The latest findings from the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF6) highlight a robust and expanding contribution of English universities to the national and regional economies. The data, representing the fifth year of comparable performance metrics, indicates widespread improvement or maintenance of performance across various knowledge exchange perspectives. This sustained engagement underscores universities’ critical roles in commercialising innovation, fostering partnerships, enhancing workforce skills, and driving local economic development.
This year’s KEF6 report reveals positive trends, with cluster averages for nearly all knowledge exchange perspectives showing an upward trajectory or remaining stable compared to the previous year. This collective progress reflects a consistent and deepening commitment by higher education institutions to translate academic research and expertise into tangible economic and societal benefits. The framework, now a well-established and trusted database, captures a comprehensive array of interactions between universities and their non-academic partners, including businesses, the public sector, and local communities.
Key Trends Emerge from KEF6 Data
The KEF6 report identifies several significant trends that illuminate the evolving landscape of university-industry collaboration and economic impact.
Enhanced Engagement with Business Sectors
A notable development highlighted in KEF6 is the improved performance of very large, research-intensive institutions with broad disciplinary bases, specifically those within "cluster V." These institutions have seen their "Working with business" perspective move from a cluster average of quintile four to quintile five, signifying a substantial increase in their engagement with the commercial sector. A primary driver behind this upward shift has been the intensified collaboration with Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This increased focus on SMEs is crucial, as these businesses often form the backbone of local economies and are key engines for innovation and job creation. By fostering stronger ties with universities, SMEs gain access to cutting-edge research, specialized expertise, and skilled graduates, enabling them to develop new products, improve processes, and expand their market reach. For the universities, engaging with SMEs offers opportunities to apply their research in real-world contexts, gain insights into industry challenges, and identify new avenues for commercialisation.
Strengthening Research Partnerships
The "Research partnerships" perspective also showcases significant advancements, with four distinct clusters of institutions each improving their average performance by one quintile. This broad-based improvement indicates a widespread effort to forge more collaborative research ventures across diverse institutional types.
Within these improving clusters, specific institutions have demonstrated particularly impressive progress. York St John University, part of cluster M, has seen a notable increase in its proportion of research outputs co-authored with non-academic partners, moving from quintile one to quintile three. This suggests a growing success in translating academic findings into jointly produced knowledge with industry, public sector, or community organisations. Similarly, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, within the ARTS cluster, has enhanced its performance in collaborative research with non-academic partners, progressing from quintile three to quintile four. This highlights that knowledge exchange is not confined to STEM fields but is actively thriving in creative and performing arts disciplines, where collaboration can lead to innovative applications in sectors like digital media, cultural heritage, and public engagement.
Spotlight on Individual University Success Stories
Beyond the aggregate trends, KEF6 also shines a light on the individual achievements of various institutions, showcasing their unique contributions to economic and societal impact.
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM)
The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) has once again demonstrated exceptional performance in the "Local growth and regeneration" perspective, maintaining its quintile five engagement level for the third consecutive year. This represents a remarkable sustained effort, having significantly improved from quintile two in KEF2. LSTM’s consistent high performance in this area underscores its vital role in addressing local health challenges, fostering regional economic development through its research and operational activities, and contributing to the broader public health agenda. Their work often involves direct engagement with local communities and public sector bodies, translating research into actionable public health interventions and supporting the growth of related industries within the Liverpool City Region.
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University has shown a significant strengthening of its performance in the "IP and commercialisation" perspective, advancing from quintile three to quintile four in KEF6. This marks a notable improvement, having maintained its previous score since KEF2. The university’s enhanced standing in this area is attributed to increased performance in metrics related to spin-out investment and licensing and IP income. This suggests a more effective strategy for translating its research into commercial ventures, such as the creation of spin-out companies that leverage university intellectual property, and generating revenue through licensing agreements. Such successes not only contribute to the university’s financial sustainability but also foster innovation within the wider economy, creating new products, services, and employment opportunities.
University of Cumbria
The University of Cumbria has achieved a significant upward movement in the "Working with the public and third sector" perspective, reaching quintile three in KEF6. This progression follows four years of steady performance in quintile two. This improvement indicates a growing and more impactful engagement with public bodies, charities, and community organisations. Such collaborations are crucial for addressing societal challenges, delivering public services, and fostering civic engagement. The University of Cumbria’s enhanced performance in this area suggests it is effectively leveraging its expertise to support the public good, contributing to local community development and the efficacy of third-sector organisations.
The KEF: A Robust and Evolving Data Framework
The Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) has evolved into a critical and trusted database for understanding the multifaceted ways in which universities contribute to the economy. By capturing data on a wide spectrum of interactions with non-academic partners, KEF provides a granular yet comprehensive view of university performance. The addition of a fifth year of comparable data in KEF6 solidifies its position as a robust tool for analysing how universities are translating their research into real-world impacts and driving growth across England.
The framework is structured around seven broad areas of knowledge exchange activity, referred to as "perspectives." Each perspective encompasses a specific set of metrics designed to measure performance in relevant activities. These perspectives are:
- Public and Community Engagement: Measuring the extent of university involvement with the public and third sector organisations.
- Innovation and Knowledge Exchange with Business: Assessing the depth and breadth of partnerships with businesses, including SMEs.
- Intellectual Property (IP) and Commercialisation: Tracking the generation and exploitation of intellectual property, including patents, licenses, and spin-out companies.
- Skills and Knowledge Development: Evaluating the university’s role in upskilling and reskilling the workforce through executive education, apprenticeships, and other training initiatives.
- Local Economic Development: Gauging the university’s contribution to the economic growth and regeneration of its local region.
- Research Partnerships: Examining the extent of collaborative research with non-academic partners.
- Infrastructure and Connectivity: Assessing the physical and digital resources that facilitate knowledge exchange.
To ensure fair and meaningful comparisons, universities are grouped into "knowledge exchange clusters." These clusters group institutions with similar characteristics, allowing for performance to be assessed relative to peer institutions. This approach avoids making unhelpful comparisons between universities of vastly different sizes, missions, and disciplinary strengths.
Empowering Informed Decision-Making
The KEF’s detailed data and analytical capabilities empower a wide range of stakeholders, from university leaders to policymakers and industry partners, to make informed decisions. It enables an understanding of both high-level national trends in knowledge exchange and more granular patterns of performance at the institutional and regional levels.
For instance, KEF can provide insights into:
- The effectiveness of different knowledge exchange models: By examining performance across various perspectives and clusters, institutions can identify best practices and refine their strategies.
- The economic impact of specific university activities: The data can help quantify the return on investment for public funding in knowledge exchange and demonstrate the value of university contributions to economic growth.
- Opportunities for collaboration and partnership: By identifying areas where institutions excel or face challenges, KEF can facilitate the formation of new partnerships and collaborations between universities, businesses, and public sector bodies.
- The role of universities in regional development: The framework highlights how universities are acting as catalysts for local economic growth, job creation, and the development of specialized industrial clusters.
Background and Methodology of the KEF
The KEF framework was established by Research England, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), with the primary objective of providing a comprehensive and comparable measure of knowledge exchange performance across English universities. The initiative was born out of a recognition that while the economic and social impact of university research was widely acknowledged, there was a need for a standardized and robust method to track and assess these contributions.
The first iteration, KEF1, was launched in 2019, building upon existing data sources. KEF6 represents the culmination of five years of data collection and refinement, allowing for longitudinal analysis and a deeper understanding of evolving trends.
The data underpinning the KEF primarily originates from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) – part of Jisc – Higher Education Business and Community Interaction (HEBCI) survey. This long-standing survey collects detailed information on the engagement of higher education institutions with non-academic partners. The HEBCI survey is supported by a range of government departments and research councils, ensuring a broad and representative data set.
All institutions in receipt of a Research England Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) allocation for the 2025-2026 academic year are included in the KEF exercise. Additionally, some institutions that were eligible for HEIF funding but did not meet the allocation threshold have voluntarily participated, further enriching the dataset.
It is crucial to emphasize that the KEF clusters are not ranked, and the framework is not intended to function as a league table. The primary aim is to provide a balanced and fair assessment of performance within peer groups, highlighting strengths and areas for development rather than creating a competitive hierarchy.
Technical Details and Quintile Scoring
The "KE clusters" are a cornerstone of the KEF’s methodology. These clusters are designed to group institutions based on a variety of characteristics, including size, research intensity, and breadth of disciplinary coverage. This clustering approach ensures that universities are compared against similar institutions, providing a more equitable and meaningful assessment of their knowledge exchange activities. Clustering has been instrumental in demonstrating the diverse contributions of universities of all sizes and specialisms to the UK economy.
The KEF results are determined by analysing data that covers a wide range of a university’s knowledge exchange activities. This data is then used to form a series of metrics, which are aggregated into the seven perspectives. For each perspective, a university receives a quintile score, ranging from one to five.
- Quintile Five: Indicates very high engagement and performance in a specific knowledge exchange activity, placing the institution among the top performers in that area relative to its peers.
- Quintile One: Reflects very low engagement and performance, suggesting limited activity or impact in that area compared to other institutions within the same cluster.
This quintile scoring system provides a clear and intuitive way to understand an institution’s relative performance within its peer group for each of the seven knowledge exchange perspectives.
Future Outlook and Continued Impact
Research England is committed to the continued annual publication of future iterations of the KEF. This ongoing commitment ensures that the framework remains a dynamic and relevant tool for tracking the evolving landscape of university knowledge exchange and its impact on the UK economy and society. As universities continue to innovate and engage with a diverse range of partners, the KEF will provide invaluable insights into their critical role in driving economic growth, fostering societal well-being, and addressing the complex challenges of the 21st century.
The KEF6 dashboards are available for exploration on the KEF website, offering a deeper dive into the data and performance metrics of individual institutions and clusters. This public accessibility promotes transparency and encourages wider engagement with the findings. The sustained commitment to this data collection and analysis signifies a strong belief in the power of universities to act as engines of innovation and economic prosperity across England.
