Incubating Academic Knowledge Exchange with Kingston University
We worked with academic staff at the Kingston University School of Art to transform research into real-world, enterprise-ready innovations.
Context
Bridging Creative Research and Commercial Impact
Innovation and knowledge exchange are central to how universities generate societal and economic impact — whether through partnerships, spin-outs, or commercialisation of research. Yet for disciplines rooted in the creative and humanities space, traditional pathways often feel misaligned.
At Kingston School of Art, the challenge was clear: how to move beyond a service-provider model of university-to-business support and instead incubate the untapped entrepreneurial capability within its academic community.
Kingston University asked Studio Zao to help design and deliver an ongoing support programme that would equip academics with the tools, confidence and structure to translate their research into impactful propositions — driving knowledge exchange metrics and embedding a more entrepreneurial culture across the faculty.
Approach
We designed and delivered a bespoke pilot intrapreneurship accelerator — focused on helping academics rethink how their research could deliver value in the real world.
The programmes began with in-depth conversations with eight academic staff, surfacing common barriers such as:
Limited commercial confidence
Difficulty articulating value to external stakeholders
Time and bandwidth constraints within existing teaching and research workloads
These insights shaped a three-part intervention combining capability building, practical development, and strategic support. A practical programme grounded in real-world tools.
The programme was delivered through a combination of workshops, coaching and hands-on development:
Innovation & Knowledge Exchange Bootcamp
A skills-building session on how to apply Lean, Agile and Design Thinking approaches to academic ideas — helping shift mindsets from research output to real-world impact.
Proposition Hackathon:
A collaborative day where participants worked with peers and business associates to test and develop their concepts, culminating in pitches to an expert panel including representatives from Kingston Council and Innovate UK.
Expert Coaching:
One-to-one and group coaching with Studio Zao’s team supported participants in progressing their ideas between sessions and overcoming specific knowledge and capacity barriers.
Impact
A Model for Realising Academic Innovation
The programme delivered tangible outcomes, including:
Stronger connections between academic research and local social and economic needs
Roadmaps for de-risking and advancing ideas through internal funding and support structures
Emerging co-founding relationships with industry collaborators
A peer-driven support network for ongoing knowledge exchange development
Participants presented socially impactful pitches to a cross-sector panel of stakeholders, laying the groundwork for real partnerships and measurable progress.
For Kingston School of Art, the programmes offer a replicable model for catalysing enterprise and innovation within the academic community — extending impact beyond campus and into the communities it serves.
“Our workshops with Studio Zao were incredibly useful for supporting colleagues in developing their knowledge exchange projects. The input sessions provided a range of tools and skills for getting started and growing these projects confidently. The advice from Chris and Charlotte was thought-provoking and inspiring. Huge thanks to the Studio Zao team!”