Excellent results for the RCA in the sixth Knowledge Exchange Framework

KEF6 results present universities’ performance, and allow benchmarking, within clusters across seven knowledge exchange categories including:

• CPD (Continuing Professional Development) and graduate start-ups
• Public and community engagement
• IP (Intellectual Property) and commercialisation
• Research partnerships
• Working with business
• Working with the public and third sector
• Local growth and regeneration

Building on excellent performances in KEF1, KEF2, KEF3, KEF4 and KEF5, RCA KEF6 results once again demonstrate the College's strength in knowledge exchange, maintaining the highest engagement scores within the areas of CPD (Continuing Professional Development) and Graduate Start-ups, Public and Community Engagement, and IP and Commercialisation. The RCA consistently remains above the Arts cluster average in the areas of Research Partnerships and Working with Business, and increased its score demonstrating high engagement in Working with the Public and Third Sector.

The Knowledge Exchange Framework is a landmark tool that helps universities and policymakers understand how higher education is driving forwards to achieve economic growth and societal benefit across England.

Now in its sixth year, KEF has proven to be a well-designed, resilient, and trusted framework, designed by Research England to shine a light on how different universities collaborate with businesses, communities, and public services. It enables institutions to track their progress, benchmark performance, and make smarter decisions about how they share knowledge and innovation with the world.

The Royal College of Art’s KEF6 results demonstrate the significant value that engaging with the UK's specialist creative institutions brings to partners in business and industry, the public sector and NGOs, and to local communities.

The full KEF dashboards are available at this link.

The case studies listed below represent a cross-section of knowledge exchange related projects that have been undertaken at the RCA:

The Royal College of Art views design thinking as a form of human-centred innovation that offers a different approach to problem solving. By reframing challenges from the user’s perspective, we incorporate empathy and real-world engagement with people’s lived experience.

This transformative course explores the art of combining rigorous research with creative design, learning how to unearth hidden opportunities and transform them into revolutionary products and services. This approach has been applied to the short course and to international masterclasses including in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, and is also explored in a free online IN SESSION talk this evening.

Founded in 2017 by aeronautical engineer and RCA graduate Ryan Mario Yasin, Petit Pli manufactures patented, origami-inspired clothing that expands across seven sizes to grow with children.

To explore scalable and sustainable production methods, Petit Pli partnered with the RCA on an Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) project, led by Dr Elif Ozden Yenigun. The partnership focused on adaptive knitting methods and technologies through material testing, digital prototyping, structural innovation, and manufacturing exploration. Innovation focused on advanced digital knitting and sustainable fibres to develop an innovative knitted system utilising Petit Pli's Knot-Tile® technology. The collaboration supported Petit Pli in being recognised with the 2025 Wandsworth Business Innovation Award and was published as an AKT case study on the InnovateUK website.

Commissioned by Wandsworth Council and the RCA as part of the Welcome to Wandsworth schools programme, Our Beautiful Neighbourhood set out to explore local biodiversity through visual art. A team of seven artists led creative workshops with over 50 primary, secondary and SEND classes between October 2025 and January 2026, engaging more than 1,300 children and young people. Pupils explored their local habitats, discovering the plants, animals and insects living alongside them, and developed observational skills through drawing and collage. Their work was brought to life in five public banner exhibitions, accompanied by an original sound piece and a downloadable colouring-in map. Over 700 pupils from 29 classes across Wandsworth participated in artist workshops at the Our Beautiful Neighbourhood exhibitions at Southside Shopping Centre, Putney Exchange, and Battersea Power Station.

Since 2022, the Royal College of Art (RCA) has been engaged in a transformational partnership with the CHANEL Next Prize biennial award. The partnership involved designing a tabletop sculpture awarded to pioneering artists who trailblaze creative practices and pathways. Led by Sarah Staton, Senior Tutor in Sculpture at the RCA, the awards for the CHANEL Next Prize 2022 and 2024 cohorts were designed by MA Sculpture students, who embraced their talents and creativity to design memorable awards. As part of the partnership, the RCA also hosted bespoke education programmes for the CHANEL Next Prize winners in 2022 and 2024.

Founded in 2022 by RCA graduate Arnau Donate (MA/MSc Global Innovation Design) and London Business School graduate Daniel McBride (MBA) and supported by InnovationRCA, Phare Labs is designed to bring safe, healthy air to every single home.

Today’s smoke alarms rely on technology from 1973. As a result, they miss nearly half of all fires, and, when they do go off, it’s a false alarm 3 out of 4 times. Missed fires and false alarms mean that smoke alarms put the very people they claim to protect at risk. Phare C1® is a smart smoke alarm that sounds for actual emergencies and nothing else. Its multi-sensor array spots fire and CO early and accurately and reduces false alarms. The device analyses data from the room using its detection algorithms and AI to identify fires faster, detect intruders (without using cameras) and make homes safer.