New data from the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF6) shows that universities in England are continuing to make an impact on the economy. The latest insights, published today, reveal that cluster averages for all knowledge exchange perspectives have either improved or been maintained in almost all instances compared to the previous year.
This reflects universities' ongoing contributions to economic growth through commercialising ideas, partnering with various organisations, upskilling the workforce, and fostering local economic development.
Notable trends include very large research-intensive institutions improving their 'Working with business' performance, largely due to increased engagement with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Additionally, four clusters of institutions, encompassing small and large teaching-focused institutions, very large research-intensive institutions, and arts specialist institutions, have each improved their cluster average in 'Research partnerships' by one quintile.
Individual institutions also showed progress. York St John University increased its proportion of outputs co-authored with non-academic partners, and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama demonstrated greater engagement in collaborative research. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine maintained a high level of engagement in 'Local growth and regeneration' for the third consecutive year, while Manchester Metropolitan University strengthened its 'IP and commercialisation' performance, reflecting increased spin-out investment and licensing income. The University of Cumbria moved up to quintile three in 'Working with the public and third sector'.