KEVRI set to launch software at upcoming PraxisAuril conference

Female-founded startup KEVRI is set to disrupt the higher education landscape by launching its new Knowledge Exchange (KE) reporting software at the annual PraxisAuril Conference on 6-8 June 2022.

Recording Knowledge Exchange (the myriad interactions between universities and external partners like businesses and the public) is currently a complicated and fragmented process that leads many organisations to under-report the impact of their partnerships with businesses, the public and third sectors, and local communities.

The KEVRI software comprises of two key elements:

• A KE tool which supports academics to match their activity to the most relevant fundraising framework and report the key attributes of their activity such as hours worked or organisations engaged.
  
• A reporting software which helps universities to analyse their institutional Knowledge Exchange performance and enhance reporting to funding and performance frameworks, like England’s Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF).

The KEVRI team supports the deployment of this platform through an onboarding and engagement programme to drive KE adoption whilst also showcasing success stories through its KEVRI Insight platform as part of its thought leadership approach in KE.

After a year of research to understand the challenges and requirements of universities, whilst being hosted in the Falmouth University Launchpad Venture Studio, KEVRI is now launching its web-based platform at the largest KE event of the year.

The KEVRI team has also completed its first phase of beta trials that granted 10 selected UK universities that return data to the HESA HE-BCI survey access to KEVRI’s unique software solution. The data returned to the HE-BCI survey subsequently drives their performance in the KEF and funding they can receive through England’s £250m Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF).

Beta testers include University of the Arts London (UAL) Director of Knowledge Exchange Alisdair Aldous and The University of Manchester Business Information Manager Lawrence Davies. York St John University Director of Business Development and Knowledge Exchange Marc Fleetham, and Knowledge Transfer Manager Michael Wilson.

With special thanks to Ravensbourne University London’s Research & Knowledge Exchange team and Northumbria University Newcastle Business School Associate Professor Dr Matthew Sutherland.

”Throughout this beta-test period we gained valuable feedback from Vice Chancellors, KE leads and academic staff that helped us shape our product around the needs of our university users. Now, we have the unique opportunity to showcase KEVRI’s latest release with increased analytics capabilities to conference attendees in Brighton,’’ said KEVRI CEO Natalie Campion.

Knowledge Exchange is an integral aspect of higher education, a process that KEVRI simplifies by making automatic connections between the KE activity and the various frameworks, saving KE practitioners and academic staff time, and allowing them to maximise the impact of their activities.

This year’s conference theme is ‘KE is a people business’. Post-covid, it is more important than ever to encourage KE engagement among university staff to help bring together distributed communities to share and exchange knowledge and to drive world-leading learning and innovation forward.

As PraxisAuril CEO Maxine Ficarra explains:

“I’m delighted that the KEVRI team are showcasing their work at the PrA conference in Brighton this year. With 400+ people already registered to attend, the conference will be the most significant opportunity in 2022 for sharing ideas and best practice with the KE sector and its stakeholders in the UK.

It’s particularly pleasing to be able to use PrA’s convening power and reach to shine a spotlight on the excellent innovations of companies with female founders.”

Oxentia, a leading innovation consultancy, is also supporting KEVRI to progress their unique Knowledge Exchange solution and develop a bespoke set of KEVRI impact metrics aligned to government research and educational goals.

This partnership supports KEVRI’s long term mission of improving how funding bodies and universities work together to enable a more coherent environment that facilitates increased innovation and celebrates KE successes.

Oxentia Principal Consultant Hamish McAlpine adds:

‘'I can see how KEVRI could provide not only a useful way for academic staff to capture their activity, but provide valuable additional information on previously under-recorded but vitally important work that universities do, especially when no money or contracts are involved.

It’s great to see KEVRI pushing the boundaries when it comes to KE data capture, with some really exciting future developments around, for example, student-led activity and ED&I, which are largely absent from the current datasets.’’

KEVRI will be exhibiting at Stand 12 the ‘Main Networking Hall’ at the PraxisAuril Conference 6-8 June 2022 in Brighton (UK).

They will also be presenting at the University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN) Conference in Amsterdam June 13-15.

If you wish to book a meeting with the team while attending either conference or you wish to find out more about how KEVRI can optimise your Knowledge Exchange capture and reporting, please contact KEVRI CMO Emily Devonald via emily.devonald@kevri.co.