Collaboration

Effective collaboration between universities and businesses is critical to establishing and growing the UK’s knowledge-led economy. Collaboration also plays a fundamental role in boosting global health, responding to the climate crisis and tackling wider global challenges.

Universities’ core business is founded on the production and diffusion of public knowledge across research, teaching and innovation. This is what makes the benefits of their activity so significant, long-lasting and widely shared across the economy and society. It also means that the domains in which universities and businesses collaborate are numerous and highly diverse, from delivering ambitious applied research to bespoke consultancy, science park developments, and co-developing curricula and degree apprenticeships.

As the national and collective voice of universities and businesses, we are an expert in collaboration. Our annual reports review evolving trends in collaboration, monitor progress and showcase achievements. We also regularly run large-scale studies to strengthen understanding of university-business collaboration in the UK.

Our Areas of Focus

Showcasing Collaboration

NCUB’s overarching aim is to promote, develop and support university-business collaboration across the UK. To that end, we also celebrate and showcase the UK's world leading collaborations.

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Patterns and Trends

NCUB is a data-led organisation, and much of the recommendations we make and conclusions we come to in our work is informed by robust, impartial evidence from a wider variety of data sources.

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