Funding for knowledge exchange - Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF)

We provide funding for knowledge exchange (Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF)) to support and develop a broad range of knowledge-based interactions between universities and colleges and the wider world, which result in economic and social benefit to the UK.

Knowledge exchange funding for 2011 to 2015

Allocations are performance based, and institutions are eligible to receive an allocation if they exceed a £250,000 allocation threshold related to their external income earnings and performance of the sector overall. Final funding allocations for this period and a request for institutional knowledge exchange strategies were published in May 2011.

Knowledge-exchange strategies were assessed by Public and Corporate Economic Consultants (PACEC) over the summer of 2011, and following HEFCE review, funding was confirmed to all 99 eligible institutions in Autumn 2012.

‘Strengthening the Contribution of English Higher Education Institutions to the Innovation System: knowledge exchange and HEIF funding’, an overview research report from PACEC which draws on the evidence from the strategies was published on April 2012 and is available on the PACEC web-site.

Read the executive summary of the overview report

Download the Strengthening the Contribution of English Higher Education Institutions to the Innovation System: knowledge exchange and HEIF funding as PDF (822 KB)

A group of knowledge exchange experts from HEFCE, industry, BIS, RCUK, Technology Strategy Board and enterprise bodies recommended a number of individual strategies and partnerships for commendation for good practices.

Download all 99 knowledge exchange strategies

Download the All 99 strategies as zip (6,057 KB)

The overview report and contributions of the HE sector to economic growth (including the commended strategies) were discussed at the Higher Education Institutions and the Innovation Ecosystem event at the Big Innovation Centre on Monday 30 April 2012.