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.

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.

Find out more

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