The University has maintained its position in this year’s Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF4), reflecting its strong focus on business, practice and the professions
By Chris Lines (Senior Communications Officer), Published
City performed impressively in the fourth iteration of the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF4), which was released on Wednesday 18 September 2024.
Knowledge exchange (KE) is a process that brings together academic staff, users of research and wider groups and communities to exchange ideas, evidence and expertise.
While KE is often considered part of a university’s research activity, it includes a broad range of activities that share higher education knowledge and skills with those outside universities.
Those activities can include: partnerships between universities and major manufacturers; industry-related curriculum development; work placements for students; and graduate startups supported by incubator spaces at providers.
Strong commercialisation of IP
The commercialisation of the University’s intellectual property (IP) was once again its highest performing metric and was judged to have a ‘very high engagement’, putting City in the top 20 per cent of universities.
This was calculated by looking at the external investment of spinout firms that originated at City (and which have lasted for over three years), their turnover, and the amount of IP and licensing income arising from City’s research.
Elsewhere, City ranked well on metrics related to working with business, research partnerships, continued professional development (CPD) and graduate startups.
Reflecting on success
City’s good showing in the KEF shows that its academics engage widely beyond the institution with business, practice and the professions.
Ian Gibbs, Head of Academic Enterprise at City St George’s, University of London, said:
Dr Sionade Robinson, Vice-President (Enterprise, Engagement & Employability) at City St George’s, University of London, said:
The KEF plays a key role in providing unique and important public information on the rich and diverse ways English universities engage with society and the economy, locally, nationally, and internationally, in ways that benefit the public, business, and the community.
This fourth iteration of the framework continues the robust methodology used in KEF2 and KEF3, and incorporates the latest data to provide up-to-date performance results.
The KEF looks at performance through both type of university and type of knowledge exchange activity. Particular strengths of the KEF are in demonstrating the range of valuable activities universities conduct with external partners across seven perspectives of KE, and demonstrating the diversity of universities that deliver important activities for our economy and society.
City, University of London formally merged with St George’s, University of London on 1 August 2024, creating City St George’s, University of London, a powerful multi-faculty institution with a distinctive focus on professional education and research at the frontier of practice. The KEF4 results take into account the period prior to City, University of London and St George’s, University of London merging. Read more about the merger.
