ÎÞÂ붯»­

University's commitment to business development highlighted in new knowledge exchange figures

Posted 23 September

An ongoing commitment by ÎÞÂ붯»­ to helping businesses tackle challenges is highlighted in today’s Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) figures.

For the past five years, KEF has provided a range of information on the ways Universities and other higher education providers undertake Knowledge Exchange – their work with partners such as businesses, community groups and more.

It measures the impact of this work, and how effective Universities like Harper Adams are when working with external partners.

ÎÞÂ붯»­ is part of KEF’s STEM cluster of specialist institutions covering science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The University has a long history of working with industrial partners to share its research and knowledge - and this year’s figures demonstrate the continuing success of this approach.

The latest KEF results show the university scoring maximum marks for very high engagement in the Working with Business category, significantly above the average for its STEM cluster - which sees most institutions achieving medium engagement.

The University also scores above the STEM cluster average in the local growth and regeneration metric – with a high engagement rating following recent developments such as its work with local businesses at as well as through departments such as Harper Food Innovation, the Harper Business School and the .

Director of Business Development and Knowledge Exchange, Alastair Dawes, said “Engaging our innovative staff and students with industrial partners sits at the centre of our university strategy.

“As Shropshire’s University, we’re proud that our work makes a measurable difference to our regional and national partners – including Telford & Wrekin and Shropshire Councils, as well as many businesses across the county and beyond.

“When we combine the expertise of that of external partners, the results are more than the sum of their parts – we’re supporting growth and helping them protect the planet for future generations, whether that's the work we're doing in our borough through ÎÞÂ붯»­ Telford, or the national and international work with major food retailers carried out by the School of Sustainable Food and Farming..

“We welcome these latest KEF results that clearly demonstrate our commitment to UK industry.”

In the five years since KEF was established, Harper Adams has seen significant growth in its Knowledge Transfer Partnerships with businesses not only in Shropshire, but across the country – and is looking to work with other firms to grow this work even further.

Head of Business Engagement, Philip O’Neill, added: “Since joining ÎÞÂ붯»­ earlier this year it has been eye-opening to see the breadth and depth of relationships the University has with our current industrial partners.

“As you might expect from a University which offers courses in everything from data science to mechanical engineering and from robotics to food science, we have the expertise to help solve challenges in a wide range of sectors – as today’s figures have demonstrated.

“So if your business is facing a challenge, get in touch with us on businessengagement@harper-adams.ac.uk – and find out how our innovative approaches could support you.”

To see the full tables for Harper Adams from today’s Knowledge Exchange Framework results,