IIB Team wins at KE Awards 2020

University of Exeter’s Cornwall IIB Team secure prestigious Knowledge Exchange award

The University of Exeter’s Innovation, Impact and Business (IIB) Team for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are celebrating after securing a prestigious national award.

The IIB team for Cornwall were named as the ‘Team of the Year’ at the KE Awards 2020, held earlier this month.

Organised by PraxisAuril, the UK’s professional association for Knowledge Exchange (KE) practitioners, the Awards celebrate the breadth of roles, activity and engagement in the UK’s KE community and recognise the ways that universities and research organisations can contribute to the renewal of the UK’s economy.

This year the Awards moved online, with a live-streamed ceremony showcasing the achievements of the finalists and winners.

The IIB Team for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, based on the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus, was recognised for its success in delivering excellent service and value to the University.

The IIB team plays a central role within the University’s Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I) activities in Cornwall. It facilitates and amplifies the work of researchers to make it more impactful, forges cross-sector partnerships with institutions across the region, and embeds the priorities of local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within research and policymaking.

This work gives the SME community a stronger voice and provides it with direct channels to inform local, regional and national governance mechanisms.

Chris Evans, Director of Regional Engagement, said: “We are delighted that the University of Exeter’s IIB-Cornwall team has won the Knowledge Exchange Team of the Year award.

“Over the past three years, the team has worked in partnership to deliver c£108m of investment into Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Through its sector-focused Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I) Hubs the team has supported over 750 businesses, driving innovation and supporting businesses to create new jobs, working in collaboration with the University”.

Case studies, showing the impact of the team’s RD&I activities with businesses in Cornwall, can be viewed online.

Maxine Ficarra, CEO of PraxisAuril, said: “It continues to astound me, just how many examples of KE excellence are submitted each year to our KE Awards. It remains as important as ever that PraxisAuril shines a light on the wide-ranging impact that KE practitioners have - and that we share the learning from those diverse experiences with our member community and stakeholder partners. A huge thanks to UKRI for their significant and ongoing support for these awards.”

Date: 29 June 2020