About - National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange

Mission: NCACEs mission is to facilitate and support collaboration and knowledge exchange between higher education and the arts and cultural sectors, with a particular focus on evidencing and showcasing the social, cultural, and environmental impacts of such collaborations.

Vision: Our vision is to be recognised and valued as the home for cultural collaborations, providing positive environments in which to foster innovation and experimentation, skills and leadership development, relationship and partnership building, knowledge creation, reflection and learning.

We envision a future in which collaboration between higher education and the arts and cultural sector is recognised, resourced, sustained and communicated as essential to a thriving society and economy.

Values: Our work is rooted in the values of equity, trust and shared purpose. It is undertaken in inclusive, flexible and practice-led environments that nurture innovation, learning and lasting partnerships.

Current

Background

Shaping the future landscape

The National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange (NCACE) is an organisation built on more than two decades of thought leadership in cultural knowledge exchange. Established in 2020 by The Culture Capital Exchange with funding from Research England. In 2024, we became part of the School of Advanced Study, University of London, where we continue to be funded by Research England. NCACE was created in response to growing sector demand for better support, richer evidence and more inclusive leadership around cultural knowledge exchange.

Our work began in 2005 as the London Centre for Arts and Cultural Exchange, a project led by King's College London and funded by HEIF. We were the first university-led network dedicated to collaboration and knowledge exchange between research and the cultural sector.

In 2011 we rebranded as The Culture Capital Exchange (TCCE), continuing to pioneer developments in ground-breaking collaborations and Knowledge Exchange. TCCE went on to co-create and lead major national initiatives including Creativeworks London, one of the AHRC’s four funded Knowledge Exchange Hubs (2012 - 2016), and The Exchange (2015 - 2017), co-funded by HEFCE and Arts Council England. Through these two initiatives, we supported over 125 funded collaborations between universities and cultural organisations. We co-led Boosting Resilience, a national leadership programme funded BY Arts Council England.

As our work develops, we are strengthening the infrastructure, relationships, knowledge and know-how needed to support more ethical, equitable and sustainable collaboration between higher education and the arts and cultural sectors. This work is grounded in, and continually informed by our network spanning researchers, cultural practitioners, knowledge exchange professionals and organisations across the UK and beyond.

Our focus is on piloting new models of leadership, partnership and knowledge creation; convening communities to respond to shared challenges; and amplifying emerging practice through research, communications and policy-facing activity. Operating within the School of Advanced Study, NCACE is working alongside partners to test ideas, adapt approaches and build momentum, positioning cultural knowledge exchange as a vital, evolving part of how knowledge is created and applied for public good.