UCL has again performed strongly in Research England's Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF), maintaining its position as a leading university for knowledge exchange.
The KEF looks at the wide range of activities that higher education institutions undertake with external partners for the benefit of society and the economy.
These activities include partnering with industry, businesses and the public and third sectors, as well as commercialising research through spinout businesses, licensing intellectual property and nurturing student entrepreneurship.
This year, UCL scored in the highest band in the areas of Intellectual Property (IP) and commercialisation, research partnerships, working with business and working with the public and third sector.
Professor Geraint Rees, UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement) said: "UCL has consistently performed well in KEF and I'm delighted to see us retain our leading position this year. Our breadth and depth as one of the leading universities in the country allows us to deliver knowledge exchange at scale. From providing policy makers with unbiased expert advice to developing highly effective new treatments for cancer patients, UCL creates innovations and ideas that impact and boost our society and economy.
"Many congratulations to our staff, our students and graduates, and to the businesses, governments and other partner organisations and investors that we collaborate with."
IP and commercialisation
Over the last five years, 51 spinouts were started at UCL through UCL Business (UCLB), the university's commercialisation company. Collectively they have raised over £2.9 billion in investment and currently employ over 2,200 people, making UCL third in the UK for attracting external investment.
In addition to creating spinouts, UCL supports academics to license ground-breaking technologies for commercial development and manufacture. A revolutionary gene therapy treatment for people with haemophilia A, developed at UCL and licensed to BioMarin Pharmaceuticals Inc., is offering adults with the disease a one-off, life-changing treatment instead of regular injections previously required to manage the disorder.
The treatment, Roctavian, is the first ever gene therapy for adults with severe haemophilia A to be approved by the United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA), following a similar approval in 2022 by the European Commission.
Entrepreneurial community
UCL's thriving entrepreneurial community produces startups that attract millions of pounds of investment, creating jobs and spearheading innovation that boosts the UK economy. Over the last five years more than 335 new student startups were created at UCL. Collectively they have raised over £327 million in external investment and currently employ over 2,000 people.
For example, UCL startup BoxxDocks, co-founded by alumnus James Della Valle (BSc Architecture 2020 and MSc Architecture, 2023) and Alessandro Attanzio, was supported by UCL Innovation & Enterprise through the Hatchery incubator programme at BaseKX, UCL's dedicated entrepreneurship hub in Kings Cross.
BoxxDocks integrates advanced tracking technology into reusable packaging to help businesses boost their efficiency while lowering costs and environmental impact. The startup recently partnered with leading pharmaceutical distributor Sigma Pharmaceuticals to further develop its offer and expand into multiple sectors.
