What is a Knowledge Transfer Partnership?

If you've ever looked into working with a university, you've probably come across the term Knowledge Transfer Partnership, or KTP. It's one of the UK's longest-running innovation programmes, and one of the most practical ways for a business to bring new expertise into the organisation and keep it there.

But the name doesn't tell you much. So what is a KTP, how does it work, and is it right for your business? Here's a plain-English guide.

How does a KTP work?

A KTP brings three parties together around one strategic innovation project:

• A business with a challenge it wants to solve, such as developing a new product, improving a process or building a capability it doesn't currently have.

• A knowledge base partner, which can be a UK university, further education college, research and technology organisation (RTO) or Catapult. They bring the expertise and supervise the work.

• An Associate, usually a recent graduate or postgraduate, who is recruited specifically for the project.

  
  

The Associate is the heart of a KTP. They're employed by the knowledge base partner but work inside the business, leading the project day to day. An academic supervisor guides them throughout, so the business gets a dedicated person on the problem with university expertise behind them.

Projects run for between 12 and 36 months, depending on the scope of the challenge.

What does it cost?

KTPs are part-funded by Innovate UK, and the business covers the rest. As a rough guide, Innovate UK funds around two thirds of the cost for small and medium-sized businesses, and around half for larger companies. SMEs in Wales can receive a little more.

It's worth thinking about cost in context. For an SME, a KTP means a full-time, highly qualified person working on a strategic project, with academic support built in, for around a third of the total cost. Few other routes give you that combination.

What do businesses get out of it?

The obvious benefit is the project itself: a new product, a better process or a capability your business didn't have before. But businesses that have done a KTP often point to other benefits too.

• Expertise that stays. The aim of a KTP is to embed new knowledge in the business, not just deliver a report. By the end, your team should be able to carry the work forward.

• A route to recruitment. Many Associates are offered permanent roles when the project ends. You'll have spent up to three years working with them, so you already know they're a good fit.

• A lasting university relationship. A KTP gives you a partner who understands your business. That can lead to further projects, student placements or joint funding bids.

• Fresh thinking. An Associate and an academic team will look at your challenge differently from people who've lived with it for years.

Is a KTP right for your business?

To take part, you'll need to be a UK-registered business with at least two full-time equivalent employees. You'll also need to show that the business has growth potential and can fund its share of the project.

Beyond eligibility, a KTP tends to work best when:

• the challenge is strategic, not a quick fix or a one-off task

• you need knowledge or skills you don't currently have in-house

• you can commit someone senior to supervise the project on your side

• you're thinking a year or more ahead

  
  

Not every KTP is about technology or R&D. A Management KTP focuses on improving how the business itself operates, such as strategy, operations, marketing or digital processes.

If a two or three-year partnership feels like too big a first step, that's fine too. Many businesses start with something smaller, like a student project or a short feasibility study, and move on to a KTP once they've found the right partner. Our guide to starting small explains how.

How do you get started?

The business doesn't apply for a KTP directly. The application is developed with a knowledge base partner, such as a university, and submitted by the knowledge base to Innovate UK. Official UKRI guidance confirms that each application must be led by a knowledge base working with a business, and that only the knowledge base can submit the completed application.

Most universities have a dedicated KTP office that can help shape the project and check whether it's a good fit. A Knowledge Transfer Adviser can also help you identify the right knowledge base and support the business and knowledge base through the application process.

So the first step is finding the right knowledge base partner. If you already have a university contact, that's a natural place to begin. If you don't, that's where konfer can help.

How konfer helps

Finding the right academic partner can be one of the first hurdles in developing a KTP. konfer can help businesses connect with university expertise and knowledge exchange teams relevant to their challenge.

Post a collaboration opportunity describing what you're looking for and give relevant experts the opportunity to respond. Or explore live collaborations to see what other organisations are working on.