The inaugural Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) has been developed to assess the interaction of England’s HEIs with business and the public, through seven key indicators. It sits alongside the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) as England’s third pillar of university assessment.
ARU’s results demonstrate its significant contribution to economic, social and cultural wellbeing in the Eastern region and across the UK. A Government report published last year confirmed that ARU provides more graduates for the region than any other university.
In the new KEF, ARU was also ranked in the top 30% of HEIs for its research partnerships, and in the top 40% (self-assessed) for public and community engagement – an area that will be further advanced by ARU’s new university-wide public engagement strategy, to be implemented later this year.
Professor Yvonne Barnett, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at ARU, said: “The Knowledge Exchange Framework showcases a diverse picture of the tremendous work HEIs do regionally, nationally and internationally.
“ARU has worked particularly hard over recent years to embed a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship into everything we do, and we are delighted to see this reflected in the KEF.
“The KEF also gives a strong picture of how we engage in our local area and contribute to our local communities and economies, particularly through supporting the development of small and medium sized businesses.
“We are proud of our staff, who are helping to transform lives through entrepreneurial education, supporting career development, local growth and regeneration in the cities and the region which we serve.
“Through the development of powerful external partnerships with many different organisations, individuals and communities, our staff and students have delivered impactful research and innovation in support of their needs and priorities.
“We will be able to further develop our impacts in these important areas of our civic mission through the new ARU Peterborough campus, due to open in September 2022.”