Knowledge transfer partnerships (KTP): 2022 to 2023 Round 4

UK registered academic institutions, RTOs or Catapults can apply for a share of up to £9 million to fund innovation projects with businesses or not for profits.

Opportunity Details

When

Registration Opens

20/09/2022

Registration Closes

16/11/2022

Award

Typically, a project’s total costs are no more than £75,000 per year. A proportion of the knowledge base partners costs (up to 67% for an SME) will be funded by Innovate UK. The remainder of the project costs are paid by the business partner.

Organisation

Innovate UK

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The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme allows a UK registered business or not for profit organisation (which we will refer to collectively as the ‘business partner’ from now on) to partner with a knowledge base partner (either a UK higher education (HE) or further education (FE) institution, research and technology organisation (RTO) or Catapult) to carry out an innovation project.

The KTP partnership brings new skills and the latest academic thinking into the business partner to deliver a specific, strategic innovation project. The knowledge base partner recruits the ‘associate’ to work on the project. The associate has the opportunity to lead a strategic development within the business developing new skills and gaining valuable experience.

Guidance on how to apply for a KTP is provided here.

Each application must be led by a knowledge base, working with a business partner and supported by a knowledge transfer adviser.

If you are a business and do not yet have a relationship with a knowledge base partner, the knowledge transfer adviser can help you to identify one.

Each KTP is a partnership between the following:

  • a UK knowledge base, acting as lead organisation and submitting the application
  • a UK registered business or not for profit organisation

We use the term ‘business partner’ for businesses, charities and charitable businesses. KTP does not support projects where the business partner is in the public sector.

The knowledge base partner must lead the project and must be a UK registered higher education (HE) or further education (FE) institution, Research Technology Organisation (RTO) or Catapult. The business partner must be a UK registered business, charity or a charitable business of any size, with 2 or more full time equivalent employees.

Scope

Your application must be for a specific, strategic innovation project that tackles one or more challenges faced by the business partner.

It can be any kind of project and must show:

  • how it helps the business with a real need
  • how it fits the strategic aims of the business partner
  • a genuine market opportunity and a viable route to market
  • how the knowledge gained will be embedded within the business partner
  • what makes your project innovative

For further details, and success stories from previous Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, visit the KTP website.

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