Top marks for university’s efforts at commercialisation
The latest Knowledge Exchange Framework rating has highlighted the University of Manchester’s efforts in helping transform ground-breaking research into commercial opportunities.
The university has achieved the highest possible score for its work with intellectual property and commercialisation, research partnerships and public and community engagement in the latest Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) rating by Research England.
The KEF is an annual assessment by Research England of the ways English universities engage with society and the economy, locally, nationally, and internationally. This is the third set of ratings, known as KEF3.
From 2019, The University of Manchester’s research commercialisation has been undertaken by the Innovation Factory, the evolution of the university’s IP licensing and spin-out activities, known as UMIP previously.
The Innovation Factory’s core mission is to use the IP developed at the university to create positive social, economic, and environmental impact.
This year, the university achieved the maximum possible rating of very high engagement for intellectual property and commercialisation.
The achievements of the university’s Innovation Factory in licensing, intellectual property income, investment and turnover of spin-outs, maintains Manchester’s performance as a leading university for creating new businesses from research and other activity.
Additionally, in both research partnerships and public and community engagement, Manchester was equally highly rated.
Andrew Wilkinson, Innovation Factory CEO, said: “KEF3 demonstrates that the Innovation Factory at The University of Manchester is commercialising IP-rich research with real world benefits to society and the economy.
“We strive to have a truly global reach to ensure the technology and innovations coming from Manchester positively impact the lives of people around the world.”
Prof Luke Georghiou, deputy President and deputy Vice-Chancellor, said: “Knowledge exchange is a core priority for The University of Manchester.
“We shall continue to ensure that our research, teaching and social responsibility activities benefit the economy and society at local, national and global level.”
