Summary This blog post has been written following an NCACE Evidence Café event held in November 2025 on the theme of this blog’s title. It uses data from REF 2021 Impact Case Studies to identify formal collaborations between universities and cultural institutions, discussing the dynamics of how knowledge is produced and what drives transformative collaborations. … Continued
Introduction NCACE’s Evidence Café series has been an important and ongoing part of our work since March 2021. They are online events that support presentations, showcasing knowledge and evidence, information sharing, and storytelling. They act as a community for knowledge sharing and exchange in and around the theme of cultural knowledge exchange. Over the last … Continued
Reflections on YorVoice: a radical, interdisciplinary project bringing together researchers working on the human voice Your voice is unique. It contains information about your identity, mood, health – even your humanity. It also affects how you navigate the world; people judge us based on how we sound, while the growth in speech AI means that … Continued
New cultural spaces for independent practice-based research outside of Higher Education during shifting times. In the concluding chapter of Spatial Relations: Dance in the Changing Museum my PhD thesis (2020, Centre for Dance Research, Coventry University) I made a call for a new role for dance research in the contemporary art museum. It was the … Continued
Introduction In mid-September University Commercialisation and Innovation Policy Evidence Unit (UCI), NCACE and RNCM came together to host a rich and timely workshop on Improving data and metrics to better capture the value of university knowledge exchange: insights from the arts and humanities and cultural sectors. We did so to create a space for discussion … Continued
In a recent discussion paper ‘The Public Value of Arts and Culture’, Mariana Mazzucato calls for vital investment in our cultural ecosystems. Arguing for networks beyond those that safeguard existing institutions, Mazzucato identifies the importance of ‘bringing arts to people where they are […] across the entire arts and cultural ecosystem, spanning industries, public programming, … Continued
An Introduction to Aisha’s Blog At NCACE, we believe that cultural knowledge exchange should model equity, fairness and care in action. In a moment where public discourse can feel polarised, our work is rooted in creating spaces where diverse voices and lived experiences are welcomed, valued and platformed. We are delighted to publish this blog … Continued
We are delighted to announce the very welcome news that NCACE will continue to be funded by Research England for the next four years. It is a great achievement and one that has only been made possible by the many wonderful individuals and institutions that we have had the pleasure of working with and engaging with in so many ways since … Continued
Independent researchers play an essential role in shaping our cultural and academic landscape. They are the artists, writers, academics, community organisers, and citizen researchers who, outside of formal institutional structures, carry forward inquiries that enhance research and enrich society. Yet too often, their work is invisible and disconnected from the infrastructures that make research sustainable … Continued
Recent years have seen a shift in how universities approach working with diverse communities, both in the UK and globally. The focus is moving away from research on or about these communities to one that emphasises building collaborative relationships that acknowledge the rich knowledge and expertise within communities, and the contribution that they make to … Continued