Quick Guide

What is the HE-BCI survey?

Ever wondered what HE-BCI stands for or the role it plays within your KE project? Find out from this quick KEVRI guide.

KEVRI Staff

KEVRI Staff

— 2 min read
What is the HE-BCI survey?
How are university business and community interactions collated via the HE-BCI survey? Img Source: LI Sales Solutions/Unsplash

You may have heard the term 'HE-BCI' while planning or carrying out your Knowledge Exchange (KE) project. But do you know what it stands for? The quick guide below highlights the role HE-BCI plays within the KE sector.

What does HE-BCI stand for?
The Higher Education Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) survey.

What is the HE-BCI?
In short, it is an annual statutory return which all UK Higher Education Institutions are required to submit to the Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA). It has been running since 1999.

What data does the HE-BCI collect?
This annual return collates financial and output data related to Knowledge Exchange each academic year.

The HE-BCI also provides information on a range of activities, such as:

  • Business and public or third sector involvement in research
  • Consultancy and the commercialisation of intellectual property
  • Provision of continuing professional development and continuing education courses
  • Provision of (for example) lectures, exhibitions and other cultural activities

Research England (part of UK Research and Innovation- UKRI) also uses elements of the data to inform the allocation of the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) and the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF). If you wish to view past HE-BCI Survey results, click here.

Lectures, exhibitions and continuing education courses are just a handful of activities that the HE-BCI provides information on. Img Source: Unsplash/ LI Sales Solutions

HE-BCI Review

The HE-BCI survey is currently under major review to help outline and define the features of Knowledge Exchange (KE) across the higher education sector.

As HESA Lead Policy & Research Analyst Hannah Browne outlines in her recent blog entry, this work has included initial engagement with a variety of stakeholders, statutory customers and user groups all representing diverse interests in the HE-BCI data collection and the KE ecosystem it represents.

''The review will soon be entering a phase of consultation in which we will welcome engagement from a diverse range of KE practitioners, academics and researchers. Opportunities to interact with the review and provide feedback will include published online consultation exercises, interactive sessions, a HESA-led academic symposium and HESA attendance at external KE events.''

If you want to interact with the review and provide feedback on HE-BCI data collection, you can do so at the upcoming event the International Entrepreneurship Educators Conference (IEEC) during 7-9 September 2022 at Swansea University, Wales.

HESA also encourages professionals from across the higher education sector to share their thoughts on how HE-BCI dataset can best reflect the range of provider contributions to KE, Research and Development and innovation across the UK.  

To do so, reach out via liaison@hesa.ac.uk or via Twitter and LinkedIn.

And if you've ever wondered how to pronounce the term HE-BCI, here's some bonus content!

               Discover more Quick KEVRI Guides here!

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