The Government Office for Technology Transfer (GOTT) has officially launched with the news that the organisation will be headquartered in Salford, Greater Manchester.
GOTT said at a pair of official launches, one in London and another in Manchester, that the organisation would aim to turn public sector knowledge assets into business opportunities with an estimated value of £106 billion.
GOTT, which is part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), has a cross-departmental remit and will be led by chief executive officer Dr Alison Campbell.
"Our purpose is to raise awareness across government of the value of intangible knowledge assets and to provide practical advice and support to enable such opportunities to be properly exploited," she said.
"There is a wealth of knowledge, resources and intellectual property across the portfolio of government investments that has the power to drive innovation across business and the public sector."
Identifying assets
A BEIS statement said GOTT would identify public sector knowledge assets and be responsible for "encouraging the public sector to be more innovative and entrepreneurial in how it manages its own assets".
The types of assets that GOTT will encourage greater public sector use of include brands, business processes, expert resources and technology.
"Technology transfer is about sharing these assets with other organisations to stimulate innovation and the development of new products, processes and services and the creation of new commercial ventures," it said.
Campbell, who was appointed in April 2022, previously led the Irish equivalent of GOTT, Knowledge Transfer Ireland, and has had a biotechnology career with leadership roles at the Medical Research Council and biotech businesses.
