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Good practice Imported

Inven2 — University of Oslo & Oslo University Hospital Technology Transfer Office

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

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 65% 62/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Inven2, the University of Oslo/Oslo University Hospital's technology transfer office, helped launch 55 start-ups and sign 388 licence agreements between 2010 and 2020; its Algeta spin-out was sold to Bayer in 2013 for about NOK 17.6 billion (~USD 2.9 billion).

55 start-ups
Start-ups established (2010-2020)
260 applications
Patent applications filed (2010-2020)
388 agreements
Licence agreements signed (2010-2020)
500 NOK million
Start-up portfolio value (2010) (2010)
15 NOK billion
Start-up portfolio value (2020) (2020)
17.6 billion NOK (~2.9 billion USD) NOK/USD
Algeta acquisition value (Bayer) (2013)

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Inven2 AS (University of Oslo / Oslo University Hospital)
Period
2010–2020
Region (NUTS)
NO081
Keywords
Health & life sciences technology transfer, biotech spin-offs, patents & licensing

Context

Inven2 is the technology transfer office (TTO) jointly owned by the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, and the largest TTO in the Nordic region.

Objectives

Inven2 evaluates around 200 invention disclosures a year from University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital researchers and the South-Eastern Norway health trusts, files patents, negotiates licences, and helps spin out companies, reinvesting all proceeds back into research and innovation as it pays no dividend.

Activities

Core activities are evaluating invention disclosures, filing patent applications, negotiating licence agreements, and supporting the spin-out of new companies from University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital research.

Results

Over 2010-2020, Inven2 helped establish 55 start-ups, filed 260 new patent applications and signed 388 licence agreements, while the value of its start-up portfolio grew from about NOK 500 million in 2010 to NOK 15 billion in 2020. Its flagship spin-out, cancer-drug developer Algeta, was acquired by Bayer in 2013 for roughly NOK 17.6 billion (about USD 2.9 billion) after its radiopharmaceutical Xofigo reached the market.

Conclusions

The practice demonstrates how a university-hospital TTO with a non-dividend, reinvestment model can produce at least one internationally significant biotech exit alongside a steady pipeline of smaller spin-outs, with results tracked and published annually.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k) — Not itemised in the source; the TTO is self-funded through reinvested licensing and spin-out proceeds rather than public subsidy (it pays no dividend).
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Operating and publishing results continuously since at least 2010, with a stated ten-year track record (2010-2020) and ongoing activity.
Staffing & skills
Dedicated technology transfer office staff evaluating around 200 invention disclosures per year from University of Oslo, Oslo University Hospital and the South-Eastern Norway health trusts

Conditions for success

  • Joint ownership across a university and a hospital, giving access to both academic and clinical invention pipelines
  • Non-dividend, fully reinvesting financial model that channels all proceeds back into research and innovation
  • Annual public reporting on start-ups, patents and licences

Common failure modes

  • Impact is concentrated in a single flagship exit (Algeta) with a comparatively modest, steady flow of new start-ups, so results are exposed to lumpy, outcome-dependent variance
  • The model requires research institutions of significant scale and disclosure volume to sustain a pipeline

Where it fits

Governance type
university-hospital joint venture / TTO
Scale
regional (Nordic)
Income level
high-income

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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