The latest insights from the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF6) indicate that universities throughout England are continuing to make substantial contributions to the national and local economies. Cluster averages for nearly all knowledge exchange perspectives have either improved or remained stable compared to the previous year, reflecting ongoing university efforts in commercialising ideas, fostering organisational partnerships, enhancing workforce skills, and stimulating local economic development.
Key trends highlighted by the data include enhanced engagement with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Research-intensive institutions with broad discipline bases (cluster V) saw their performance in the ‘Working with business’ perspective improve from quintile four to quintile five. Furthermore, four clusters, including teaching-focused institutions (clusters M and E), research-intensive institutions (cluster V), and arts specialist institutions (cluster ARTS), each improved their cluster average in the ‘Research partnerships’ perspective by one quintile.
Notable institutional successes are also evident. York St John University (cluster M) increased its proportion of outputs co-authored with non-academic partners, moving from quintile one to three. Similarly, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (cluster ARTS) improved its engagement in collaborative research with non-academic partners, progressing from quintile three to four.
The KEF6 data also spotlights individual university achievements. The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) has maintained a quintile five engagement level in the ‘Local growth and regeneration’ perspective for three consecutive years. Manchester Metropolitan University strengthened its performance in ‘IP and commercialisation’, moving to quintile four, driven by increased spin-out investment and licensing income. The University of Cumbria advanced to quintile three in the ‘Working with the public and third sector’ perspective.
KEF serves as a robust database, capturing data on university interactions with businesses, the public sector, and local communities. With five years of comparable data, it offers insights into how universities leverage research for real-world impact and growth across England. The framework covers seven key knowledge exchange areas: research partnerships, working with business, working with the public and third sector, continuing professional development and graduate start-ups, local growth and regeneration, IP and commercialisation, and public and community engagement.
The KEF enables a detailed understanding of performance trends, allowing for comparisons between institutions, tracking changes over time, and identifying opportunities. Research England plans to publish future iterations of KEF annually. The data primarily originates from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) survey, supplemented by institutional narratives, Innovate UK data, and Elsevier data. Participation includes institutions receiving Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) and some eligible non-recipients. The KEF clusters facilitate like-for-like comparisons, demonstrating the contributions of universities of all sizes and specialisms to the UK economy.
