Maximising HEIF Allocations: How Oxentia Helped English Universities Unlock Hidden Value

Universities across England face a common challenge: the complexity of the HE-BCI return process often leads to under-reporting of income, which can directly impact HEIF allocations and Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) metrics. With guidance sometimes open to interpretation and data collection often spread across multiple departments, it’s easy for valuable income to go unreported—potentially costing institutions significant funding and recognition.

Our Approach

At Oxentia, we’ve partnered with a range of English universities to help them get the most from their HE-BCI returns. Led by our Director and Policy & Engagement Lead—who previously oversaw HEIF allocations at HEFCE/Research England—we used a proven, structured method to review both the accuracy and completeness of reported data. Our process included:

• Engaging with everyone involved in data collection to map out the full process and identify areas for deeper review.
• Analysing financial statements and contracts to spot income that may have been missed or excluded.
• Conducting spot-checks on reported income to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Benchmarking each institution’s performance against similar universities to highlight gaps and opportunities for improvement. 

Tangible Results

Our reviews consistently uncovered significant under-reported income, leading to real financial gains and process improvements for our clients. Successes included:

• Helping a small specialist provider regain its HEIF allocation by identifying enough previously unreported income.
• Enabling a teaching-intensive university to add over £30,000 to its HEIF allocation.
• Uncovering approximately £1.8 million in eligible income for another institution (with the final HEIF impact pending).
• Delivered tailored recommendations that have led to lasting improvements in internal processes and future income capture.
• Provided benchmarking insights to empower institutions to adopt best practices from higher-performing peers.

Why It Matters

By ensuring every eligible pound is reported, universities not only maximise their HEIF funding but also strengthen their position in the sector and potentially their KEF outcomes. Our work doesn’t just deliver a one-off boost—it builds a foundation for ongoing success and strategic growth.