Oxford Brookes University’s successful work in commercialising its intellectual property (IP), predominantly through IP licensing but also through spinouts, has been ranked in the top 10% of English universities in the first Knowledge Exchange Framework results published yesterday [Wednesday 31 March] by Research England.
Oxford Brookes was placed in the top 40% for its research partnerships and for working with the public and third sector, and it was in the top 50% for working with business, recognising its strength in working with external organisations and contributing to the local economy.
Professor Linda King, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Global Partnerships at Oxford Brookes University said: “We welcome the first report on knowledge exchange activities in universities, which shows that Oxford Brookes is continuing its strong tradition of working closely with local partners and organisations.
"Our success in IP and commercialisation reflects how our research expertise is making a difference in the real world.”
Examples of successful spin-outs from Oxford Brookes University include Oxford Expression Technologies Ltd which is using its proprietary virus-based protein expression technology to help to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.
The latest spinout venture is MetaGuideX, an innovative cancer diagnostics company which won the 2020 Oxford Academic Health Science Network’s Accelerator programme.
The University works with a range of external partners on applying research and expertise to their businesses. For instance, Blenheim Palace engaged Oxford Brookes University’s Institute of Ethical AI to develop an AI-enabled, real-time visitor management system to enhance visitor experience and support business operations.
Knowledge exchange is a process which brings academics together with businesses, communities and the public, sharing expertise, research and experiences to increase the impact of research, and bring mutual benefits.
The Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) was developed by Research England to give information about university achievements in serving the economy and society to benefit the public, businesses and communities. The 2021 results are the first metrics to be published.
The KEF looks at seven areas of knowledge exchange, and for this assessment Oxford Brookes was placed in a cluster of 29 universities with a broad portfolio of expertise generating excellent research across all disciplines.
