Innovation, engagement & impact
The University of Oxford is the world’s oldest English-speaking university, has been at the forefront of research, scholarship and innovation for over 850 years and is today a vibrant hub of internationally-leading work spanning all aspects of science, medicine, the social sciences and humanities. Our mission is the advancement of learning by teaching and research, and its dissemination by every means; and our goal is to make a difference at all scales, from the local to the global, influencing technology, policy and culture for the benefit of society. We aim to excel in every knowledge exchange and innovation mechanism to deliver these goals, including activities measured by the KEF metrics and beyond.
This page contains supporting links and further information on the strategies, support, activities and outcomes described in the University of Oxford's KEF narrative submissions. The full narratives are published by Research England and are available through the KEF dashboard.
Institutional context
Oxford University contributes to Local Growth and Regeneration (LGR) through working in partnership with regional, pan-regional, national, and global stakeholders. Together, we co-develop strategies that address regional needs, identify activities and opportunities for socio-economic gain, and we deliver tangible results.
Our researchers, students, and professional staff work with regional partners developing activities e.g. advancing Net-Zero, increasing innovation space, commercialising research, strategy development, entrepreneurship, and identifying funding for inclusive growth. We also create and invest in spin-out/start-ups which create jobs and attract investment.
We are accelerating the pace at which we deliver these activities to expand the impact in the Oxfordshire innovation ecosystem. Therefore, ‘Region and Place’ is a key theme in our Knowledge Exchange Strategy.
Local growth and regeneration
The University of Oxford’s mission is to facilitate excellence in research, teaching, engagement and innovation to realise beneficial outcomes for society at a local, regional, national and global scale. The University has an outstanding reputation for its research and teaching and our aim is also to become a leader in engagement. Core to our approach is partnership working between the University’s Academic Divisions; Research Services; Gardens, Libraries and Museums; and external organisations to support staff and students to value, lead and participate in public and community engagement. We provide engagement opportunities, funding, enabling reward and recognition, training, and fostering networks and partnerships. There is a flourishing ongoing programme of high-quality and impactful public and community engagement.