Business and management consultancy and related services

Tender description

Professor Jeremy Parr and colleagues at Newcastle University and Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (NTW) have developed a manualised modified Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) intervention to treat situation specific phobia in children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The proposal is to create a New Co (as yet unnamed) to bring the intervention to market in the NHS and private medical market in the UK and elsewhere globally. A suitable executive will be engaged to carry out an options appraisal of the best business model for roll out of the modified CBT intervention and training package and the business model for provision of the necessary VR hardware for delivery. The main markets to be targeted initially are the UK, EU, US and Canada and Middle East with penetration into further markets in a progressive manner. Newcastle, Durham, Sunderland and Northumbria universities, in common with universities throughout the UK, have advanced relevant systems and procedures and also dedicate significant public resource to both research and commercialisation of that research. A key route to commercialisation is the creation of a new business (a spin-out company) wherein the intellectual property (IPR) developed exclusively licenced to a university start-up company in exchange for (founders) shares in that company. The universities ill engage suitably qualified and experienced executives through the DPS as and when required over the DPS period. The specific requirements will be detailed in each further competition. The initial brief of the executive for which he/she will be paid, dependent upon the scope of the specific project engagement sought, either a payment or a combination of a payment and a share/stock option will typically be to: (a) produce a viable business plan; (b) obtain university approval for the venture; (c) act for the company in the spin-out legal process and address all the company formation matters; (d) provide to the appropriate university all matters necessary for ESIF and Research England reporting requirements; (e) secure (venture capital and/or other) funding in accordance with the business plan.