Kevin Richardson

Kevin Richardson works for Research England. This new national statutory body, established in April 2018, is responsible for funding universities to deliver research and knowledge exchange activities. As Local Growth Consultant within the HEFCE, Kevin designed and managed the hugely successful delivery of the Local Growth Academy, a collaborative capacity development programme involving universities, local and combined authorities, and local National Health Service bodies. Kevin also led the strategic development of Leading Places, an action learning programme, in partnership with the Local Government Association and Universities UK.

Kevin is very much a friend of Keele University. He has served on the Science Park External Advisory Group for a couple of years. Previously, as a secondee into central government, Kevin represented the interests of local partners across England within the cross departmental team which developed the current EU programme for England. Kevin led on the Research, Development and Innovation strand. He was the lead author on the national strategy for Smart Specialisation in England. His analytical work on this policy has been published internationally. Kevin started the first decade of his working life as an unskilled underground coal miner in the Northumberland coal field before gaining his first class degree in Government & Public Policy from Northumbria University.