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This week, the University of Liverpool’s Enterprise Team hosted the AI SuperConnector Showcase event, where participants in the AI SuperConnector programme, which supports entrepreneurial researchers, presented their innovative AI ventures to investors, industry leaders, and fellow AI researchers.
The event was timely, coming just after the government and Liverpool City Region’s announcement of significant AI investments, which will bring an AI hub to the region and create 1,000 jobs over the next three years.
The University is a key partner in the AI SuperConnector accelerator programme - a transformative six-month, cohort-based initiative designed to help early-career researchers (ECRs) in AI turn their innovative work into successful spin-out companies. Launched in January 2024, the programme offers comprehensive training in innovation and entrepreneurship, equipping participants to navigate the unique challenges of this rapidly evolving field of science.
Held at The Spine in Liverpool, the showcase event brought together regional stakeholders, national investors, and AI researchers to hear from some of the brightest minds in the field. Attendees had the opportunity to explore high-impact ventures focused on tackling critical global challenges in sectors such as healthcare, biotechnology, media and creative technologies, and law, industry, and engineering.
The event also provided an opportunity for the University’s spin-out companies, poised to deliver substantial economic and societal benefits, to showcase their work. For example, AI-Sight, which spun out from the University in 2022, aims to commercialise a next-generation AI system that will revolutionise diabetic eye screening. Read more here.
Professor Katie Atkinson, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainability Research at the University delivered a compelling keynote address. She shared her journey in academic innovation, highlighting the University’s pioneering AI initiatives that are transforming law firms’ operations and enhancing access to justice. She also stressed the importance of collaboration between universities, industry, and government in shaping AI regulation and policy.
Professor Atkinson said: “This entrepreneurial activity aligns perfectly with the University’s strategic priorities. It was a great event, with academics, students, and entrepreneurs in the room - there was a real buzz. It couldn’t have come at a better time, following the government’s announcement this week of the .”
Howard Duffy, Spin-out and Portfolio Manager at the University, also spoke at the event about the importance of supporting academics through the process of research innovation, investment, and training programmes. He said: “We were delighted to give our future founders this fantastic platform. Innovation thrives through collaboration, and we look forward to continuing to develop partnerships like these that help our academics turn their ideas into real-world impact.”
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This project was supported by the University of Liverpool’s Enterprise Team who have extensive experience of partnering with companies to license innovative technologies developed at the University and taking these new products and services to market. Find out more here.
For information about the AI SuperConnector Programme, contact Ruth Tittle, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Co-ordinator: Ruth.Tittle@liverpool.ac.uk.
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The partners in the AI SuperConnector initiative include – Imperial College London (lead), University of Liverpool, University of Leeds and the University of York – all of whom bring complementary strengths in a wide range of AI sectors, from defence and security to health, and from sustainability and climate change to robotics and autonomous systems.
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