When 2016 ended, people, particularly in the western world, may have breathed a sigh of relief at the idea of putting behind them a year that included multiple geopolitical upsets and countless celebrity deaths. But as Global University Venturing noted it in its annual review at the time, none of those things had made any particular impact on the innovation ecosystem – if anything, tech transfer leaders all looked ahead full of optimism.

So where do we stand, halfway through…