Talented graduates and post grads interested in driving innovation could fast track their careers with a Knowledge Transfer Partnership
Right now there are around 30 job opportunities for KTP Associates – a chance to apply fresh academic thinking to real-world solutions.
You may not know this, but Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) are a major UK recruitment platform, with around 300 new roles created every year. Those roles are for KTP Associates, the individuals who drive the innovation project at the core of a KTP collaboration, linking organisations and academics to apply and embed fresh knowledge to deliver real world solutions.
Find out more about the role here and see the latest vacancies here.
Today, nearly 800 KTP Associates are working in organisations in all sectors of the UK economy. And, with new KTP projects being funded year-round, there is a constant supply of interesting openings working as KTP Associate.
KTP Associate, David Beattie,  is working on a research project (see his interview with the BBC here) about using seaweed as a more sustainable feed for sheep, and this is how he summarises his KTP experience.
“Through KTP,  I’ve found a graduate role which offers both academic and industry experience in equal measure. My role is intensely immersive, which I put down to the considerable degree of autonomy the KTP framework affords. Our project is a win-win for its stakeholders, may lead to job creation and will reduce our Carbon footprint. That’s satisfying.”
David Beattie, Hutton Institute / Davidsons Feeds.
A very high percentage of KTP Associates go on to be offered full time roles at the end of their KTP project. Radovan Gallo, of Sarissa Biomedical, is one of them:
“After completion of the KTP project I was offered a job at Sarissa Biomedical as a Chief Engineer, which I have accepted. My role now includes supervising the technical development of all of our new products and production processes as well as managing our suppliers and contractors. Recently I have also taken on the duties of a production manager and I am now also overseeing the day to day production of our products and handling line management duties for the production staff. The experience of being a KTP Associate gave me the skills and confidence to manage my own projects independently and allowed me to transition smoothly into my new role”.
KTPs are a three way partnership between a forward-thinking organisation, an expert academic team within one of the UK”s world-class Knowledge Bases, and a talented graduate.  Together they work on an innovation project designed to deliver positive impact to all three partners.
A key part of the partnership team, the KTP Associate effectively acts as the project manager on a KTP. Unique in many respects, the Associate role has provided, and continues to provide, an exceptional launchpad for careers as diverse as data science to new product development, chemical engineering to environmental impact analysis.
Find out more on the dedicated KTP website where you can also sign up for job alerts.
If you think a KTP could help your organisation innovate for growth, talk to one of the KTN’s specialist Knowledge Transfer Advisers, or visit the KTP website for more information. Funding competitions for KTP and Management KTP are open throughout the year.
Follow us on social:
@KTN_KTP
#KTP 
linkedin.com/showcase/ktp
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) aim to help businesses improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills within the UK knowledge base. The Knowledge Transfer Network is one of the delivery partners for the KTP programme which is funded by UKRI through Innovate UK and other co-funders as part of the government’s Industrial Strategy.