Jisc is partnering with FEA-I to run a three-month pilot of KnowledgeFlow, a secure platform that brings together a range of AI assistants for staff use across further and higher education. We are inviting expressions of interest from institutions that would like to take part.
This post explains what the pilot is, what participation will involve, what support will be available, and what we will ask from selected institutions. We want potential applicants to have a clear picture of the commitment before deciding whether to apply.
What is FEA-I KnowledgeFlow?
KnowledgeFlow is a secure, customisable platform that enables institutions to deploy and manage a range of AI assistants in one place. The assistants can support tasks such as finding information, drafting content, supporting quality processes, improving access to policies and procedures, and helping teams explore practical AI use cases in their own context.
Through this pilot, we want to understand how useful this type of platform is in real institutional settings, which use cases emerge, what support institutions need, and where participants see benefits, challenges or limitations. The findings will help Jisc build an evidence base around the responsible use of AI assistants in tertiary education.
Common uses of KnowledgeFlow in the sector include:
AI Quality Assistant – supports self-assessment, quality improvement and assurance by drawing on institutional evidence and relevant inspection frameworks.
AI Policy Assistant – helps staff find and use organisational policies and procedures more easily.
AI Governance Assistant – supports board and committee work by improving access to key governance documents and processes.
AI Curriculum Planning Assistant – supports curriculum design, schemes of work and lesson planning, aligned to awarding body requirements and local curriculum intent.
AI SEND and Inclusion Assistant – helps tutors and support teams plan more proactively for learners with additional needs, using learner profiles, EHCPs and local policies.
AI Safeguarding Assistant – helps safeguarding and pastoral teams find relevant policy and guidance quickly, while keeping decisions with the human DSL.
AI Reports Assistant – drafts progress reports using existing attendance, behaviour and academic data, ready for staff to review and personalise.
AI Enquiries Assistant – provides first-line responses to external enquiries, grounded in institutional tone, web content and published policies.
AI Manager’s Coach – gives managers always-on advice and guidance tailored to the organisation’s context and culture.
AI Bid Writer – helps teams draft consistent, high-quality bid content more quickly.
AI Data Insights Assistant – lets staff ask natural-language questions of operational data, such as student records, timetabling, attendance and VLE systems.
Private GPT – provides private generative AI tools for content creation within the organisation’s secure environment.
Who can apply?
The pilot is open to Jisc member colleges and universities. We expect to select up to 10 institutions. Each selected institution will need to identify a project lead, a project sponsor, a relevant technical contact, and a small group of staff users who can actively test the platform during the pilot period.
We are particularly interested in hearing from institutions that have clear use cases, are ready to engage during the three-month pilot window, and are willing to share honest feedback about both the opportunities and the practical challenges of using the platform.
Timeline:
Deadline for expression of interest submissions: 31/07/2026
Applicants informed: 06/08/2026
Pilot participation agreements in place by: 04/09/2026
Pilot runs: 14/09/2026 to 18/12/2026.
Evaluation: 04/01/2027 to 29/01/2027.
What will participation involve?
Selected institutions will begin with a kick-off session involving Jisc and FEA-I. This session will confirm aims, roles, setup requirements, support arrangements and evaluation plans. Institutions will then move through setup, active use, regular check-ins and evaluation activity during the three-month pilot period.
During the pilot, staff users will be asked to use KnowledgeFlow in ways that are relevant to their roles and institutional context. Project leads will coordinate participation locally and act as the main point of contact for Jisc and FEA-I. Project sponsors will provide institutional support and help ensure there is enough capacity to participate fully.
Expected commitments
Before applying, institutions should be confident they can support the following commitments within the timescales above:
- sign a pilot participation agreement before access is provided
- identify a project lead, project sponsor, technical contact and participating staff users
- attend the pilot kick-off session and relevant training sessions
- complete the technical setup required to connect KnowledgeFlow securely to the institution’s Microsoft environment
- support staff users to test the platform actively during the three-month pilot period
- attend regular check-in calls with FEA-I and Jisc
- provide short progress updates during the pilot
- take part in evaluation activities, such as surveys, interviews or focus groups
Roles in the pilot
Project lead
The project lead will coordinate the institution’s participation. This includes acting as the main contact for Jisc and FEA-I, helping arrange setup and training, supporting staff users, attending regular check-ins, completing progress updates and helping organise evaluation activity.
Project leads may also act as staff users during the pilot, if appropriate.
Staff users
Staff users will use KnowledgeFlow and its AI assistants in ways that are relevant to their roles. They will be expected to attend the kick-off and training where relevant, explore the platform during the pilot, join check-ins where appropriate, and contribute to evaluation activity.
Project sponsor
The project sponsor should provide senior support for the pilot, help ensure the institution has capacity to participate, support the project lead, and encourage engagement with the evaluation. Sponsors are encouraged to attend the kick-off session.
Technical contact
A technical contact will need to support setup so the platform can connect securely to the institution’s Microsoft environment and, where required, SharePoint and Teams. In practical terms this may involve a Global Administrator approving standard access requests, creating guest users or groups, adding DNS records if a custom URL is required, preparing SharePoint locations, and completing Teams setup if the integration is used.
Support during the pilot
Participating institutions will receive onboarding and support from FEA-I, with Jisc involved throughout the pilot. Support will include a kick-off session, training on using the platform effectively, regular check-ins, access to FEA-I support, and opportunities to share learning with other pilot institutions.
Evaluation
Evaluation is a core part of the pilot. We will ask participating institutions to help us understand how KnowledgeFlow is used, where it adds value, what limitations or risks participants identify, and what support is needed for responsible adoption. Evaluation activity may include surveys, interviews, focus groups and short progress updates.
What happens after the pilot?
There is no obligation to continue with KnowledgeFlow after the pilot. If institutions want to explore next steps, FEA-I can provide information about procurement routes and indicative costs separately. Jisc has Chest agreements in place for universities and colleges; your institution’s procurement team can access the Chest site for full details.
How to apply
Applications are open until 31/07/2026. To express your interest, please complete the application form.
If your institution would like to apply but the submission timeline is difficult, please contact us at ai@jisc.ac.uk.
Selection criteria
We will make the final selection based on readiness to engage during the three-month pilot period, diversity of institution type, a useful spread of use cases, and evidence of institutional support for participation.
Further information
More information about the platform is available from FEA-I’s KnowledgeFlow website. For questions about the platform, please contact FEA-I. For questions about the pilot or the application process, please contact ai@jisc.ac.uk.
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