David McBeth

Dr David McBeth was most recently Vice-Principal for Enterprise & Economic Transformation at the University of Dundee in Scotland (UK). Dundee is the top UK University for Biological Sciences (Research Excellence Framework 2014 and 2021) and was independently rated #1 in the UK for Spin-out Company Success in 2023 by Octopus Ventures.

Dr McBeth has over 25 years of experience leading Research and Innovation/ Technology Transfer functions at UK universities, including York (a UK Top 10 research university in REF2021), Strathclyde and Edinburgh Napier, as well as Dundee. He was the elected Chair of AURIL (at the time the UK’s largest membership organisation for University Knowledge Exchange Offices) in the early 2010s and helped clear the path for AURIL to merge with PraxisUNICO and create what is now “Knowledge Exchange UK”.

During his 15 years in post as Director of Research & Knowledge Exchange Services at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, he contributed to unprecedented growth in Strathclyde’s Industry research income via design of Industry-led R&I Centres. He also designed and led the development of Strathclyde’s commercial investment approach to new company formation and growth across the spectrum of staff, student and alumni enterprises. This approach, now branded Strathclyde Inspire, has led to the University investing over £22M of its own reserves into successful spin-outs and start-ups, and has yielded several remunerative exits for the University.

Among the more interesting deals David has led are:

• Successful European Patent Court appeal, followed by re-negotiation of licence with Wyeth Inc. (now Pfizer) yielding £multi-million return to Strathclyde
• Negotiating the trade sale of Strathclyde spin-out MLED Ltd to a Facebook subsidiary yielding a £multi-million return to Strathclyde
• Negotiating with Softbank (World’s largest technology-focused Venture Capital fund) a partial exit from Exscientia Ltd at Series D, which yielded c. £42M for Dundee

Throughout his career in HE, David’s professional interests have included: Intellectual Property Rights (“IPR”) Management; Licensing; New Company Formation & Investment; Public Funding for economic Impact (including EU Structural Funds and State Aids/ Subsidy Control); the role of the Public Sector in supporting innovation; and the economic impact of universities on regional economies.