Knowledge Exchange Principles

The principles for knowledge exchange expand on and complement the Research Councils UK Mission and Statement of Expectation on Economic and Societal Impact. They provide clarity for researchers and research organisations on the RCUK position on intellectual property and asset management.

Research Councils UK:

• Support for knowledge exchange aims to deliver the widest range of benefits to the UK economy and society from the excellent research, people and facilities they fund.
• Recognise that it is important to capture the outputs, outcomes and impact of the research they fund so as to demonstrate the wider value and benefit of these outcomes to the UK society and economy.
• Acknowledge that knowledge exchange encompasses complex and diverse activities which can deliver economic and societal benefits over varying timescales. Therefore a broad range of knowledge exchange pathways and support models are necessary to facilitate the two-way exchange of knowledge between academia and research users in business, public and the third sectors. This may also include knowledge exchange between academic disciplines where such multi/cross-discipline activities form part of the critical pathway towards achieving economic and societal impact.
• Recognise that knowledge exchange between academia and public policy and third sectors is central to delivering key societal and cultural benefits and is unlikely to lead to immediate or direct economic benefits.
• Recognise that in most cases the host Research Organisation identifies and manages the intellectual assets arising from research funded by the Research Councils. In seeking to take forward research outcomes it is essential to take into account user needs and all the intellectual assets associated with research activity that are of potential benefit in any form. This includes identifying and managing intellectual property, which can be central to delivering commercial benefit from research outcomes in certain sectors.
• Expect the host Research Organisation to take effective decisions about intellectual asset management that deliver the most benefit to society and the economy. This will include recognising circumstances where the publication of research outcomes or free dissemination to users might be the most effective approach. This includes managing and maximising the benefits of relevant intangible intellectual assets such as people, technology, knowledge, processes and procedures. Further information is available within the Research Councils open access position statements.
• Encourage Research Organisations to seek opportunities for sharing or combining intellectual assets to maximise the potential of delivering benefits.
• Accept that not all research will have direct or immediate practical application and expect the primary criterion for RCUK funding to be excellent research. However, the Councils encourage researchers at the application stage to consider actively how they will achieve excellence with impact and to consider potential pathways for realising impacts. The Councils recognise that impacts can manifest at any stage in the research and project life cycle and beyond, and can often stem from unexpected or unintended activities. Further information is available within the Research Councils guidance for Pathways to Impact .
• Will continue to work together to provide a wide variety of accessible and flexible knowledge exchange support mechanisms to generate economic and societal benefits. The Research Councils will liaise with key stakeholders and will review knowledge exchange mechanisms and commission relevant studies to ensure that they are fit for purpose and meet the range of complex needs of research users.
• Expect that researchers who undertake knowledge exchange should be incentivised through recognition and reward by their host Research Organisation and the research community.
• Expect the Research Organisations they fund to have a strategy and vision for knowledge exchange within the context of their diverse missions, areas of research and user communities.