Published: 01 Oct 2024 | Last Updated: 01 Oct 2024 09:38:47

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has achieved another set of strong results in the fourth iteration of the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF4), outperforming its peers in both research partnerships and collaborating with businesses.

The Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) assesses the different ways in which Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) work with external partners, from businesses to community groups, for the benefit of the economy and society. The KEF4 results are also a useful source of information for HEIs to better understand, benchmark and improve their own performance.

The RVC is categorised within the ‘STEM Cluster’ which groups specialist science, technology, engineering and mathematics institutions which often produce large amounts of quality research, particularly in bioscience, veterinary science and engineering.

The RVC was awarded the top two scoring categories for 9 of the 16 identified measures. Within the highest quintile (very high engagement) were research partnerships and working with businesses, exceeding the STEM cluster average. The RVC was also ranked as having high engagement in local growth and regeneration.

Jo Bailey, Head of Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation at the Royal Veterinary College, said:

“It is always pleasing to receive recognition for our collaboration with industry and other third sector partners through which we are ensuring the research undertaken here at the RVC has an impact worldwide.”

Professor Oliver Pybus, Vice Principal for Research and Innovation and Professor of Infectious Diseases said: 

“The results from the Knowledge Exchange Framework exercise for 2024 show that RVC researchers and staff continue to successfully apply their expertise to real-world problems.”

The RVC’s results highlight the emphasis the institution places on successfully translating clinical practice and research into new innovations and treatments. In 2022/23, the RVC reported £9.3m in Research and Innovation income and performance remains strong, with collaborative research grants and contracts projected to exceed this for the financial year 2023/24.

Additionally, the RVC’s wholly owned subsidiary company, London Bioscience Innovation Centre Ltd (LBIC), recently acquired the APEX building, providing an additional 37,000 sq ft of innovation space, bringing further industrial research collaboration opportunities to the RVC in the areas of animal-human healthcare.

For more information about KEF4, please visit – https://kef.ac.uk/

Notes to Editors

For media enquiries, please contact:

• Jasmin De Vivo jasmin.devivo@plmr.co.uk or rvc@plmr.co.uk
• Press Line: 0800 368 9520

About the RVC

• The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is the UK's largest and longest established independent veterinary school and is a Member Institution of the University of London. 
• It is one of the few veterinary schools in the world that hold accreditations from the RCVS in the UK (with reciprocal recognition from the AVBC for Australasia, the VCI for Ireland and the SAVC for South Africa), the EAEVE in the EU, and the AVMA in the USA and Canada. 
• The RVC is ranked as the top veterinary school in the world in the QS World University Rankings by subject, 2024. 
• The RVC offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing and biological sciences. 
• The RVC is a research-led institution, with 88% of its research rated as internationally excellent or world class in the Research Excellence Framework 2021. 
• The RVC provides animal owners and the veterinary profession with access to expert veterinary care and advice through its teaching hospitals and first opinion practices in London and Hertfordshire.