Lancaster University has once again been recognised as one of the top universities in the UK for its strong partnerships with businesses and other organisations, as well as its focus on local growth and regeneration.

From its work with local government, the NHS and schools, to spin out companies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), charities and communities, the University has scored highly in the latest national Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) assessment.

The KEF is an annual evaluation by Research England that measures how universities engage with external partners to drive economic, environmental, and societal growth.

Lancaster’s work in this field encompasses a wide scope of activity, from work developing on next generation computer memory to projects supporting women experiencing the trauma of separation from their newborns.

Among some of Lancaster University’s top performing areas, ranked in the highest scoring category of ‘very high engagement’, were:

• Working with business
• Working with the public and third sector
• Local growth and regeneration

The University was also commended for its efforts in research partnerships, intellectual property (IP), and commercialisation, reinforcing its excellent reputation for knowledge exchange activities.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Andy Schofield said: “Lancaster University has, as one of its core values, the ambition to make a positive difference in the world. The results of the Knowledge Exchange Framework have provided us with an important platform to demonstrate our strengths in engagement and how we translate our research into tangible environmental, economic, and social impact – all thanks to the hard work of our valued partners, communities, and our remarkable academics and professional services staff.

“Engagement, education, research, are the foundations of our University Strategy, and our strong performance in the KEF is particularly noteworthy when viewed alongside our outstanding achievements in teaching and research. Together, these outcomes reinforce our consistent position among the top 15 UK universities in the major league tables and top 150 globally.

“We look forward to continuing our work with partners to drive innovation and economic prosperity for the region.”

The KEF, now in its fourth iteration, is one of three key measures of university performance, alongside the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and the Research Excellence Framework (REF). It highlights how universities like Lancaster play a vital role in supporting the economy, sharing knowledge, and addressing societal challenges through collaboration with external partners.

Connecting partnerships - making a difference

Examples of Lancaster’s work with partners and the community:

• The University’s Knowledge Transfer Partnerships facilitate innovation and empower partners and businesses to access cutting-edge research, technology, and expertise from Lancaster academics. Including the Engineering Department, who worked with Atkinson Vos, a specialist in all-terrain vehicles, to analyse performance which enabled a new design and manufacture of high-end bespoke products and parts.
• A report by London Economics found that Lancaster University’s research and knowledge exchange activities account for approximately £726 million of economic impact. And, knowledge exchange and commercialisation activities generated a total of £233 million of impact across the UK economy in 2021-22.
• Giving Hope is designed to support women who are separated from their baby close to birth due to safeguarding concerns. Co-produced with women who have been through this experience, the project centres around the provision of pairs of boxes containing items that keep connection between mum and baby and help mum cope with the trauma of separation. Since 2022, the initiative has delivered more than 1800 boxes to women and their babies in over 33 NHS hospitals, Trusts and centres of maternal and infant care since 2022 and will launch as a Community Interest Company spin out in Autumn 2024.
• Lancaster spin-out company Quinas whose universal computer memory ULTRARAM™ could lead to a more efficient, reliable and sustainable digital future. Invented by Lancaster Physics Professor Manus Hayne, it’s now working towards volume production, alongside partners.
• Nearly 1,000 people had their curiosity sparked at Campus in the City in 2024, a family-friendly festival aimed at sharing knowledge and bringing research to life through immersive, fun and hands-on activities - from a teddy bear hospital to a library escape room.
• You can find out more about Knowledge Exchange at Lancaster University here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/knowledge-exchange/
• For all the ways the University connects with businesses, schools, through public events and more, view our Connect pages: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/connect/
• The Knowledge Exchange Framework findings for all HEIs involved can be viewed here: https://kef.ac.uk/dashboard
• The KEF places each university into one of seven clusters. Lancaster is in Cluster X, a group of large, highly research-intensive and broad-discipline universities undertaking a significant amount of excellent research.
• Knowledge Exchange Framework results are sourced from a number of existing submissions including the Higher Education Business and Community Interaction survey (HE-BCIs), Innovate UK and the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data and other external data sources. These are supported by written narratives for the KEF perspectives of ‘Local Growth and Regeneration’ and ‘Public and Community Engagement’, alongside a wider institutional level narrative.