Partnerships that drive innovation: reflections from KEUK 2026

Andrew Mackenzie, Director of Strategic Networks, NCUB

This was my first Knowledge Exchange UK Conference, a few months into a new job at NCUB, and the theme was 'Knowledge Exchange for the Future'. I had the privilege of helping to open the conference with remarks at the drinks reception, where I said that the word "future" was doing a lot of work. It sets a direction, but it also asks something of everyone in the room: what do we need to do differently? 

Our own session, a couple of days later, took that question on directly. Our CEO Joe Marshall opened with a framing I have heard versions of before but rarely put so plainly. The UK's research and innovation base is strong. But the partnerships that should be turning it into growth, productivity and resilience are not keeping pace. 

Four people who have tried to make partnerships work then talked about what that takes. 

Angelo Spencer-Smith from Innovate UK Business Growth took us through a partnership NCUB’s Konfer supported with Eden Geothermal, which is a good example of brokering done deliberately, around a defined problem, with the right infrastructure behind it. It reframed what finding a partner can mean when the system around it is working properly. 

Elin Lloyd Jones from Cardiff University brought a decade of business engagement and made the point that stayed with me most, which is how much of this work is carried by individuals who have spent years building trust that no policy or platform can create quickly. 

Colin Stakem from Cardiff Capital Region argued that the bilateral university-business deal is the wrong unit to be looking at. The model he is building across the Cardiff region starts with a problem the region actually has, then works out which institutions, companies and public bodies need to be around it. That is the reverse of starting with two organisations and looking for something for them to do together, and it is a harder thing to run. He was clear it only holds because of the KE professionals on the ground who turn it into real relationships. 

Tia Khan from City St George's talked about how NCUB's konfer platform has changed the day-to-day work of her team. Her point was that tools only do anything when skilled people are using them. 

What also came through the discussion was that many potentially valuable collaborations never get started because universities and businesses struggle to find one another. For businesses, particularly SMEs, understanding where relevant expertise sits within the research base can be a challenge. For universities, identifying organisations with a clear innovation need is not always straightforward. Tools that improve visibility across the innovation ecosystem can help address this discovery challenge, making it easier for organisations to move from an initial idea or problem to a meaningful conversation and, ultimately, a partnership. 

Our job at NCUB is to create the conditions where that happens more often, so that businesses find out what the research base can do for them, universities get a clearer view of what industry needs, and policymakers hear both. 

I asked at the start of the conference what we need to do differently. In our session, four people talked us through what they are already doing about it. If you were in the session and want to carry the conversation on, do get in touch.