Knowledge transfer partnerships (KTP): 2021-22, round 2
UK academic institutions, RTOs or Catapults can apply for a share of up to £6m to fund innovation projects with businesses or not-for-profits.
Opportunity Details
When
Registration Opens
19/04/2021
Registration Closes
30/06/2021
Award
We will consider partially funding project costs of any amount if we judge the costs to be appropriate. Typically, projects cost no more than £75,000 per year. A proportion of this will be paid by the business partner.
Organisation
Innovate UK
The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme allows a UK registered business or not-for-profit organisation (the ‘business partner’) to partner with a UK higher education (HE) or further education (FE) institution, RTO or Catapult (the ‘knowledge base partner’).
This new partnership brings new skills and the latest academic thinking into the business partner to deliver a specific, strategic innovation project. The knowledge base partner will recruit 1 or 2 graduates (known as ‘associates’) to work on the project.
Each application must be led by a knowledge base, working with a business partner. If you are from a knowledge base that has not yet developed a project, get started by reading the KTP guidance. If you are from a business, you must apply through a knowledge base: contact the KTN’s KTP team to discuss which knowledge base will be most appropriate for you to work with. (KTPs are only open to UK-registered businesses with more than two employees.)
Visit the KTP website to find out more about the programme and the current roles available for graduates.
This award is provided on a no subsidy basis. This means you must publish or make all project outputs openly available on a non-selective basis. If you decide to commercially exploit project outputs, you can only do so with no selective advantage.
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
Your project can last between 12 and 36 months, depending on the project requirements.
KTP does not support projects with public sector organisations, but social enterprises and charities may apply as business partners.
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, it must show:
- how it helps the business with a real need
- how it fits the strategic aims of the business partner
- there is a genuine market opportunity and route to market
- how the knowledge gained will be embedded within the business partner
- what makes this approach innovative
A knowledge transfer adviser must support your application. The knowledge base partner must invite a knowledge transfer adviser to join the project. Find and contact your local knowledge transfer adviser.
Your knowledge transfer adviser will:
- help you plan the project
- identify benefits
- review proposals before submission
- support and monitor the project
- mentor and coach the associate
- help you connect with the Knowledge Transfer Network