On 9 June 2026, the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) launched the Knowledge Asset Management Hub, a new resource to help universities and research institutions identify, protect and commercialise their intellectual property and broader knowledge assets.

Background

The UK produces approximately 6% of the world's research output and is home to four universities consistently ranked in the global top ten. IP-intensive sectors account for nearly GBP 300 billion (around 27%) of UK non-financial value added, approximately 15.5% of total employment (around 4.5 million jobs), and more than half of all UK goods exports (GBP 159.7 billion). Converting research excellence into commercial impact depends significantly on good-quality IP management.

Key Points

The Hub was announced by IPO Chief Executive Adam Williams at the Knowledge Exchange UK Conference 2026 in Newport. Aimed at technology transfer offices, knowledge exchange professionals, research managers and institutional leaders, it brings together practical resources covering the whole research commercialisation lifecycle in four core components: institutional IP strategy guidance; project-level IP risk and opportunity tools; patent data analysis and IP due diligence resources; and a Knowledge Asset Management Toolkit.

The Hub was developed through structured surveys and a series of online workshops with practitioners across the UK. The IPO has committed to maintaining feedback mechanisms and positions the resource explicitly as a starting point that will be updated and expanded. The launch also sits within the UK's Industrial Strategy, which identifies IP, standards and regulation as foundational levers for long-term growth.

Practical Implications

For companies collaborating with UK universities on R&D, licensing or spin-out formation, the Hub's publicly available frameworks on collaboration agreements, due diligence and IP strategy are directly relevant, and signal that UK institutions are likely to take an increasingly structured approach to IP in negotiations.

Source: UK Intellectual Property Office (original)