Policy makers put a lot of effort into getting knowledge out of universities and into the real economy.
Knowledge exchange (KE) is measured in KEF, research impact is assessed in REF, and the government puts KE at the heart of moonshots, clusters, and every conceivable variation of innovation strategies.
Everybody anywhere near research policy recognises KE is a good thing. The problem is that it is easier said than done and even then the name is already a bit of a mouthful.
From local impact, to league tables, to funding, to winning political favour, there are lots of reasons why universities encourage KE but there are also lots of reasons why academics might choose to do something else.
