Enterprise and Innovation (E&I) at LSTM plays a pivotal role in driving business development, supporting innovation, developing market access strategy and maximising the commercial potential of research outputs. E&I is responsible for creating and directing business opportunities, converting the translation of research activities towards market impact, and maximising the commercial value of intellectual property assets for the school.
The E&I team encompasses a wide range of activities aimed at supporting and facilitating the translation of research into implemented interventions, fostering collaborations with industry stakeholders, and maximising the impact of LSTM's intellectual property, including through reducing market access barriers. It operates within the context of LSTM's mission to improve health outcomes in disadvantaged populations, with a particular focus on the needs of Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) as well as alignment with local/regional health and economic priorities.
The remit of E&I extends across various domains, including business development, contract research/consultancy activities, translational ecosystem development, intellectual property management, market intelligence, and direction for the development of pathways to impact. Additionally, the E&I Unit assumes responsibility for developing its team's capabilities, contributing to strategic planning processes, and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and best practices.
LifeArc
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) has entered into a partnership with the self-funded charitable medical research organisation, LifeArc, which will join the LSTM-led Infection Innovation Consortium: iiCON and establish a £2.7m Translational Development Fund. The research fund is being set up in response to a growing need for new and innovative treatments and diagnostic technologies to help tackle growing threats to health across the globe, including neglected tropical diseases and emerging viral threats.
FLIGHT
In recognition of the challenges in developing new products for public health, and infectious diseases specifically, FLIGHT seeks to develop an Innovation and Enterprise Framework for commercialising, accelerating and converting translational research into products and treatments that can be used by public health systems.
Filling gaps in product development, regulatory navigation and market access, FLIGHT will build on the collective expertise in health innovation and the deployment pipeline among partners and rapidly identify, develop and secure opportunities for IP creation and licensing to the commercial sector.
The two-year project also seeks to develop a model of best practice of engaging the NHS and global health system providers, using the success of LSTM-led iiCON as an example of innovation and leveraging collaboration between HEIs and business partners. FLIGHT will benchmark with international comparators and provide recommendations for ecosystem strengthening in low-to-middle-income countries.
SIGHT
The Sustainable Innovation in Global Health Technology (SIGHT) project brings together the infectious disease and public health resources and expertise of three specialist higher education providers (HEPs): Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Brighton and Sussex Medical School. In collaboration with Oxentia, LYVA Labs, and iiCON, SIGHT aims to develop and pilot a shared technology transfer office and venture-building model that will unlock the economic and public health benefits from the combined R&D portfolios of these 3 HEPs, overcoming the limitations of traditional technology transfer office models in effectively translating global health research into sustainable and impactful interventions.
Resources
Foundation Session - Introduction to Commercialisation
Module Two - Engaging the TTO
Module Three - Industry Partnerships
Module Four - Investment Journey & Financial Planning
Meet the team
Rachael O'Donoghue - Operations Manager
With over eight years of experience in research administration at LSTM, I have supported research and enterprise & innovation through roles such as Research Application Administrator, Departmental Secretary to Clinical Sciences, Research Information Officer, and Programme Officer, where my main focus was coordinating the delivery of a £2.7 million Life Arc award. Now, as Operations Manager, I focus on advancing enterprise and innovation through strategic planning and operational leadership.
E: rachael.odonoghue@lstmed.ac.uk
+44 151 705 3700
Dr Ezekiel Boro - Head of Innovation Capacity Strengthening
Head of the FLIGHT Programme, with a medical degree and MSc in Global Health, my expertise spans global access strategies, programme management, advocacy, and innovation. I have over eight years of experience with global organizations like FIND and MSF, advancing access to health technologies in LMICs.
E: ezekiel.boro@lstmed.ac.uk
+44(0)151 705 3100
Dr Carolina Velasco - E&I Ventures Manager
Ventures Manager at LSTM with a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and an MBA. I specialize in intellectual property management and strategies for translating academic innovations into practical solutions, ensuring access to medicines and health technologies.
E: carolina.velasco@lstmed.ac.uk
+44(0)151 705 3100
Aaron Argomandkhah - Market Access/Business Development Manager
Market Access Manager at LSTM and Co-I on the SIGHT programme, exploring shared TTO models for research translation. A LifeArc Knowledge Transfer Innovation Fellow, I am active in organizations like AUTM and ASTP.
E: aaron.argomandkhah@lstmed.ac.uk
+44 (0)151 702 9571
Charles McLoughlin - Innovation Capacity Strengthening Manager
Innovation Capacity Strengthening Manager of the FLIGHT programme at LSTM, with a BSc in Biological Sciences (University of Birmingham) and an MSc in Control of Infectious Diseases (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine). My main focus is on bridging the gap between research and real-world impact through effective commercialisation and equitable solutions for low-resource settings.
E: charles.mcloughlin@lstmed.ac.uk
+44(0)151 705 3100
Clare Maher - Programme Officer
I am supporting managing the programme operations of the LifeArc development fund and providing administrative, logistical and comms support to the team. I am also the point of contact and liaison for E&I with key internal groups and will manage and monitor funding opportunities relevant to E&I.
E: clare.maher@lstmed.ac.uk
+44(0)151 705 3162
