It appears that giving UK-based commercialisation firm the GUV Award 2017 for Investment Unit of the Year was even more of a justified choice than anticipated, following the firm’s shock announcement on the day of the awards ceremony that it had approached its peer Touchstone Innovations with an acquisition offer valuing the latter at about £500m ($650m).

While IP Group’s ambition is undoubtedly admirable, Touchstone’s board, perhaps unsurprisingly, rejected the offer – but, at the behest of the majority of…