Large post-92 universities significantly outperformed older research-intensive institutions in supporting economic growth and urban regeneration, results from the latest Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) show.
According to the fourth iteration of the KEF, which gathers data on how English universities engage with industry, the economy and society, modern universities with a broad disciplinary base performed in the highest quintile on measures related to regeneration and development.
Tables published on 18 September show that eight modern universities classed in category E – London South Bank University, Teesside University, the University of Central Lancashire, the University of the West of England, and the universities of Hertfordshire, Plymouth, Lincoln and Wolverhampton – were rated as having “very high engagement” on economic development and regeneration metrics.
By contrast, only two Russell Group institutions – the universities of Birmingham and Exeter – scored top marks in this category.
Other modern universities to score highest on regeneration include the universities of Derby, Falmouth and Suffolk, although several smaller research universities – including Hull, Leicester, Keele and Lancaster – also excelled.
The data on regeneration is taken from narratives submitted to Research England about their work with local communities, with institutions ranked by quintile rather than in a league table.
The strong KEF performance in this category follows a difficult recruitment period for medium- and low-tariff universities, which have seen entry numbers decline during clearing this summer as high-tariff universities continued to expand their intake.
Other areas assessed by Research England for the KEF include the work done by universities around intellectual property and commercialisation of research, partnerships with business and institutional success in supporting graduate start-ups.
It is the second year that comparative results on knowledge exchange have made available by Research England, designed to help universities improve.
Unlike the Research Excellence Framework, whose results influence the distribution of about £2 billion a year in research grants to universities, no research funding is currently attached to the KEF, although it is envisaged that this may happen in future.
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