Research England has today published a document detailing proposals for how the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) could work and would like to hear the HE sector’s views on these proposals. The proposals set out in the document aim to implement a Government policy priority for the KEF set out in the Industrial Strategy White Paper in 2017.
Professor Trevor McMillan, Chair of Research England’s KEF Steering Group, set the scene and trailed the KEF Concordat, stressing the importance of measuring and evaluating how universities do Knowledge Exchange (KE). He identified three key actions for university management:
Research England has published three documents that will help higher education institutions (HEIs) prepare for the upcoming consultation on the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF). The documents are:
Summary KEF call for evidence responses: key points that have emerged from evidence submitted to Research England on suitable approaches to – and data to use in – the KEF.
Research England has launched a new fund to drive innovation in research and knowledge exchange in higher education. The RED Fund commits up to £25 million in annual funding with an ongoing application and approval process, meaning that potential bidders can plan strategically but also act as opportunities arise providing they meet with at least one of the current RE priorities:
There is much to celebrate within the UK’s university spinout sector. But could it do more? It is a timely question, given that the start of April marked the official launch of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), an amalgamation of the seven research councils, Innovate UK and Research England. With this, UK universities’ ability to turn research into innovation is once again under the spotlight.