Knowledge Exchange matters in the House of Commons

March this year saw a gathering of leaders and policymakers in Knowledge Exchange (KE) at the House of Commons to discuss the role UK business schools play in supporting the growing KE agenda. This conversation builds on current research, funded by the Chartered ABS in partnership with Northumbria and Manchester Metropolitan Universities to develop transparency and a better understanding of the term KE amongst the business school community.

This roundtable event allowed the research team to gather important feedback on their preliminary findings and share insights on how KE is currently interpreted amongst the sectors, as well as opinions on policy relevance and direction. Principal Investigator Dr Padmali Rodrigo (Assistant Professor in Marketing, Northumbria University) described the event as an excellent opportunity for key stakeholders of UK business schools to come together to discuss the current challenges and untapped opportunities associated with knowledge exchange activities within the UK and beyond.

The event was the first of its kind and will open a dialogue between the business schools, policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a better informed KE strategies that recognise the unique, and both explicit and implicit knowledge exchange activities within business schools, that are often overlooked in current KE frameworks.

The roundtable highlighted :

• The need to create powerful knowledge exchange (KE)  narratives (as well as primary and secondary data) to highlight the unique benefits that business schools bring in terms of regional growth, creativity, innovation and experiential education.

• The current Knowledge Exchange Framework does not fully capture some of the primary KE activities that business schools deliver

• The importance of leadership in developing a business school oriented KE agenda, prioritising key values and behaviours of business schools

• The need for more awareness of different types of KE activities conducted within and across business schools and how that differs from that of other disciplines

• The need to recognise the diverse nature of the knowledge producers within business schools. The business

• Business schools take a regional approach and comprise staff from diverse local and international backgrounds. Thus, there is a need for more tailored and dedicated KE training

This was the second of two Round Table events. From here, the team will collect survey data  from business schools deans, academics and members of KE professional staff on their understanding of knowledge exchange activities before presenting their findings to the Chartered ABS in September 2024.

Principal Investigator: Dr Padmali Rodrigo (Northumbria University)

Co-Investigator: Professor Jennie Shorley (Manchester Metropolitan University

Co-Investigator: Dr Matt Sutherland (Northumbria University)