ABSTRACT
Knowledge exchange (KE) is the exchange of expertise between academics and non-academics in pursuit of social and / or economic advancement. KE has been an area of growing investment in higher education in the UK. In addition, to support the institutional pursuit of knowledge exchange through the Higher Education Innovation Fund, individual researchers are encouraged by funders to embed KE within their research. The Natural and Environmental Research Council provides Knowledge Exchange Fellowships that ‘focus on accelerating and amplifying economic impact and improvements in the quality of our lives’. One of the consequences of the growing importance of knowledge exchange to Higher Education is the plurality of definitions for KE. Davenport proposes a taxonomy of innovation that unpacks four types of innovation: technology transfer, knowledge transfer, knowledge exchange and knowledge creation. KE requires all parties involved to collaborate in the spirit of improvement – be that improved outcomes or improved information.
