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Over 4,000 new graduate start-ups in 2014/15

Business interactions Community engagement Statistics Publication

Results of the 2014/15 HE Business and Community Interaction Survey

The HE Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) Survey is completed by all publicly funded UK higher education providers and the results show the extent to which providers are embedded in the economy and communities of the UK. The HE-BCI publication, released by us today, displays the full survey results for every UK provider. This release provides the headline results for the UK, the devolved administrations and the English regions.

The survey results show the number of new and on-going spin-off companies associated with UK HE providers. 129 spin-offs were started with some provider ownership in 2014/15. 4,160 graduate start-up companies and 138 social enterprises were formed.

The HE-BCI survey also covers various types of interaction with businesses and communities. The results include the income earned by HE providers from activities such as contract research, consultancy, hire of facilities and intellectual property.

The interactive dashboard below includes details of spin-off companies and income from businesses and community interactions. The filters at the top of each section can restrict the data to providers in English regions, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Download the background data

HE-BCI Publication

HE Business and Community Interaction Survey 2014/15 contains the full results of the 2014/15 survey for every HE provider. The publication includes the qualitative responses from Part A of the survey, as well as quantitative data from Part B (from which the above tables are drawn). HE Business and Community Interaction Survey 2014/15 is available to purchase now. 

The annual analysis of the HE-BCI data by HEFCE will be published later in the year.

Notes for Editors

  1. Press enquiries should be directed to:
  2. HESA data is collected from all publicly funded higher education providers in the UK, plus the University of Buckingham, which is privately funded, but excluding The University of Wales (central functions). The 2014/15 HE-BCI data covers 164 HE providers (133 in England, 8 in Wales, 18 in Scotland and 4 in Northern Ireland).
  3. The Higher Education - Business and Community Interaction Survey (HE-BCI) is the main vehicle for measuring the volume and direction of interactions between UK higher education providers and business and the wider community. The survey collects information on the infrastructure, capacity and strategy of providers, and also numeric and financial data regarding third stream activity (that is, activities concerned with the generation, use, application and exploitation of knowledge and other university capabilities outside academic environments, and distinct from core activities of teaching and research).
  4. In the dashboard, figures for the 2013/14 financial year are those reported in the 2014/15 HE-BCI return.
  5. Some variations in the data between years may be due to availability of information from independent spin-off and start-up companies, and changes in providers’ reporting practices.
  6. The survey has collected data for each academic year from 1999/2000, with HESA undertaking the survey since 2008/09. From 1999/2000 to 2007/08 the survey was undertaken, and its results published, by HEFCE.
  7. Similar press releases for can be found for 2013-14, 2012-13, 2011-12, 2010-11, and 2009-10.
  8. HESA cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived from the data by third parties.
  9. See HE-BCI Definitions for explanations of the terms used in this press release.
  10. See Data Intelligence Notes for any known issues with HE-BCI statistics. Where errors in HE Providers’ data submissions are discovered after collection, their data is suppressed and removed from totals.

About HESA

HESA is the recognised source of data on higher education in the UK. Our experts collect, analyse, and disseminate accurate and comprehensive statistical information on all aspects of UK higher education in order to support the strategic aims of our users and enhance the effectiveness of the sector as a whole. We are a charity and a company limited by guarantee. We operate as an independent organisation, working in close partnership with higher education providers, regulators, funders, government departments, policy makers, and other stakeholders.

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