Smoothing the Path to International Commercialisation

Many companies reach a point where their growth is limited by their geographic boundaries; however, expanding internationally can be a voyage into the unknown and a daunting step for many small businesses.

Isis Enterprise, the consulting arm of Isis Innovation Ltd and part of the University of Oxford, is involved in a number of international programmes to lower the perceived barriers to entry for companies looking to enter foreign markets. International commercialization can involve trading, partnering or gaining distribution in foreign markets, as well as licensing IP to development partners around the globe.

One such programme is to support the international commercialisation of technologies from within the Tomsk region of Siberia, Russia, in partnership with The Eurasia Consortium. The programme has been developed by Isis and funded  by the Tomsk Regional Administration and Rusnano. Tomsk is one of the main educational, scientific, cultural and industrial centres of Siberia. With a population of just over 500,000, it is home to 7 local universities and several branches of Russian and foreign institutes and universities.

Russian companies receive guidance and support from Isis Enterprise to engage in business relationships with foreign partners.

"To cooperate with foreign companies is not easy because we are not familiar with the laws and business customs of the UK and other countries. We get support from Isis Enterprise - they advise us and help in choosing partners, whilst we remain responsible for the technical realization of the project ", said Anatoly Mamaev from SibSpark, one of the companies participating in the programme.

Other companies benefiting from the international efforts of Isis Enterprise include Tomanalyt. Consultants at Isis have been assisting Tomanalyt to obtain CE marks for their analytical instruments and helping identify suitable distributors and sales channels in Europe and Latin America. Recently, Tomanalyt exhibited at the World-renowned Analytica conference and with support from Isis consultants, identified a number of potential distributors.

Vladimir Chernov, Tomanalyt's CEO said "Analytica was an excellent opportunity for us to launch our products in Europe; the Tomsk Regional Government project and the first class support from Isis Enterprise enabled us to take these first steps into the international market with confidence.'

Isis Enterprise recently opened an office in the centre of Madrid Science Park, Spain, with a view to assist Spanish companies explore international opportunities.

“Our team of internationally experienced consultants are able to provide practical advise on the critical issues affecting companies wishing to expand internationally” said Dr. Steve Cleverley, Managing Consultant at Isis Enterprise, “We welcome enquiries directly from companies or regional governments looking to reap the benefits of expanding the markets for their products’.

For further information, please contact:

Dr Steve Cleverley, Managing Consultant
E steve.cleverley@isis.ox.ac.uk
T +44 (0)1865 280849