The key objective of WestFocus is to promote commercialisation of the knowledge base of the Consortium. 

The aim of WestFocus Business Creation (WFBC) is to create a continuous pipeline of investable business propositions capable of delivering equity injections of <£0.5m from investors such as Close Venture Management, the business angel community and so on.

With a total of around 125,000 students, 3,500 academics, 50 enterprise staff, and 54 research units that were rated 4, 5 or 5* in the 2001 RAE, the Consortium represents a rich source of technology and ideas with commercial potential. 

To kick start the commercialisation process, WFBC initiated a systematic “Project Mining” exercise in the most research-intensive faculties of WestFocus institutions between October 2004 and February 2005, unearthing hundreds of potentially exploitable and exciting technologies along the way.  Project mining continues to identify opportunities with great promise.  The focus is on near-to-market opportunities and joint ventures with local businesses.

Overall, WestFocus Business Creation aims to: