The Royal College of Art (RCA) has announced outstanding results in the sixth iteration of Research England’s Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF6). This framework assesses the performance of Higher Education Providers from various perspectives, including Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and graduate start-ups, public and community engagement, intellectual property (IP) and commercialisation, research partnerships, working with business, working with the public and third sector, and local growth and regeneration.
Building on previous successes, the KEF6 results reaffirm the College's strength in knowledge exchange. The RCA maintained the highest engagement scores in CPD and Graduate Start-ups, Public and Community Engagement, and IP and Commercialisation. Furthermore, the institution consistently remains above the Arts cluster average in Research Partnerships and Working with Business, and has increased its engagement score in Working with the Public and Third Sector.
The Knowledge Exchange Framework serves as a vital tool for universities and policymakers to understand how higher education drives economic growth and societal benefit across England. Now in its sixth year, KEF is recognised as a well-designed and trusted framework by Research England, highlighting institutional collaborations with businesses, communities, and public services to foster knowledge sharing and innovation.
The RCA's KEF6 results highlight the substantial value that engagement with specialist creative institutions brings to partners in business, industry, the public sector, NGOs, and local communities. The full KEF dashboards are available online.
Among the case studies presented is Design Thinking & Innovation in Practice, a transformative course that reframes challenges from a user's perspective, incorporating empathy and real-world engagement. This approach has been applied to short courses and international masterclasses, including in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, and was also explored in a recent online talk.
In Research Partnerships, the case of Petit Pli, a company founded by RCA graduate Ryan Mario Yasin, showcases patented, origami-inspired clothing. A partnership with the RCA on an Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) project focused on adaptive knitting methods, material testing, and digital prototyping, supporting Petit Pli in receiving the 2025 Wandsworth Business Innovation Award.
Under Public and Community Engagement, Our Beautiful Neighbourhood, commissioned by Wandsworth Council and the RCA, explored local biodiversity through visual art. Creative workshops led by seven artists engaged over 1,300 children and young people across Wandsworth, with their work exhibited publicly.
The partnership with CHANEL Next Prize, a biennial award for pioneering artists, involved the RCA in designing the award sculpture. Led by Sarah Staton, Senior Tutor in Sculpture at the RCA, MA Sculpture students designed the awards for the 2022 and 2024 cohorts, with bespoke education programmes also hosted for the winners.
In Intellectual Property and Commercialisation, Phare Labs, founded by RCA graduate Arnau Donate and London Business School graduate Daniel McBride, aims to improve home safety with its smart smoke alarm, Phare C1®. This device uses advanced detection algorithms and AI to identify fires and CO early, while reducing false alarms.
