Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

What is a Knowledge Transfer Partnership?

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme is a government funded framework for driving innovation and growth by linking a UK business with a university and a recent graduate. KTP has been operating for more than 45 years.

A KTP enables an organisation to bring in new skills and the latest academic thinking in order to help deliver a specific, strategic innovation project. You access expertise that you don’t have in-house, and embed it in your business to become more competitive and productive. Unlike traditional consultancy, through its emphasis on knowledge transfer, the KTP programme helps develop lasting relationships for ongoing strategic innovation and sustainable growth.

Oxford Brookes University utilises the KTP programme to help drive innovation and productivity in the UK, and to ensure businesses remain competitive in a changing market and continue to grow and develop. Oxford Brookes University has partnered with a range of businesses on KTPs from technology companies to a legal practice.

“With success rates of 85%, and rising, your new project may be just months away.”

Anna Verghese, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Manager

Your business and KTPs

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships can help your business or organisation to create a step-change in a combination of some of these areas:

Access new expertise and embed new knowledge to drive profitability
Apply a new technology, improve a process or develop a new market
Develop a culture of increased productivity
Create a culture of accelerated innovation to drive competitive advantage
Create new ideas or Intellectual Property
Gain access to new markets, develop new products, increase efficiency and productivity
Gain new strategic insights with cost-effective access to the UK’s world-class knowledge base
Access funding from the innovation agency Innovate UK or other organisations in UK Research and Innovation

A KTP is for projects with ambitious levels of innovation, impact and challenge that result in significant wealth creation. It might be a new development within your sector or a chance to enter a different market.

A project can last from 1 to 3 years in one month blocks.

“I fully endorse Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. It’s really been transformational for Blenheim. I am sure it won’t be the last KTP that we’ll have here. I think the ability to bring this academia and real-world business challenges together is incredibly powerful. We can solve really complex puzzles together.”

David Green, Head of Innovation at Blenheim

Requirements

What are the requirements?

To take part, companies need to:

have a registered base in the UK
evidence that they can afford a KTP and invest in its outcomes.

Projects can be office-based, hybrid or fully remote.

How does the KTP package work?

A full-time 'KTP Associate' (recent graduate) actions the project from within the company.
The Associate is recruited jointly but employed by the University.
An expert from the University leads the approach, working with the Associate half a day per week.
The Associate accesses knowledge and resources at the University.
The KTP brings budgets for contributions to equipment, training and travel.
The KTP is jointly managed to ensure successful completion.

How much will it cost?

Part of the cost of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is funded by a grant from the innovation agency Innovate UK, and other government co-funders. You apply for this in a competitive call for submissions.

For Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises the grant rate is 67% of the project cost and for large companies 50%. The remainder of the project cost is met by monthly cash payments from your company.

Project costs are variable. For a small or medium size company, government bodies, such as Innovate UK, contribute two-thirds of the cost.

For a typical project, Oxford Brookes University offers a cost-effective opportunity to engage in Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs). Your company can make a modest investment per year to embed a recent graduate (KTP Associate) in your organisation, supported by senior academics and the extensive resources of our university. This collaboration brings new capabilities and the potential for wealth creation.

Businesses that participate in KTPs experience significant benefits, with the potential for notable increases in pre-tax profit. KTPs provide a platform for driving innovation, enhancing productivity, and achieving substantial financial growth.

Employer Size	Funding Rate	Employer contribution (approx.)
Third Sector	75%	£22-25k per year
SME	67%	£28-33k per year
Large Business	50%	£43-48k per year

person sitting at a desk whilst working on a budget

About the KTP Associate

A key person in the partnership is the KTP Associate.

This is an ambitious recent graduate who is jointly recruited by the partners to implement the project in your business. Educated to a level appropriate for the project, the associate will be the conduit for change, transferring implementing and embedding the knowledge generated and providing feedback from you to the academic partner. The Associate will join the University’s payroll, but their place of work is in your organisation and they work as a member of your team. Academic staff from the University visit the company every week to guide and supervise the work.

The length of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships varies from 12 – 36 months, depending on the nature of the project and the requirements of your business.

Benefits to the KTP Associate:

Employment for suitably qualified graduates to apply their knowledge to realise a key strategic innovation
Experience of managing a challenging real-world project
The chance to implement strategic development within an innovative company
Opportunity to potentially acquire an additional professional qualification
Dedicated coaching, mentoring and personal development
The possibility of a rewarding job with the company at the end of the project.

Become a KTP Associate:

If you are serious about getting ahead and you want to apply your degree knowledge, start a 'real' job straight away, and potentially gain a professional qualification, then a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) may be the perfect opportunity for you.

As an employee on a KTP programme, you’ll be pursuing challenging work and making a real impact within the company or organisation you join, helping it to innovate, grow and develop as you establish your own skills and achievements.

KTP is one of the UK's largest recruiters of recently qualified graduates. Positions are available across the UK, with up to 500 jobs created each year. Find out more about KTP as a career option or see the list of current national KTP vacancies and vacancies being advertised soon.