I had the immense privilege of sharing my experience of working on a Lived Experience Creative Research project at the NCACE Festival of Cultural Knowledge Exchange, held between 20–24 April 2026. I worked alongside Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), the charity Hospital Rooms and Norwich University of the Arts (NUA). In my role … Continued
The National Centre for Arts and Cultural Exchange (NCACE) was established with support from Research England in 2021. Our mission is to facilitate and support capacity for knowledge exchange between higher education and the arts and cultural sectors, with a particular focus on evidencing and showcasing the social, cultural, environmental as well as economic impacts … Continued
There is a familiar rhythm to conversations about equity across higher education and the cultural sector. We speak about values. We speak about commitments. We speak about inclusion, collaboration, and care. What we examine less often is how those commitments are enacted, how they translate into decisions, and what happens when they do not. This … Continued
Introduction In February 2026, NCACE convened researchers, cultural practitioners, and policy specialists for an Evidence Café exploring one of the most urgent questions facing our sector: how can we better understand, measure, and value knowledge exchange (KE) in the arts and culture? The session formed part of an ongoing collaboration with the Policy Evidence Unit … Continued
Most who are reading NCACE blogs will, I think, be broadly pleased that the creative industries are now regarded by government – in last year’s Industrial Strategy but also in several subsequent policy statements – as one of the main drivers of future economic growth. The government now seems to believe that the creative industries … Continued
Take A Part (TAP) works with communities that have historically and systemically been underserved across the UK, using creative practices to support community-led and community-determined change. Reflecting on the collaborative practices of cultural democracy and co-creation developed over the 17 years of Take A Part’s national practice, Kim Wide MBE, founder and Co-CEO, explores the … Continued
One of the most strategically interesting developments I’ve encountered this year, through my work across research culture and research-enabling systems, is not a new framework, concordat, or strategy document, but the National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange (NCACE) Research Associates pilot. On the surface, the scheme is modest: light-touch institutional support, a small honorarium, access to resources, … Continued
Akademi, a London based charity, has been taking South Asian dance into schools for over 40 years, pioneering the use of South Asian dance in these spaces. Reach Out and Reveal (ROaR), a project working specifically with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) schools, has been delivered since 2018 to support the physical, emotional and … Continued
On Friday 5 September 2025, the UK Science Minister Patrick Vallance announced a three-month pause on the work of the 2029 Research Excellence Framework (REF). This was to evaluate and reflect on how the framework can best assess research excellence by reducing bureaucracy. On Wednesday 10 December 2025 at the Universities UK Research and Innovation … Continued
The government’s Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out an ambitious and largely welcome agenda: a more joined-up system, clearer pathways, stronger employer engagement and a renewed focus on higher-level skills as a driver of growth. Many of its core themes will feel familiar to those working across higher education, further education and cultural organisations. In fact, much of what is proposed … Continued