From University Research to a Successful Business: Conference at TBU Highlights the Challenges and Opportunities Facing Czech Spin-Offs
29. October 2026How can university research results be transformed into successful businesses? What obstacles do Czech spin-off companies face, and what can we learn from those that have succeeded? These were the key questions addressed at the conference Spin-Offs as a Path to the Future, held on Thursday, 15 October, at Tomas Bata University in Zlín. The event attracted about 45 participants from academia, technology transfer and the research community.
The conference was jointly organized by the UPPER Centre for Creative Industries and Entrepreneurship, the TBU Rector’s Office, and the University Institute – TBU Technology Transfer Centre. Its aim was to open discussion on the commercialization of research results, present successful models of university entrepreneurship, and inspire academics and students to develop their own innovative projects.
Czech Technology Transfer Still Has Ground to Cover
The opening expert session provided the current conditions overview for establishing and developing university spin-off companies in the Czech Republic. Speakers included representatives of CzechInvest, Transfera.cz and the Enterprise Europe Network.
Although Czech universities conduct high-quality research and generate numerous innovative ideas, transferring these results into business practice continues to face several obstacles. As highlighted during the conference, one of significant barriers is the worry among universities themselves of losing control over their know-how and intellectual property when these assets are commercially exploited outside the academic environment. Finding the right balance between protecting research results and putting them to practical use therefore remains one of the key challenges for the further development of university spin-off companies.
In comparison with other European countries, the discussion offered a rather cautious assessment of the current state and progress in the field of university entrepreneurship in the Czech Republic. This made the second part of the program even more inspiring, demonstrating that successful projects with international reach are also emerging within the Czech environment.
Four Stories, Four Different Paths to Success
The best-practice events session presented four distinct approaches to applying knowledge and professional expertise in business.
Jan Vilím from Enantis, a company built at Masaryk University, outlined the journey from biotechnology research to a successful business with an international reach. Jiří Tobola presented the story of the technology company Flowmon Networks, which transformed university research results into a globally successful technological solution. Its journey culminated in a successful sale of the company to a foreign investor.
Zdeněk Vondra from the creative agency GEN, which emerged from the environment of the Prague University of Economics and Business, demonstrated an alternative way of connecting academia with entrepreneurship in marketing communications and the creative industries. Šárka Portešová presented Invenio Plus, a young social science spin-off from Masaryk University established as recently as 2025. Its story illustrated how a university can actively support the creation of a new company through its own investment vehicle, MUNI Ventures. This support helped transform the results of many years of psychological research into business practice and create the conditions for further development of innovative methods for identifying children’s talents.
The projects presented demonstrated that the entrepreneurial potential of universities extends far beyond technical and natural sciences. It can also be found in social sciences, marketing and creative industries. At the same time, the examples illustrated different stages of business development a new spin-off, from launching of it through international expanding to achieving a successful exit.
From Inspiration to Concrete Action
The presentations were followed by a panel discussion entitled From the Lab to the Market, which explored practical issues related to establishing and developing spin-off companies. The discussion focused on collaboration between academics and the business community, financing, intellectual property protection, and finding the right people to develop an entrepreneurial project.
The speakers’ practical experiences, their open discussion of obstacles, and their recommendations were among the most valuable aspects of the conference. Although the opening session highlighted systemic shortcomings in the Czech environment, the best-practice examples and subsequent discussion offered participants a more optimistic perspective and inspiration for turning their own ideas into reality.
Supporting Entrepreneurship as Part of TBU’s Development
Tomas Bata University in Zlín finds the promotion of entrepreneurship, innovation and knowledge transfer into practice an important part of its future development.“Supporting entrepreneurship and transferring knowledge into practice are important areas of our university’s strategic development. We want to create an environment in which the innovative ideas of our academics, researchers and students can grow and find practical applications. I consider events such as this conference to be particularly important. They enable people to share experiences, build connections between academia and business, and demonstrate that the journey from an idea to establishing one’s own company is a realistic possibility,” said Ing. Martina Juříková, Ph.D., Vice-Rector for External and Internal Relations at Tomas Bata University in Zlín.
The conference also provided opportunities to establish new contacts, hold individual consultations and discuss support options for innovative projects emerging at universities.
The event was therefore more than a showcase of success stories. Above all, it provided an opportunity to explore the task how universities can systematically support new ideas on their journey from research to real-world application.