As we start the new calendar year, what does it hold for knowledge exchange and KE professionals? We asked our Head of Policy & Governance, Tamsin Man.
1. Politics:
The prospect of a general election in 2024 will keep all parts of the sector on its toes, creating uncertainty around funding settlements, policy directions, and departmental leadership. Uncertainty does not make for easy decision making in a climate where finances are stretched and investors and collaborators are also likely to be more risk averse. This could affect KE pipelines including for new venture investment and scale up – two particular targets for the current government. One certainty? That there will be no shortage of hot topics at PraxisAuril’s Annual Conference in June!
2. Policy:
There is unlikely to be any let-up in the pressure to deliver more spinouts, attract more investment for innovative companies, or deepen and broaden the academic founder base. The Spinouts Review has just got going in 2024 as TenU delivers on recommendations to provide a ‘USIT’ guide for software spinouts, and sector stakeholders double-down on providing commercialisation evidence and data. And no discipline is left behind in the commercialisation pursuit as social enterprise and social value models offer alternatives to the traditional spinout route, making ‘sustained commercialisation’ more palatable to AHSS but also offering STEM disciplines a different commercialisation future – a hot topic for the PrA/ESRC CoP.
3. Positivity:
In spite of – or perhaps because of – all this uncertainty, not to mention the extreme challenges we face on many environmental and humanitarian fronts, KE matters more than ever to our research environment; to tackle shared ‘Grand Challenges’, to bring more private investment into the research base, to provide more R&D partners for companies that need a competitive edge or a new market, and to boost knowledge economies locally and regionally by retaining talent (skilled graduates) and attracting investment.
4. People and culture:
PrA members are an integral part of the Research & Innovation workforce and KE now a key part of university missions. 2024 will see the next phase of the KE Concordat launched, ensuring that the how and why of KE is just as important as the ‘what’ and the ‘how much’ – and feels relevant across internal and external KE audiences to create an inclusive KE culture. This means bringing REF and KEF (KE Framework) conversations together to understand key overlaps, dependencies and opportunities.
5. Professionalism:
Supporting our members to do their job is our number one priority, and making the UK’s association for KE ready to launch is our own objective for 2024. This means a new look and feel to deliver the professional resources our members need. Our aim is to give access to KE skills and knowledge to face the challenges ahead, and a clear point of contact into the KE community for our many stakeholders as well as those just getting started on their KE journey. It’s not too late to tell us what you need from your national association through our member survey!
