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Press release

IPO launches Knowledge Asset Management Hub

New resource to strengthen IP capability and support commercialisation across the UK research sector.

From:
Intellectual Property Office
Published
9 June 2026

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has today launched the Knowledge Asset Management Hub. This new resource is designed to help universities and other research institutions identify, protect and commercialise their intellectual property (IP) and broader knowledge assets.

The Hub was announced by IPO Chief Executive Adam Williams at the Knowledge Exchange UK Conference 2026 in Newport, Wales. It is the city where the IPO has been headquartered since 1991, and from which it processes over 200,000 IP rights applications annually.

The Knowledge Asset Management Hub brings together, in one place, a comprehensive set of practical resources. These are intended for technology transfer offices, knowledge exchange professionals, research managers, and institutional leaders.

It has been designed to address a wide range of IP and knowledge asset challenges that arise across the research commercialisation lifecycle.

The Hub comprises four core components:

  • Institutional IP strategy guidance — practical frameworks to help universities and research organisations develop and implement IP strategies and policies at an organisational level

  • Project-level IP risk and opportunity tools — resources to help teams identify and manage IP considerations within individual research projects, from early-stage collaboration agreements through to commercialisation

  • Patent data analysis and IP due diligence resources — tools to support the assessments that underpin licencing, spin-out formation, and investment decisions

  • Knowledge Asset Management Toolkit — guidance recognising that effective knowledge asset management requires strategic and operational management

Why it matters

The UK produces approximately 6% of the world’s research output and is home to four universities consistently ranking in the global top ten.

IP-intensive sectors — including advanced manufacturing, clean technology, digital services, and life sciences — represent a substantial share of the UK’s economic output. They account for nearly £300 billion (around 27%) of non-financial value added output. They also represent approximately 15.5% of total UK employment (around 4.5 million jobs), and more than half of all UK goods exports (159.7 billion).

Converting more of the UK’s research excellence into commercial impact depends significantly on good quality IP and wider knowledge asset management. This means:

  • more spin-outs that scale

  • more discoveries that reach market

  • more regional strengths connected to global value chains

Effective IP decisions, made early during the research stage, can be crucial in determining whether UK institutions and the wider economy capture the full value of their research investment.

The Knowledge Asset Management Hub has been designed to help the UK’s research sector do exactly that, consistently across institutions of all sizes:

  • larger, well-established technology transfer offices with deep expertise and dedicated resource

  • institutions which may be building that capability more incrementally

The Hub provides a shared foundation of practical guidance and tools, with the aim of improving knowledge asset management across the whole system.

The launch also sits within the context of the UK’s Industrial Strategy, which identifies IP, standards and regulation as foundational levers for long-term growth. Effective knowledge asset management at the institutional level is integral to translating that innovation and strategic ambition into tangible economic outcomes.

Developed with the sector

The Hub was developed through extensive university-facing engagement programmes. Prior to development, the IPO ran structured surveys and hosted a series of online workshops. These involved technology transfer professionals, knowledge exchange practitioners and research managers from institutions across the UK.

The insights gathered through that process directly informed the content, structure and presentation of the Hub’s resources. This included identifying the specific gaps and practical challenges that existing provision did not adequately address.

The IPO has committed to continuing that engagement following launch. Formal and informal feedback mechanisms will be maintained to ensure the Hub evolves in response to the changing needs of the sector.

The resource is explicitly positioned as a starting point rather than a finished product: one that will be updated and expanded on the basis of ongoing collaboration with the knowledge exchange community.

Adam Williams, Chief Executive, UK Intellectual Property Office, said:

The UK has a world-class research base, and intellectual property is the golden thread connecting discovery to real-world impact at every stage. From the earliest research contracts and ownership agreements, through spin-outs and licensing deals, to the products and services that reach markets and improve lives, IP is what enables that journey to happen.

The Knowledge Asset Management Hub has been built in partnership with the research sector and is here to help institutions make the most of that crucial foundation. It will serve as a practical resource for senior leaders, knowledge exchange professionals, and researchers alike. In doing so, it should help unlock the full value of their IP and knowledge assets—for their institutions and for the UK economy more widely.

Dr Stuart Wilkinson, CEO, Knowledge Exchange UK, said:

The Knowledge Asset Management Hub is a timely and practical addition to the knowledge exchange landscape from the UK Intellectual Property Office. Shaped with direct input from practitioners, it provides guidance, tools, and data to support institutions in managing and commercialising IP.

Knowledge Exchange UK was pleased to support its development, and we see it as an important shared resource for the ecosystem — helping to unlock greater value from the UK’s world-leading research base.

Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Executive Chair for Research England and Commercialisation Champion, 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 organisations strengthen their approach to IP and knowledge assets. It aligns closely with UKRI’s commitment to ensuring that publicly funded research translates into real-world impact — supporting growth, partnerships and long-term benefit for the UK economy.

Andrew Wall, Deputy Director, Government Office for Technology Transfer (GOTT), said:

This new 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. We look forward to seeing it support a larger and more confident pipeline of spin-outs, licences and partnerships from universities across the UK, 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 genuine and long-standing need, ensuring that institutions of every size – and not only those with established technology transfer capability - have access to high-quality, practical guidance from the earliest stages of a research project through to licensing, spin-out, and beyond.

Our members look forward to supporting universities, research organisations, and their commercial partners in making the most of this resource, and to contributing to an IP ecosystem that allows the full value of UK research investment to be realised.

Additional information:

Updates to this page

Published 9 June 2026