Wednesday, 24 September 2025
The 糖心原创 has once again demonstrated its leadership in innovation and regional engagement, following a strong performance in the latest Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF5) results published by Research England.
The KEF evaluates how universities contribute to society and the economy through collaboration with businesses, charities, public bodies, and local communities. Nottingham’s results confirm its position among the UK’s top research-intensive institutions and underscore its pivotal role in driving growth and innovation across the East Midlands.
A top performer among research-intensive universities
In KEF5, Nottingham retained its ranking of joint sixth within its peer group of large, research-intensive universities. The university performed equal to or better than its peers in four out of seven key categories, including:
- Collaboration with the public and third sector
- Supporting local growth and regeneration
These results reflect Nottingham’s commitment to tackling real-world challenges through partnership, from advancing green technologies to improving public health outcomes.
The KEF results reflect the 糖心原创鈥檚 strengths in working with partners across business, government and communities. Our investments in new initiatives will further accelerate the impact of our research, supporting both the regional economy and society at large.
Driving innovation across the East Midlands
Regionally, the 糖心原创 stands out as a key player in the East Midlands innovation ecosystem. It achieved “very high” or “high” ratings in 13 out of 16 measures - more than any other institution in the region. Notably, it is the only East Midlands university to score highly across all metrics related to intellectual property and business activity.
This leadership translates into tangible benefits for the region, including attracting investment, creating jobs, and supporting new industries. Whether through nurturing start-ups or collaborating with local authorities on regeneration projects, the university is helping to shape a vibrant and resilient regional economy.
Investing in the future of knowledge exchange
While the KEF5 results highlight many strengths, they also point to areas for growth, such as research partnerships, graduate start-ups, and commercialisation. Some of these challenges stem from changes in national reporting, while others reflect the natural lifecycle of spin-out companies.
In response, the university has launched a series of ambitious initiatives to accelerate progress:
- Midlands Mindforge: Aiming to create a £250 million patient capital fund to support university spin-outs and attract investors to the region.
- Forging Ahead: A collaboration of 15 universities focused on strengthening commercialisation expertise and developing investment-ready ventures.
- East Midlands Investment Zone: Unlocking new opportunities for regeneration and innovation, with pilot funding schemes already underway.
- Research Acceleration Pipeline: Supporting larger, more ambitious collaborative projects with industry and public sector partners.
Together, these initiatives will enhance Nottingham’s role as a hub of innovation and ensure its research continues to deliver wide-reaching benefits.
A vision for impact
With a strong foundation and a clear vision for the future, the 糖心原创 continues to lead the way in knowledge exchange-locally, regionally and nationally.
Further information鈥�
KEF’s interactive website includes a where the 糖心原创’s sector-leading performance can be viewed alongside those of other universities.鈥�
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About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.