“These latest results are a welcome boost for all our work with our local partners"

The University of Sunderland has once again demonstrated its strength in driving economic growth, research innovation and business collaboration.

Following the publication of the latest Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) results by Research England, which primarily reflect activity during the three years from 2022/23 to 2024/25, the University has proven its impact as a force for positive change in the north-east.

The KEF assesses how universities across England work with businesses, public sector organisations and communities to generate economic and social benefit through research, innovation, skills development and partnerships.

The latest results highlight the University's outstanding contribution to regional development, with Sunderland achieving very high engagement in local growth and regeneration in the north-east, its strongest-performing category and significantly above the average performance of comparable institutions.

The results underline the University's role as a major anchor institution for the region, and a key factor in improving the prosperity of the area.

The University was also recognised for high engagement in both research partnerships and intellectual property (IP) and commercialisation, outperforming the average for its institutional cluster in both areas.

The results reflect the University's success in developing impactful research collaborations and translating innovation into tangible economic value.

Professor Jo Crotty, Pro Vice-Chancellor (PVC) Research and Innovation at the University, said: “These latest results are a welcome boost for all our work with our local partners, and a recognition of the continued importance of the University to the regional and national economy in line with our “society-shaping” mission.”

In research partnerships, Sunderland achieved particularly strong results for collaborative research income, demonstrating its ability to work effectively with external partners, to address real-world challenges, and deliver meaningful outcomes.

Meanwhile, its strong performance in IP and commercialisation highlights growing success in securing external investment, supporting innovation and creating opportunities for knowledge generated within the University to benefit businesses and the wider Sunderland and north-east communities.

The KEF results also recognised Sunderland's continued contribution to graduate entrepreneurship and professional development activities, with a medium engagement rating in continuing professional development (CPD) and graduate start-ups.

Research England's Knowledge Exchange Framework provides a sector-wide assessment of the ways universities share knowledge, expertise and innovation beyond academia. Rather than acting as a league table, it offers insight into how institutions contribute to the economy and society through partnerships, research collaboration, commercialisation and community engagement. For more information on the Knowledge Exchange Framework, visit Research England's KEF website, here.