns

Common failure modes

  • New company formation slowed sharply (2 in 2024 versus roughly 5-6/year in 2010-2020)
  • Financial impact concentrated in a handful of high-value biotech deals
  • No equity or inclusion data available for founders

Where it fits

Governance type
joint university-hospital-regional health authority ownership
Scale
regional (Nordic)
Income level
high-income (EEA)

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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

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Data sources

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

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