Kudos to 'boost research communication' following £2m investment

Kudos, the service for maximising the reach and impact of research, is to launch a communications management system for researchers after winning a £2.2m investment led by Mobeus Equity Partners.

The global research sector is undergoing significant and accelerating change, with mechanisms for evaluation, publication and reward being overhauled to improve efficiencies. Kudos says that, with more than £150b invested annually in research through universities worldwide, innovation is needed to improve the return on this expenditure; effective communication, throughout the research lifecycle, is central to this.

Launched in 2014, Kudos serves more than a quarter of a million researchers, affiliated with more than 10,000 universities and other research institutions in 190 countries. Having built a central data set of communications activities and results, the company is well positioned to develop algorithms for maximising engagement with research and its potential for impact. 

Through this investment, Kudos says it will expand its service to enable research groups, departments and universities to plan, action and report on their communication activities – across multiple projects, outputs and publications – and understand which are most effective for engaging specific target audiences. Further, the data collected will give funders, publishers and other stakeholders greater insight into the most effective communication mechanisms for improving research impact.

Melinda Kenneway, CEO and co-founder of Kudos, said: 'Research funders are placing ever-growing emphasis on engagement with a wider range of stakeholders, such as policy makers, industry, educators, media and the public. Our new suite of services helps researchers leverage new channels and formats for communicating about their work to optimise its potential for impact, across both academic and non-academic audiences.'

Jane Reoch, who led the deal for Mobeus, added: 'Kudos helps academics, governments and grant councils accelerate and track the reach of and engagement with the research they fund. We are very excited about backing such a high-calibre team with first-mover advantage, unique experience and the potential to disrupt the mechanisms by which academic research is communicated and evaluated.'