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Good practice Imported

NTNU Technology Transfer AS — University-Hospital Spin-off Engine

Norway · Trondheim · See the Norway profile · See the Trondheim profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 96% 38/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Norway's oldest university TTO, jointly owned by NTNU and the Central Norway health authority, has spun out 73 companies since 2003 — including Kahoot!, which grew from a 2006 research disclosure into a global learning platform with 40+ million monthly users by 2017.

73
Spin-off companies established (2003-present)
~100,000 EUR
Kahoot proof-of-concept funding
40 million+
Kahoot monthly users by 2017 (2017)
180+
Kahoot countries reached (2017)
NTNU Technology Transfer AS — University-Hospital Spin-off Engine

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
NTNU Technology Transfer AS (Norwegian University of Science and Technology & Helse Midt-Norge RHF)
Period
2003–present
Region (NUTS)
NO06
Keywords
University technology transfer, deep-tech spin-offs, health innovation

Context

NTNU Technology Transfer AS (NTNU TTO) is the joint technology-transfer office of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the Central Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Midt-Norge RHF), established in 2003 in Trondheim to convert publicly funded research into companies and licences.

Objectives

To evaluate invention disclosures, fund early proof-of-concept work, handle patenting and licensing, and co-found spin-offs.

Activities

Staff evaluate invention disclosures from NTNU and hospital researchers and often sit on the board of spin-offs during their first years.

Results

The office has established 73 spin-off companies to date. Its best-known case is Kahoot!: Professor Alf Inge Wang's 2006 disclosure led to roughly €100,000 of proof-of-concept funding and work by two PhD students and about ten master's students; the company was founded in 2012, and by NTNU TTO's 2014 exit it was on its way to more than 40 million monthly users in over 180 countries by 2017.

Conclusions

This shows how a single, sustained institutional structure can produce one outsized outcome among many modest ones; the office does not publish aggregate patenting, licensing-revenue or survival-rate figures for its full portfolio, so overall portfolio-wide impact remains only partly evidenced.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k) — Proof-of-concept funding of roughly €100,000 documented for the Kahoot case; aggregate TTO budget not stated in sources.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Operating continuously since 2003 (about 23 years); Kahoot itself progressed from a 2006 disclosure to a 2012 founding and a 2014 TTO exit.
Staffing & skills
NTNU Technology Transfer AS staff, NTNU researchers, Central Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Midt-Norge RHF) researchers

Conditions for success

  • Joint ownership/funding by a university and a regional health authority
  • Early proof-of-concept funding (e.g., ~€100,000 for Kahoot)
  • TTO staff co-founding and sitting on spin-off boards during first years

Common failure modes

  • No aggregate patenting, licensing-revenue or survival-rate data published for the full spin-off portfolio

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.

Attachments

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