Evaluation proves IXC's value in the market

A Birmingham University spin-off which has gained a reputation as a "corporate dating agency" has won glowing praise.

An independent evaluation into the InnovationXchange (IXC UK®), the Birmingham-based Higher Education Innovation Fund 3 (HEIF) funded two-year pilot, has applauded both the structure and achievements of the innovation brokerage.

The £3.6 million scheme, designed to extend the boundaries of knowledge transfer and generate knowledge transfer practice by enabling companies, universities and research institutes to share expertise and collaborate on research projects, was found to have far exceeded many of its initial targets.

The research was commissioned by the University of Birmingham which formed IXC UK in partnership IXC Australia Ltd in 2006, and launched in January 2007.