INSIGHTS / News

In this regular content series, we’re exploring the vibrant ecosystems of innovation and entrepreneurship at each of the SETsquared partner universities, delving into how each institution nurtures enterprise, approaches commercialisation, and drives regional and national economic growth.

Cardiff University is reshaping what it means to be a civic research institution with a clear, strategic approach to innovation. Operating within Wales’ devolved higher-education landscape, the University has built an ecosystem spanning early-stage discovery, commercialisation, industry partnerships, skills development, community co-production, and regional economic impact.

This piece brings together insights from Dr Rachel Miles-Baker, Business Manager for Innovation, and Dr Rhodri Turner, Research Commercialisation Manager, two leaders closely involved in shaping Cardiff’s innovation journey.

A strategic centre for innovation

Cardiff’s innovation activity is strategically coordinated from the University’s institutional heart, bringing together commercialisation, civic mission and public engagement, skills development, entrepreneurial support, and strategic partnerships.

“It’s a deliberately broad remit,” Rachel explains, “because innovation doesn’t sit neatly in one place. Our mission is to connect activities that could easily remain locked in silos.”

This joined-up approach is shaped by the realities of Wales’ devolved funding environment. Unlike English institutions, Cardiff does not receive HEIF funding and instead relies on the Research Wales Innovation Fund (RWIF provided by Medr – Wales’ Commission for Tertiary Education and Research), a critical enabler of commercialisation, community-partnered innovation, and skills development.

“RWIF is fundamental to supporting university-based innovation,” Rachel notes. “It underpins our support for researchers through specialist staff and resources who work with them to translate their research into meaningful commercial and societal outcomes.”

Operating as Wales’ only Russell Group university, Cardiff also carries a national responsibility to lead innovation, whilst benchmarking itself against the strongest performers across the UK. One of the most significant steps in this direction is the University’s current exploration into creating a wholly owned commercialisation company, giving Cardiff a clearer front door for investors and industry and a more agile interface for research commercialisation, mirroring successful models in Oxford and Edinburgh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distinctive research strengths driving commercial impact

Next-generation therapeutics and the Medicines Discovery Institute

Cardiff’s long-standing biomedical base was further enhanced by the establishment of the Medicines Discovery Institute (MDI), built around a high-profile drug discovery team recruited from Sussex.

“That move fundamentally changed what Cardiff could deliver in early-stage therapeutics,” Rhodri explains. “And because it sits alongside our neuroscience excellence, including the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and the Dementia Research Institute, the combined strength is incredibly powerful.”

This strength reached new heights with the £107m Series A investment into spin-out Draig Therapeutics, the largest commercial investment into Welsh research to date. The company, rooted in MDI’s research and thriving in Cardiff’s clinical and life sciences ecosystem, has set a new benchmark for the University and the region’s ambition and impact.

AI and data-led spin-outs tackling real-world challenges

A growing wave of AI ventures is emerging from Cardiff research, including:

• Optimise AI, which has developed an energy, water and air-quality technology that utilises digital twins with AI to reduce building costs and carbon emissions.
• Nisien AI, which uses scientifically validated AI algorithms to tackle online harms while safeguarding freedom of expression.

This cluster reflects Cardiff’s ability to pair deep computational expertise with pressing societal problems. As Rhodri puts it: “We’re combining technical AI capability with questions that genuinely matter out in the world.”

A national leader in SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy) commercialisation

One of Cardiff’s most distinctive strengths is its capacity-building leadership in the social sciences and humanities, as well as in commercial knowledge and expertise. The University has been a core member of the ASPECT consortium, helping SHAPE researchers understand and pursue commercial routes, challenge assumptions, and build confidence.

A recent example is Pobl Communications, a spin-out rooted in a Modern Languages mentoring programme that grew from a government-funded initiative into a scalable commercial training and advocacy organisation. Rachel notes, it shows how “education, social impact and commercial models can intersect in powerful ways.”

The University’s commitment to social science innovation is embodied physically in SPARK, Europe’s first Social Science Research Park, a flagship space where social scientists, industry and public partners co-create solutions.

“SPARK symbolises the belief that social science isn’t just an academic discipline; it’s a driver of innovation in its own right,” concludes Rachel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clinical innovation embedded in Wales’s largest hospital site

Cardiff’s life sciences strengths are reinforced by the Cardiff Medicentre, based at the University Hospital of Wales. Jointly operated by the University and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, it provides a long-standing home for clinical entrepreneurs, start-ups and spin-outs.

“It’s a vital engine for clinical innovation in Wales,” says Rhodri.

With both clinical and academic expertise on site, it remains central to Cardiff’s biomedical and med-tech pipeline.

Embedded in regional strengths

Cardiff’s innovation activity is tightly interwoven with the strengths of South East Wales and the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR). The University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CCR, which articulates both organisations’ commitment to advancing their civic missions through collaboration in support of regional impact and sustainable growth. The University is the co-signatory in the South East Wales Investment Zone, which will boost economic growth in advanced manufacturing and digital technology sectors, focusing on the region’s compound semiconductor cluster. Backed by £160m in government funding over a decade, it is expected to create thousands of high-tech jobs and attract significant private investment by fostering innovation and developing new R&D facilities.

Compound semiconductors

The region has established itself as a UK-leading centre for compound semiconductor research and manufacturing. Cardiff’s Institute for Compound Semiconductors and its specialist cleanroom facilities, now being opened to industry, offer unique infrastructure for developing wafer technologies and advanced device fabrication.

Creative industries, createch and AI adoption

Cardiff is enabling innovation by empowering creative industries for transformative social, cultural, and economic impact across sectors. The Centre for the Creative Economy enables innovation, strengthens knowledge, and engages industry to cultivate and stimulate the sustainable and equitable advancement of the creative economy.

Through initiatives such as Media Cymru (based within the Centre for the Creative Economy) and the Hartree Hub, Cardiff supports creative SMEs in adopting AI and developing new production capabilities. This partnership working is fuelling a fast-growing createch ecosystem, particularly valuable in a region dominated by micro-businesses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Developing talent and embedding commercial mindsets

Cardiff places strong emphasis on supporting researchers at all stages of their careers.

Rhodri says: “Some of our biggest successes have involved embedding commercialisation specialists early in the development process, which helps minimise delays and maximise the real-world impact of the research.”

As a SETsquared partner university, it leverages SETsquared-delivered programmes such as Innovate UK’s ICURe and taps into UKRI Impact Acceleration Accounts across six Research Councils. Internal training, co-delivered by the commercialisation, impact, and engagement teams, complements external support and helps researchers explore routes from policy influence to commercial translation.

This creates what Rachel describes as “a flexible support system rather than a single innovation training programme,” building capability by drawing on internal and external expertise.

Looking ahead: becoming a more visible, investable Cardiff

Cardiff’s next phase is about deepening and extending the strengths it has already built. Whether in life sciences, AI or the fast-growing SHAPE innovation space, Cardiff is focused on ensuring that emerging ventures have the right foundations, expertise and pathways to progress.

Cardiff is now moving decisively into a new era: one where its research, infrastructure and partnerships come together in a way that is coordinated, confident and distinctly Welsh.