FyrstGen and PRME; United Nations Global Compact Join Forces to Democratize Innovation and Unlock “Invisible IP” Worldwide

[New York, USA] – 12 November, 2025 — In a groundbreaking collaboration, FyrstGen Holding Ltd (UK) supports the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), an initiative of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), to make its Company-Building-as-a-Service (CBaaS®) platform available free of charge to more than 850+ universities worldwide. The alliance aims to transform how innovation is commercialized, unlocking what experts call the world’s vast reserves of “invisible and shelved IP.”

Tackling the Global Blind Spot in Sustainable Innovation

Across the world, millions of sustainable innovations—especially those originating in developing economies—remain invisible: unpatented, undocumented, and commercially untapped. Both UNESCO and UNCTAD have highlighted that most innovation in low-income countries is incremental, informal, and unrecognized by traditional patent systems. These overlooked ideas range from traditional agricultural techniques and frugal engineering to community-built digital tools and impact-driven solutions developed with and without institutional support.

“Shelved IP” refers to intellectual property—often the result of significant public or institutional R&D investment—that is legally protected or patented but remains unused, unlicensed, and uncommercialized. Universities globally generate innovations that never make it beyond the filing cabinet or patent database, often due to a lack of entrepreneurial capacity, funding, or strategic support. For example, fewer than 5% of university-held patents globally are ever licensed or spun out. Despite global R&D investments exceeding USD 2.5 trillion annually, a staggering portion of intellectual output never reaches the market.

FyrstGen and PRME are working to change that. Through FyrstGen’s CBaaS® platform, universities, innovators, governments, investors, and a range of other stakeholders are engaged in a new way to created companies estimated to be far more effective and efficient than venture capital. The initiative aims to transform thousands of overlooked intellectual properties hidden in universities into scalable, high-impact companies that balance and drive economic, social, and environmental progress. By empowering educators, students, and institutions to translate knowledge into scalable, impact-driven enterprises, FyrstGen and PRME are helping shape the next generation of responsible leaders and entrepreneurs who can drive sustainable innovation globally.

Empowering Universities and Equalizing Access

FyrstGen removes the technical, financial, and operational barriers that have long prevented academics around the globe from having their discoveries reach the market. Through this collaboration, PRME Signatory institutions will be able to outsource the entire company-launch and scale process to FyrstGen, enabling them to monetize research and scale impact globally.

The collaboration aims to:

• Extend free access to FyrstGen’s CBaaS® platform across PRME’s global network of 3 million students and 200,000 faculty.

• Launch impact-driven companies backed by world-class academic IP.

• Create new income streams for universities to fund scholarships, R&D, and talent development.

• Promote equality and inclusion, ensuring all universities—regardless of geography or income level—have equal opportunity to innovate.

• Accelerate the global impact of innovation aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A Global Movement to Democratize Innovation

This collaboration represents a bold step toward a fairer, more inclusive innovation economy—one where ideas from every corner of the world can be transformed into viable, sustainable companies. By converting invisible and shelved IP into tangible impact, FyrstGen and PRME are setting a new global standard for innovation-driven development.

“This is what democratizing innovation looks like—and it’s just the beginning,” said Philipp Assmus, CEO and Founder of FyrstGen Holding Ltd. “By empowering universities and innovators across continents, we’re unlocking the world’s hidden potential and ensuring that no great idea is left behind.”

Clémence Kopeikin, Chief Impact Officer at FyrstGen, added: “For too long, entire regions, communities, and brilliant minds have been excluded from value creation. We’re opening the door for those who have historically been left out of or played down during that process.”

“PRME exists to equip future business leaders with the mindset, skills and tools to create sustainable and responsible impact,” said Dr. Omid Aschari, Senior Advisor of PRME at UN Global Compact. “By giving PRME Signatory institutions access to FyrstGen’s platform, we look forward to watching research and ideas translate into meaningful real-world solutions that drive positive change towards achieving the SDGs.”

“Launch the Future” Global Innovation Challenge

FyrstGen and PRME have also announced the “Launch the Future” Global Innovation Challenge—offering:

• Up to $50,000 in prizes for top successful submission, referrals and more
  
• Announcement of winners at 81st session of during Sep. 8–22, 2026 United Nations General Assembly
• An international online FyrstGen award ceremony in September
• International press releases organized by FyrstGen

Partner with FyrstGen and submit your innovation ->

Media Contact
press@fyrstgen.com
Learn more at: www.FyrstGen.com.

Cheyenne Maddox,
Senior Manager, Communications
metz@unglobalcompact.org