Full throttle
The Accelerator Pipeline forms part of a NW European project on Open Innovation which has received European Regional Development funding through InterregVIB, which delivers activities to encourage the transfer of ideas between student entrepreneurs, SMEs, multinationals and the public.
through the Accelerator Pipeline, this support is available for free and without the requirement for students to assign their IP to the University. By providing this, Edinburgh opened up a viable channel to transfer and exploit a substantial and untapped part of its knowledge and IP portfolio. The Accelerator Pipeline has broken new ground! For the first time, Edinburgh’s students are benefiting from the depth and quality of company formation support otherwise only available at the top spin-out universities in Europe. And the companies emerging from the
SIGN OF SUCCESS
One young company has reaped the benefits of being involved with LAUNCH.ed
Speech Graphics Ltd is an award-winning young company that provides the most advanced solution to the fastest growing problem in the video game industry today: lip synchronisation. It’s scalable, audio-driven technology cuts the cost of game development while providing unprecedented lip-sync quality. With a unique confluence of expertise in speech technology and computer animation, Speech Graphics is positioned to become the leading
Accelerator Pipeline are, in many ways, a step or more ahead of their illustrious spin-out counterparts. While Accelerator Pipeline companies are generally based on IP generated in the University’s labs, the nature of that IP is subtly but significantly different. It is an off-shoot technology developed as a sideline to a student’s main research focus to serve a need rather than for the sake of research. Still groundbreaking and at times even fundamental, critically, this IP portfolio is often market-ready and serving prevailing market needs.
The Accelerator Pipeline started
lip-sync service and software provider in the world.
Modern games can include thousands of hours of recorded speech, all of which requires production of synchronised facial animation. The Speech Graphics solution analyses an input audio signal and automatically moves an animated character’s face in synchrony with the audio. PhD candidate Michael Berger, a linguist and computer scientist who has been working in the field of speech animation for 15 years, and Dr Gregor Hofer, a postdoctoral researcher from the University’s School of
Speech Graphics is also highlighted in the feature on page 28 by Jonathan Harris, Editor of Young Company Finance Scotland, as one of his “ones to watch”
Dr Gregor Hofer (left) and Michael Berger have established Speech Graphics Ltd with help from the University
its first full year of operation in 2010-11 with impressive results: • 10 projects and new companies are now receiving support • An Accelerator Pipeline company won a John Logie Baird Award for Innovation 2011
• One company has also been awarded a SMART:SCOTLAND Innovation Grant.
The Accelerator Pipeline is now well established and its impact is proven. But its wider impact of giving student entrepreneurs the confidence to try something audacious, and perhaps a little dangerous, may well turn out to be its lasting legacy.
Informatics, have been working intensively with LAUNCH.ed for nearly a year. LAUNCH. ed helped them establish this successful company and, as a result, they have recently been awarded a SMART:SCOTLAND Innovation Grant.
In 2011, Speech Graphics was
recognised with a John Logie Baird Award for Innovation 2011 in the category of “Knowledge Transfer Champion”. Michael Berger, Chief Technical Officer of Speech Graphics Ltd, said: “This award means a lot to us. Scotland has proved to be a great place to go into business.”
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