KEF celebrates the role UWL plays in helping deliver local, national and international priorities through collaboration with businesses, communities, the third sector, public sector and individuals outside of Higher Education. 

KEF does not just allow universities to understand their own performance. It also provides businesses and other interested parties with more information about how to access world-class knowledge and expertise from English providers of higher education. 

UWL is among the best in its peer group among 18 other universities ‘Cluster M’ peer group: 

• Top of our cluster with ratings of 'high' or 'very high' across Local growth and regeneration and Research partnerships
• Above each cluster average in all other areas, including 'IP and commercialisation', 'CPD and graduate start-ups', 'working with business', 'working with the public and third sector', and 'public and community engagement' 

UWL also chooses to apply dynamic comparative performance analysis against our next available cluster, and we are pleased to announce similarly strong results against ‘Cluster J’: 

• Exceeding or equal to ‘Cluster J’ average across all perspectives, and exceeding on 3/7 perspectives across research partnerships, local growth and regeneration and IP and commercialisation 

The fourth iteration of the Knowledge Exchange Framework is underpinned by robust data collected by universities from August 2020 to July 2023. 

Provost & Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Anthony Woodman explained,

The KEF highlights the importance of the work we do, demonstrating significant improvements for UWL across a number of perspectives and evidences the breadth of our activities that help serve the economy and society, for the benefit of the public, business and communities. KEF4 showcases our impactful activities across several areas, with particularly strong results this year across research partnerships and local growth and regeneration. 

By harnessing our expertise, these collaborations with non-HE partners deliver meaningful economic and social benefit. We are proud to add our growing strength in Knowledge Exchange to our list of achievements.”

• Learn more about the Knowledge Exchange Framework
• Find out more about Knowledge Exchange at UWL