The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) recently launched the Knowledge Asset Management Hub. This new resource aims to help universities and other research institutions identify, protect and commercialise their intellectual property and wider knowledge assets.

UKIPO Chief Executive Adam Williams announced the launch at the Knowledge Exchange UK Conference 2026 in Newport, Wales. Newport has been home to UKIPO’s headquarters since 1991, where the office processes more than 200,000 intellectual property applications each year.

The Hub brings together a comprehensive suite of practical resources in one place for technology transfer offices, knowledge exchange professionals, research managers and institutional leaders.

The Hub aims to address intellectual property and knowledge asset challenges arising throughout the research commercialisation lifecycle.

The Hub comprises four core components:

Institutional IP Strategy Guide—a practical framework to help universities and research institutions develop and implement intellectual property strategies and policies at an organisational level;

Project-Level IP Risk and Opportunity Tools—resources to help teams identify and manage intellectual property matters in individual research projects, covering the entire process from early collaboration agreements through to commercialisation;

Patent Analytics and IP Due Diligence Resources—tools to support the assessment of licensing, spinout formation and investment decisions;

Knowledge Asset Management Toolkit—guidance explaining that effective knowledge asset management requires both strategic and operational management.

Significance

The UK produces approximately 6% of the world’s research output and has four universities consistently ranked among the world’s top ten.

IP-intensive industries—including advanced manufacturing, clean technology, digital services and life sciences—account for a substantial share of UK economic output. These industries contribute nearly £300 billion in output, representing approximately 27% of value added in the non-financial sector, account for around 15.5% of total UK employment, or approximately 4.5 million jobs, and generate more than half of the UK’s goods exports, valued at £159.7 billion.

Translating more of the UK’s excellent research into commercial impact depends heavily on high-quality management of intellectual property and wider knowledge assets. This means:

More spinouts capable of scaling up;

More research discoveries reaching the market;

More regional strengths connected to global value chains.

Effective intellectual property decisions early in the research process are critical to enabling UK research institutions and the wider economy to capture the full value of their research investment.

The Hub was designed to help the UK research sector achieve this goal and ensure that institutions of all sizes can do so equally effectively:

Larger, experienced technology transfer offices with extensive expertise and dedicated resources.

Institutions that may still be building their capabilities.

The Hub provides a shared foundation of practical guidance and tools intended to improve knowledge asset management across the system.

The launch also takes place within the broader context of the UK’s Industrial Strategy, which identifies intellectual property, standards and regulation as foundational levers for long-term growth. Effective knowledge asset management at an institutional level is key to translating this innovation and strategic ambition into tangible economic outcomes.

Developed with the Sector

The Hub was developed through an extensive programme of engagement with universities. Before its development, UKIPO conducted structured surveys and held a series of webinars involving technology transfer professionals, knowledge exchange practitioners and research managers from institutions across the UK.

The insights gathered through this process directly shaped the content, structure and presentation of the Hub’s resources, including the identification of specific gaps and practical challenges that existing services had not adequately addressed.

UKIPO has committed to continuing this engagement after the launch. Formal and informal feedback mechanisms will be maintained to ensure that the Hub continues to evolve in response to the sector’s changing needs.

The resource is explicitly positioned as a starting point rather than a finished product: it will be continually updated and expanded through ongoing collaboration with the knowledge exchange community.

Williams said: “The UK has a world-class research base, and intellectual property is the golden thread connecting discovery with real-world impact at every stage. From the earliest research contracts and ownership agreements, through spinouts and licensing deals, to the products and services that ultimately reach the market and improve people’s lives, intellectual property is what makes this journey possible. The Hub was developed in partnership with the research sector to help institutions make the most of this critical foundation. It will serve as a practical resource for senior leaders, knowledge exchange professionals and researchers. In doing so, it should help unlock the full value of their intellectual property and knowledge assets—for the institutions themselves and for the wider UK economy.”

Stuart Wilkinson, Chief Executive of Knowledge Exchange UK, said: “The Knowledge Asset Management Hub is a timely and practical addition from UKIPO to the knowledge exchange sector. Developed with direct input from practitioners, it provides guidance, tools and data to support institutions in managing and commercialising intellectual property. Knowledge Exchange UK is pleased to have supported its development, and we see it as an important shared resource for the ecosystem—helping unlock greater value from the UK’s world-leading research base.”

Dame Jessica Corner, Executive Chair of Research England and Commercialisation Champion at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), said: “Effective management of knowledge assets, including intellectual property, is fundamental to unlocking the full value of the UK’s world-leading research and innovation. The Knowledge Asset Management Hub is a welcome development, providing clear, practical support to help research institutions strengthen their approaches to intellectual property and knowledge asset management. This closely aligns with UKRI’s commitment to ensuring that publicly funded research translates into real-world impact—supporting growth, partnerships and long-term benefits for the UK economy.”

Andrew Wall, Deputy Director of the Government Office for Technology Transfer (GOTT), said: “This new Knowledge Asset Management Hub is a welcome and timely addition to the UK’s innovation ecosystem. Good knowledge asset management underpins successful commercialisation, and giving organisations clearer access to practical tools and guidance will help accelerate this process. We look forward to seeing it support universities across the UK in developing a larger and more confident pipeline of spinouts, licensing deals and partnerships, complementing GOTT’s support for central government organisations.”

Simon Wright, President of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA), said: “We warmly welcome this initiative. The Knowledge Asset Management Hub addresses a real and longstanding need, ensuring that institutions of all sizes—not just those with established technology transfer capabilities—can access high-quality, practical guidance from the earliest stages of research projects through to licensing, spinouts and beyond. Our members look forward to supporting universities, research institutions and their commercial partners in making full use of this resource, and to contributing to an intellectual property ecosystem that enables the full value of the UK’s research investment to be realised.”