Making it easier to invest in frontline care

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and University College London (UCL) have signed a landmark agreement to simplify the commercialisation of any joint research and innovation and ensure any financial proceeds are shared equally.

The agreement between GOSH and UCL, including the technology transfer company UCL Business, will make negotiations around commercialisation frictionless and end complex and drawn out ‘deal-by-deal’ negotiations. A similar agreement has been made between UCL and University College London Hospital.

This means, where there have been relevant contributions from both UCL and GOSH then, after deducting costs of commercialisation and any reward for individual inventors, GOSH will share the proceeds fifty-fifty with UCL.

Professor Geraint Rees, UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement) said: “UCLH and GOSH are close and longstanding partners. This simple, standard and fair agreement between the three partners will be attractive to investors, eliminate the need for time consuming case-by-case negotiations and ensure any financial proceeds come back as quickly as possible into the local NHS and university ecosystem. But most importantly, this agreement will shorten the time for us to create new technologies and treatments that will benefit patients both in London and throughout the UK.”

Mat Shaw, Chief Executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital said: "At a time when the NHS faces unprecedented financial pressures, partnerships like this are more important than ever. By simplifying the commercial pathway for innovations developed with UCL, we can ensure that promising research reaches patients faster – and that any financial returns are reinvested where they’re needed most: back into frontline care.

This agreement reflects our shared commitment to working smarter and delivering better outcomes for patients locally and nationally."

The legal agreements between UCL, UCLB, UCLH, GOSH were signed at the UCL’s Grant Museum of Zoology on Monday 9 June, 2025.

The precise terms of the agreements are commercially sensitive. They do not apply retrospectively, apart from a small number of identified projects post-dating the start of negotiations.