National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange

What National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange does

NCACE (National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange) is a publicly-funded knowledge exchange centre that facilitates collaboration between UK higher education institutions and the arts and cultural sectors. Founded in 2020/2021 and hosted by the School of Advanced Study at the University of London, NCACE operates under The Culture Capital Exchange Limited (TCCE) and is funded by Research England as part of UKRI's knowledge exchange infrastructure investment.

The centre's core platform is the NCACE Evidence Repository, a curated digital library of 300+ free resources organized across eight themed categories (General Knowledge Exchange, Cultural Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Exchange and Covid-19, Toolkits and Skills for Knowledge Exchange, Placemaking and Levelling Out, Health and Wellbeing, Technologies for Social Good, Environment and Climate Emergency). Surrounding products include the NCACE Blog Platform for practitioner contributions, the NCACE Collection showcasing collaborative projects, the 5Rs Framework for social justice decision-making, the Lightbox Researcher Visibility & Collaboration Programme (launched 2026), and a recurring calendar of activities (annual Festival of Cultural Knowledge Exchange, Evidence Cafés, policy workshops, and micro-commissions). Distribution is digital-first via the website, Mailchimp newsletter, LinkedIn, Bluesky, SoundCloud, and Eventbrite-registered events.

NCACE does not sell products or services and has no disclosed pricing model. Its revenue mechanics are government funding (Research England) combined with institutional support from the School of Advanced Study. Customers/partners include higher education institutions (e.g., University of Plymouth, Northumbria University, Norwich University of the Arts, University of Sunderland, Brunel University London, Bath Spa University, Birmingham City University), NHS trusts (Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust), museums (National Museums Liverpool), and arts organizations (Eastside Projects, Hospital Rooms, Live Music Now). Primary customer segments are HEIs and arts/cultural organizations seeking evidence, networks, and policy engagement; secondary segments are policymakers/funders and individual practitioners.

Name

National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange

Legal name

National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange

Website

https://ncace.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NCACE is a publicly-funded UK knowledge exchange centre that connects higher education institutions with arts and cultural organizations, offering an Evidence Repository of 300+ curated resources, events, micro-commissions, and the Lightbox collaboration programme, funded by Research England and hosted at the University of London.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Knowledge Exchange Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Workshops, Webinars & Live Masterclasses (MPACALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

OER Quality Review, Alignment & Certification (rubrics/standards) (EDAGAJAN), Virtual/Blended Exchange (COIL) Partnerships (EDAIABAH)

Keywords

• Knowledge exchange services
• Cultural research collaboration
• Academic cultural partnerships
• Evidence repository curation
• Higher education engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research England Funding: NCACE is funded by Research England as part of UKRI's support for knowledge exchange activities between higher education and the arts/cultural sectors.
2. Institutional Support: NCACE is part of the School of Advanced Study, University of London, providing institutional backing and infrastructure.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange (NCACE) is a publicly-funded knowledge exchange centre that brokers, convenes, and evidences collaboration between higher education institutions and the arts and cultural sector. It curates an online Evidence Repository of 300+ resources, runs events and festivals, publishes toolkits and frameworks (including the 5Rs Framework), and operates the NCACE Collection showcasing collaborative projects.

Product overview

NCACE operates as a knowledge exchange centre with a unified platform approach, offering interconnected products and services that work together to facilitate collaboration between higher education and the arts and cultural sectors. The core offerings include the Evidence Repository (a searchable database of 300+ resources), the Blog Platform for sharing practitioner perspectives, the NCACE Collection for showcasing projects, and a program of Activities and Events including festivals, workshops, and the Lightbox collaboration programme. Supporting resources include publications and the 5Rs decision-making framework. Together, these components create an integrated ecosystem for evidencing and showcasing the social, cultural, and environmental impacts of academic-cultural partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NCACE Evidence Repository

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,200 people engaged in first year activities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered secondary, primary and core.

• Live Music NowsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner in developing evaluation framework for Lullaby programme supporting perinatal and postnatal mental health in North West England. Collaboration with NHS Improving Me and academic researchers.
• Northumbria UniversityprimaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Research partner on AHRC/UKRI funded COVID-19 Rapid Response project 'Social Distancing and Reimagining City Life'. Partnership involves city councils in Bristol, Glasgow, and Newcastle.
• Brunel University LondonprimaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Academic partner on COVID-19 Rapid Response research on performative strategies for city resilience, working with Northumbria University on the same project.
• National Museums Liverpool (NML)primaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Long-term research partnership since 2013 on the House of Memories international dementia awareness programme. NCACE Evaluation Lead has conducted successive evaluations of new models and innovations in this collaboration.
• School of Advanced Study, University of LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCACE is institutionally hosted by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, providing administrative infrastructure, office space at Senate House, and institutional credibility. This is the primary institutional home for NCACE operations.
• The Culture Capital Exchange (TCCE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTCCE operates the NCACE website and serves as a key organizational partner. TCCE is the parent organization that owns and operates the NCACE web presence and contributes to the center's strategic direction.
• Birmingham City University (BCU)primaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCU is a project partner with TCCE/NCACE, contributing expertise in media diversity, creative writing education, and STEAMhouse knowledge exchange initiatives. BCU's Institute of Media and English participates in collaborative projects focused on diversity and representation.
• Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT)primaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare trust partner in lived experience creative research projects including co-production initiatives presented at NCACE Festival of Cultural Knowledge Exchange. Partnership involves mental health settings and patient wellbeing programs.
• Hospital RoomsprimaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partner in mental health co-production projects involving artist co-researchers, hospital exhibitions, and lived experience engagement. Collaborated with NSFT and Norwich University of the Arts on creative research.
• Norwich University of the Arts (NUA)primaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in lived experience creative research project, contributing to hospital-based art installations and co-production methodologies with healthcare and community partners.
• University of PlymouthprimaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecipient of Office for Students and Research England funding for student knowledge exchange programs. Engaged in NCACE's knowledge exchange research and contributed to understanding student involvement in cross-sector collaboration.
• University of SunderlandprimaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in culture-led place-shaping through The Cultural Spring initiative and Sunderland Culture company. Contributed to NCACE policy workshop on placemaking and levelling up agenda.
• Eastside ProjectsprimaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts organization leading STEAMhouse partnership with Birmingham City University as a hub for knowledge exchange, product prototyping, and creative business support.
• Culture Health and Wellbeing AlliancesecondaryOthersNational network providing support and special interest groups for culture, health and wellbeing research. NCACE Collaboration Champion participates in this network.
• UKRI MARCH Mental Health NetworksecondaryOthersNational research network focused on mental health. NCACE and Institute of Cultural Capital researchers participate in network activities and communities of practice.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Creative UK: Creative UK (formerly Creative Industries Federation) is the UK sector body for the creative industries, including advocacy, networking, and resource provision. It is broader in scope than NCACE but shares the convening role between creative practitioners, institutions, and policymakers in the UK cultural ecosystem.
• Wellcome Trust: Wellcome funds research and public engagement at the intersection of science, health, and culture, including culture-and-health programmes that overlap with NCACE's creative health collaborations. It is a much larger funder rather than a pure peer, but shares overlap in evidence-building for cross-sector impact.
• Royal Society of Arts (RSA): The RSA is a long-established UK organization fostering cross-sector collaboration on social innovation, public engagement, and cultural change. It is broader and older than NCACE but comparable in operating as a mission-driven, fellowship-and-events-based platform for ideas exchange.
• British Council: The British Council operates large-scale cultural and educational exchange programmes globally, including UK-HE partnerships. It is a much larger publicly-funded incumbent with overlapping themes of cultural-academic collaboration, though its international focus differs from NCACE's UK-centric remit.

Direct peers

• National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE): NCCPE is a UK-based national centre that supports and evidences public engagement activity in higher education. It is the closest analogue to NCACE, sharing the model of a publicly-funded national hub curating evidence, networks, and events around HE engagement - although focused on public engagement broadly rather than arts/culture specifically.
• PraxisAuril: PraxisAuril is the UK professional association for knowledge exchange, research impact, and technology transfer in universities. It offers comparable training, events, and resources for HE knowledge exchange professionals, overlapping with NCACE's audience of KE practitioners and sharing the publicly-supported UK HE intermediary model.
• The Culture Capital Exchange (TCCE): TCCE is NCACE's parent organization and operates the NCACE website. As a London-based intermediary facilitating HE-arts/culture collaboration, TCCE is directly comparable in mission and constituency, and shares leadership (Co-Director Evelyn Wilson covers both organizations).

Emerging players

• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO): NCVO supports the UK voluntary sector with research, resources, and networking - sharing the model of a national intermediary producing evidence repositories, events, and policy advocacy. While focused on the charity sector broadly, its evidence-and-networking model is structurally comparable to NCACE's.

Regional players

• King's College London - Culture & Creative Industries: King's College London hosts cultural and creative industry research initiatives within its own university, including partnerships with London's cultural sector. It represents an institutional peer - a UK university with structured HE-arts knowledge exchange activity - rather than a competing intermediary.

Others

• Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC): AHRC is part of UKRI and a key funder of arts and humanities research in the UK, including knowledge exchange projects that NCACE showcases and convenes. While a funder rather than competitor, it is closely tied to NCACE's operating environment and many of its partner institutions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ncace-uk
• Xx.com/cultureimpacts

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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