Proposed change of name to Touchstone Innovations

28 October 2016

Imperial Innovations Group plc

Proposed change of name to Touchstone Innovations plc

Imperial Innovations Group plc (AIM: IVO, 'the Group', 'Innovations') announces that at its Annual General Meeting on the 21 November 2016, the Company will be seeking shareholder approval to change the name of the Company to Touchstone Innovations plc.

The Group was originally formed as the technology transfer office for Imperial College - a role it still carries out today. However, the Group also invests in opportunities typically arising from intellectual property derived from, or associated with, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and University College London, in addition to those opportunities arising from Imperial College.

In January 2016, the Group announced two new initiatives aimed at expanding its licence portfolio and broadening its visibility of, and access to, intellectual property from elite universities within an area broadly bounded by London, Oxford and Cambridge sometimes referred to as the 'golden triangle', namely its participation in the UCL Technology Fund and in the Apollo Therapeutics joint venture.

Russ Cummings, Group Chief Executive, commented:

"Whilst we are incredibly proud of our heritage and association with Imperial College, it has become increasingly apparent that the name 'Imperial Innovations', with its strong link to the Group's origins within Imperial College, does not reflect the diversity of the sources of the intellectual property that the Group commercialises and in which we invest.

"We believe that 'Touchstone Innovations' is a name that provides a relevant narrative for our business. Touchstones were historically used by goldsmiths to test the purity of gold or silver, and the term 'touchstone' has also come to represent a standard against which the genuineness or quality of something is judged. 'Touchstone Innovations' thus has an interesting resonance with our science focus and many positive connotations relevant to the Group's operations."

The existing Imperial Innovations brand will be retained for the work of the Group's technology transfer office and its ongoing relationship with Imperial College - still a fundamental part of the Group's business.

If the resolution to approve the change of name of the Company is passed, the change will not take effect immediately but rather the Directors will be able to determine the timing of the change in order to coincide with the wider rebranding exercise to be undertaken by the Group. However, it is expected that the change of name will become effective in early 2017. The Company will issue an RNS announcement at the time to confirm that the change has taken effect.

Following the change of the name of the Company from Imperial Innovations Group plc to Touchstone Innovations plc, the TIDM code of the Company will remain "IVO" and existing share certificates in the name Imperial Innovations Group will remain valid.

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