PraxisAuril welcomes the government’s Innovation Strategy, launched on 22nd July by Secretary of State, Kwasi Kwarteng. The importance of Knowledge Exchange was demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic – notably in the vaccine development – and we are excited about the potential for growth and increased recognition of our community, building on the UK’s global reputation for KE.
We see this as an opportunity for PraxisAuril to strengthen our position as the voice of KE practitioners and will deepen our work with sector stakeholders to accomplish the strategy missions, improve understanding of KE challenges and opportunities, and bolster KE’s potential for place-based levelling up. We are proud of our members’ input to the Innovation Strategy via sector bodies such as the IPO and NCUB, through university mission groups, and in individual university representations. KE professionals have unique insight into ‘what works’ in collaboration and commercialisation and are constantly finding new ways to bring research into new contexts.
We also welcome the announcement of follow-on funding for many of the Research England Connecting Capability Fund (CCF) projects which demonstrate the power of collaboration for KE ‘upskilling’ and targeted problem solving. At the same time, Strength in Places funding is delivering a boost for place-based collaborations where KE will also be key to successful outcomes. Congratulations to all our members and their partners on securing these investments.
The Innovation Strategy emphasises the international context for innovation. PraxisAuril itself is part of a growing, global hub for KE with our members learning from and interacting with KE professionals from the USA, Australia, Europe and beyond. By convening KE conversations PraxisAuril will support the strategy by reducing complexity in the knowledge exchange environment for our members and those that want to understand more about KE’s role in R&D and innovation.
Our role now is to train and develop the next generation of KE professionals, signposting complimentary expertise, such as that provided by industry and sector-specific initiatives and groups. We will also continue to guide and shape the sector interaction with the KEF and KE Concordat, bringing together the views of KE professionals into a single, influential voice. We hope that this important aspect of our community can also help to support the government’s ambitions.
This strategy comes at an opportune time for PraxisAuril, as we celebrate our 20th anniversary in 2022. This will be a moment for reflection on how the KE environment has changed but equally one for looking forward to new challenges and opportunities.