UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is celebrating the winners of the Knowledge Exchange (KE) Awards 2025.
The winners were announced at the Knowledge Exchange UK professional body ceremony that recognises exceptional achievements in knowledge exchange, innovation and collaboration across the UK.
UKRI is the overarching supporter of the KE Awards.
We work with partners nationwide to turn excellent research into real-world benefits, from clean energy and environmental recovery to inclusive public health responses and a thriving creative economy.
Helping the UK prosper
Dr Tony Soteriou, UKRI’s Director of Commercialisation, said:
This year’s winners embody the very best of UK knowledge exchange.
Their achievements show how trusted partnerships, world-class research and entrepreneurial thinking can deliver real impact for people, communities, industries and our economy.
UKRI’s mission is to advance knowledge, improve lives and drive growth and we are proud to support projects like these as they turn ideas into solutions that help the UK prosper.
Place-based initiative award
Winning project: HyDEX: kickstarting the Midlands’ hydrogen economy
Organisation: Energy Research Accelerator based at the University of Nottingham
Backed by £4.99 million from Research England’s Development Fund, HyDEX brought together seven Midlands universities and more than 40 industrial partners to accelerate the region’s hydrogen economy.
The initiative:
- demonstrated new technologies
- shaped energy policy
- generated hundreds of business engagements
- laid the foundations for long-term economic and environmental benefit
Its legacy continues through East Midlands Hydrogen, the Hydrogen Off-Road Network and major forthcoming hydrogen valley bids.
Strategic partnership award
Winning project: Shaping Landscapes for People and Nature to Thrive: A Strategic Partnership
Organisation: University of Exeter and the National Trust
This long-term collaboration has delivered pioneering approaches to land use, heritage adaptation and nature recovery.
Together the partners have:
- secured over £28 million in external funding
- influenced national policy
- advanced climate resilience research
- created new opportunities for skills, jobs and community engagement across the UK
The project was backed by investments from UKRI’s Strategic Priorities Fund and the Natural Environment Research Council.
Commercialisation initiative award
Winning project: Entropyst
Organisation: University of Strathclyde
A University of Strathclyde spin-out, Entropyst is commercialising HyWand, a breakthrough pyrolysis reactor producing clean hydrogen and high-value carbon nanotubes. Having secured significant KE funding and international recognition, the company is scaling quickly, creating highly skilled jobs and pursuing major industrial partnerships. Its modular, efficient technology has strong global potential in clean energy and advanced materials.
Impact-led initiative award
Winning project: Advancing Health Together: The SHARE Collaborative’s inclusive response to the mpox outbreak
Organisation: Queen Mary University of London
The SHARE Collaborative transformed global understanding of the 2022 to 2025 Mpox outbreak by uniting clinicians across 21 countries with minoritised LGBTQ+ communities and public health agencies.
Their work:
- identified new symptoms
- shaped World Health Organisation vaccine guidance
- influenced international health responses
- demonstrated a new model for equitable, co-produced crisis research
Advancing KE culture award
Winning project: Improving KE culture through a programme of professional development
Organisation: University of the Arts London
The University of the Arts London’s bespoke KE staff development programme has embedded a positive, inclusive KE culture across the institution.
With more than 680 staff engaged in 2024 to 2025, the programme spans workshops, mentoring, secondments, awards and a KE Career Planner, strengthening capability across academic, professional and technical communities.
KE team award
Winning project: The UK Knowledge Exchange Hub for Mathematical Sciences
Organisation: National distributed organisation, presently hosted virtually by Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge
Bringing together mathematicians, KE professionals and partners across industry, government and academia, the KE Hub has built national KE capacity at scale.
Supported by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council investment, the hub has delivered workshops, collaborations, training programmes and new KE networks that turn mathematical expertise into practical solutions for challenges ranging from artificial intelligence to logistics.
Sector collaboration award
Winning project: NW CyberCom: Accelerating Cyber Security Sector Innovation Through University Collaboration
Organisation: Lancaster University, University of Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University, The University of Manchester, University of Liverpool, University of Lancashire, Lead Plexal and CRSI
Backed by Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund, NW CyberCom united six universities and specialist partners to accelerate cybersecurity innovation in the North West.
More than 800 academics were engaged, 32 proof-of-concept proposals were generated and three new spin-outs emerged, strengthening regional capability and advancing the UK’s cyber innovation ecosystem.
