Principles for press coverage of spinout companies at Aarhus University

Mention of a spinout company from Aarhus University is done in accordance with AU's guidelines for research communication. This means that the information is recipient-oriented and easy to decode.

Spinout companies are examples of Aarhus University interacting with the outside world, that research is applied in practice, creating jobs and growth for the benefit of Denmark.

Checklist – before you get started

Is it a spinout company?
Remember to focus on AU and the research
Remember to declare the article with a fact box with information about contact details, ownership, capital donors etc. See template below.

Template for 'behind the company'

The template is a guide to how press reviews are declared. Points are deleted if they are not relevant or have content.

Name and contact details of the researchers mentioned in the article (possibly only the main person).
Name and contact details of the head of department at the department from which the research originates.
The ownership relationships: Who is the ownership group behind the company and how is/has each individual been associated with AU?
The circle of inventors - who are they and how is/has each one been associated with AU?
Who makes up the board?
Who provided capital to the company?
What is the deal between AU and the spinout? (e.g. that the company has a license agreement with AU, that AU has sold the IP, or that AU owns part of the company. We cannot ask for specific figures or the details of the license agreement, as it is a confidential agreement that can be business critical for the company.)
Brief description of the research on which the spinout company is based.
Any conflicts of interest or anything else that is relevant for the recipient of the press release to know in order to assess the validity of the story.

What is a spinout company?

A spinout company is established on the basis of agreements with the university on the transfer of technologies and rights (property or license rights).
It can also be spinouts established on the basis of agreements with a specific inventor to exploit a right themselves in return for a fee to the university.

Source: UFM