Wednesday, 24 September 2025
The University of Nottingham 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 University of Nottingham’s 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 University of Nottingham 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 University of Nottingham continues to lead the way in knowledge exchange-locally, regionally and nationally.
Further information
KEF’s interactive website includes a dashboard where the University of Nottingham’s sector-leading performance can be viewed alongside those of other universities.
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 97 in the world and 17th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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