The KE concordat has been created to
facilitate the development, enhancement and transparency of the wide range of
knowledge exchange activities performed by universities and other providers of
higher education and research (HEPs) and support the partnerships integral to
success. It is being implemented by the sector for the sector, recognising that
autonomous higher education providers play a critical role in KE policy and
practice. It is developed with the recognition of the needs of relevant
external partners, government and funders, and implementation is supported by
the UK higher education funding bodies (UK HEFBs).
The concordat is designed to:
- give universities, other higher
education providers and research institutions, along with their staff and
students, a clarity of mission and support for the KE activities they perform
- give partners an accurate
representation of the approach that individual organisations are taking to KE
- provide clear indicators of their
approaches to performance improvement
- encourage organisations to work
together to strengthen KE practices across the sector and to deliver KE when
appropriate
- give governing bodies and
governments broad confidence in the activity that is taking place
The concordat sets out possible routes to good
practice in processes and approaches that would enable universities to fulfill a
KE role whether across the whole spread of their disciplines or for specific
activities and relationships.