The results demonstrate the University’s sustained high engagement in research partnerships and local growth, alongside growth in intellectual property (IP) and commercialisation.
Published annually, the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) assesses how effectively universities share their knowledge, expertise, and research with businesses, public services, and communities. Institutions are grouped into clusters with similar characteristics, allowing their knowledge exchange (KE) performance to be compared with that of similar universities.
Professor George Talbot, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at Edge Hill University, said:
“The KEF 6 results represent a very gratifying recognition of Edge Hill’s Knowledge Exchange performance over the last few years. We are witnessing an increasing convergence of the KE and research impact agendas at national level.
“Alongside that, we have increased our focus on working with SMEs, endorsed by the Small Business Charter, and CPD activity, especially in the Education and Healthcare sectors. These positive results reward a lot of hard work by colleagues from across the University that we are proud of.”
KEF 6 confirms research partnerships as a particular strength for Edge Hill. Between 2021/22 and 2024/25, the University’s research income has increased by 77% – the third-fastest growth among institutions in KEF Cluster J. This also sits significantly above the cluster average of 38%.
This growth reflects the University’s collaborative approach to research, bringing together academic expertise and external partners to develop new knowledge, support innovation, and address challenges across business, public services, and society.
Chris Hughes, Director of the Research Office at Edge Hill University, said:
“These are very encouraging results, demonstrating the success of our approach to collaborative and applied research with our non-academic partners. We work closely and flexibly with partners, ensuring that our research addresses their priorities and makes an impact on some of the UK’s most pressing challenges.”
The results also confirm Edge Hill’s high engagement in local growth and regeneration, recognising its contribution to programmes that support business performance, productivity, and economic development across the region.
A key part of this work is delivered through the Productivity & Innovation Centre (PIC), part of the University’s Business School. Research-informed and impact-driven, the PIC supports organisations to address strategic, operational and tactical challenges, including start-up and scale-up, productivity, service delivery and digital transformation. Through regionally and government-funded business support, the PIC has contributed an estimated £85 million in economic impact since 2017.
Michael Banford, Associate Director of the Productivity & Innovation Centre, said:
“These results reflect Edge Hill University’s strong commitment to supporting regional economic growth by connecting our academic expertise with the real-world challenges facing businesses. The impact of the Productivity & Innovation Centre demonstrates how research-informed, collaborative business support can deliver tangible economic benefits, helping businesses become more innovative, productive and competitive while contributing to the long-term prosperity of our region.”
Edge Hill has also improved its performance in IP & Commercialisation, moving from low engagement in KEF 5 to medium engagement in KEF 6. This progress reflects work to identify, protect, and commercialise intellectual property arising from the University’s research, helping promising ideas and evidence-based approaches reach the people and organisations that can benefit from them.
Looking ahead, the University will build on its established strengths in research partnerships and regional growth while developing new opportunities to share its expertise, support student, and graduate enterprise, and create commercial opportunities from its research, facilities, and specialist knowledge.
Professor Talbot added:
“KEF 6 gives us a strong platform from which to build. Our ambition is to develop more high-quality partnerships and ensure our research and expertise continue to deliver tangible benefits for businesses, public services, and communities. By working together across the University and with our partners, we can extend our impact and create new opportunities for the future.”
Find out more about opportunities to take part in Knowledge Exchange with Edge Hill University.
October 15, 2026
