Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

By drawing on our Academic expertise and knowledge, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) help external organisations to improve their competitiveness and productivity.

Benefits of KTP

• Access to highly qualified people to spearhead new projects
• Access to academic experts who can help take businesses forward
• Development of innovative solutions to help businesses grow
• Opportunity to develop businesses for today's market
• Increased annual profits
• Creation of new jobs
• Increase in the skills of existing staff

About the KTP scheme

This scheme is a UK-wide programme to encourage business-academic collaborations. Funded by Government organisations and led by the Technology Strategy Board, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships involve the formation of a partnership between a company and an academic institution, enabling rewarding and ongoing collaborations with innovative businesses that require access to academic skills and expertise to help their company develop. The Partnership also involves at least one 'Associate' - a recently qualified graduate who facilitates this transfer of skills and expertise.

Standard KTP funding

A small to medium sized enterprise (SME) would be expected to contribute about a third of the costs involved in the project. Average annual contribution to the project for an SME would be just over £20,000 – this contributes to the costs of the Knowledge Base Supervisor and Associate employment and development. A company's contribution to the costs of the project not only gives them the services of a KTP Associate but also the time and expertise of the academics or researchers working with the organisation.

According to Knowledge Transfer Partnership figures, 52% of companies who completed a final report had an increase in the overall value of the business whilst 62% had an increase in sales (http://www.ktponline.org.uk/faqs/faqs.aspx#benefits).

Shorter KTPs

Short-term, tactical business issues can be addressed by mini KTPs. These are appropriate to independent micro organisations and small to medium enterprises (SMEs), which have the potential for growth and have a project requiring expertise not available within the organisation. Depending on the individual criteria of the funding organisation, some large enterprises, public sector and third sector organisations may also be eligible.

Mini KTPs demonstrate the benefits of knowledge transfer and collaborative partnerships with universities, further education colleges or Research and Technology Organisations.

Shorter KTPs can run from 26-51 weeks with a standard weekly budget of £950 per week. Contribution by an SME will be 40% of a project’s cost and contribution by a large organisation will be around 60% of the project cost.

Contact us

For further details, please contact the Research and Enterprise team at oubs-research-admin@open.ac.uk.