Last night, the KE community came together to honour the remarkable individuals, initiatives and organisations making a difference across the UK, celebrating excellence in knowledge exchange and recognising the work that drives impact and innovation every day, as the KE Awards winners 2025 were revealed.
This year’s celebration took place at The Lowry in Salford, offering an inspiring setting for the occasion. The event opened with a drinks reception in the Gallery, where delegates were invited to explore the surrounding artwork while networking with peers from across the sector. The awards ceremony itself was held in the iconic Compass Room, with panoramic views overlooking Salford Quays, creating a memorable setting befitting the achievements being recognised.
From groundbreaking commercial partnerships to powerful community-led initiatives, each winning project demonstrated the transformative power of knowledge exchange in delivering meaningful impact.
Judging highlights and public engagement
Our Judging Panel were, once again, impressed by the exceptional quality, ambition, and diversity of entries across eight award categories, with the KE Awards winners 2025 showcasing the very best of knowledge exchange across the UK. In total, 27 outstanding teams and initiatives were shortlisted as finalists, reflecting the vibrancy and depth of talent across the sector.
The Public Vote category proved particularly popular this year, with over 1,800 votes cast. The enthusiastic response highlights the strong engagement and support for knowledge exchange initiatives from the wider community.
We are delighted to announce that the KE Awards winners 2025 were:
- Place-Based Initiative: HyDEX – kickstarting the Midlands’ hydrogen economy | Energy Research Accelerator (ERA) – based at the University of Nottingham
- Strategic Partnership: Shaping Landscapes for People and Nature to Thrive: A Strategic Partnership | University of Exeter and the National Trust
- Commercialisation Initiative: Entropyst | University of Strathclyde
- Impact-led Initiative: Advancing Health Together: The SHARE Collaborative’s inclusive response to the mpox outbreak | Queen Mary University of London
- Advancing KE Culture: Improving KE culture through a programme of professional development | University of the Arts London
- KE Team: The UK Knowledge Exchange Hub for Mathematical Sciences | National distributed organisation, presently hosted virtually by Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge
- Sector Collaboration: NW CyberCom: Accelerating Cyber Security Sector Innovation Through University Collaboration | Lancaster University, University of Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Manchester, University of Liverpool, University of Lancashire, Lead Plexal, and CRSI
- Public Vote: The Science Behind a Happy Horse: A strategic partnership for equine welfare & educational equality | Nottingham Trent University and The British Horse Society
Commenting on the success of the evening, Stuart Wilkinson, CEO of Knowledge Exchange UK, said:
The KE Awards demonstrate the extraordinary power of collaboration between academia, industry, and communities. Each finalist and winner represents not only excellence in their field, but also a shared commitment to ensuring that knowledge exchange delivers real, lasting impact. Nights like this give us a glimpse of what is happening across the UK and just how vibrant, innovative, and essential knowledge exchange is.
Thank you to our Supporters and Sponsors
We would like to thank our overarching supporter UK Research and Innovation, our headline sponsor Anchored In, and our category sponsors Beauhurst, Withers & Rogers, TenU, and Oxentia. Their ongoing commitment helped bring this celebration to life and ensured we could shine a light on the people and partnerships making knowledge exchange happen every day.
Huw Vasey, on behalf of Oxentia, sponsor of the Advancing KE Culture category, said:
We are delighted to be presenting this year’s award for Advancing KE Culture at the KEUK Awards. Building a positive culture in KE is vital to the success of getting research out into the wider world to make a positive difference to our everyday lives. It is heartening to see the quality of this year’s finalists and know that, despite the challenges the sector is currently facing, the KE community remains innovative and vibrant.
Hear directly from Ian Tracey, CEO of Anchored In, as he reflects on the importance of knowledge exchange, collaboration and AnchoredIn’s continued commitment to supporting the sector.
Closing remarks
We would like to congratulate everyone who submitted an entry, as well as all our finalists and winners, whose dedication and passion continue to move the knowledge exchange sector forward. We look forward to celebrating even more achievements at next year’s event and thank everyone who joined us for this truly unforgettable evening.