Manchester-based investment group Northern Gritstone will target spinout companies from the University of Liverpool as part of a new partnership.
The Pragmatic Semiconductor backer has been granted preferred investor status by the university, which will see it prioritise investments in startups from it as well as provide “venture building services” to staff and students.
As part of the deal, the university’s most promising spinouts will gain access to NG Studios, a suite of accelerator programmes in areas such as life sciences and deep tech. According to Northern Gritstone, NG Studio alumni have raised £15m since the programme’s launch in 2024.
“Liverpool is home to some of the most incredible advances in MedTech, Biosciences and Advanced Materials,” said Northern Gritstone chief executive Duncan Johnson.
“Liverpool’s addition to our university partnerships is part of our belief in world-class innovation in the North of England and the opportunities this creates for the region.”
The partnership is the fourth of its kind for Northern Gritstone, which has also made deals with the University of Manchester, University of Sheffield and University of Leeds.
Northern Gritstone chair Lord Jim O’Neill said with the addition of Liverpool, the group now has partnered with “all four of the universities from the major metro areas that make up a key corridor of the north”.
Annual research income from the University of Liverpool is £161m.
“This partnership with Northern Gritstone marks an important step forward in translating our research into real-world impact at scale,” added Professor Anthony Hollander, pro-vice-chancellor for research and impact at the University of Liverpool.
“By combining our innovation strengths with Northern Gritstone’s investment and venture-building expertise, we can help ensure that discoveries made in Liverpool achieve their full commercial and societal potential, both in the UK and globally.”
Read more: Northern Gritstone raises £50m backed by Aviva and UK pension funds
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