Knowledge Transfer Partnership

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a UK grant-funded programme that supports collaborations between UK-based businesses and academic or research organisations, including Catapults, to employ a graduate (the associate) to deliver an innovation project. Partnerships typically last between 12 and 36 months and are designed to help businesses innovate, grow and increase productivity by accessing academic expertise not held in-house. Projects can focus on any type of innovation in any sector but must deliver results that the business could not otherwise achieve. Funding is part-grant with the business contributing a proportion of project costs, including the associate's salary.

Grant funding to support project costs, employment of a graduate associate hosted by the academic partner but working in the business, access to academic expertise and supervisory support from the academic partner and knowledge transfer advisers.

Open to UK-based businesses of any size working in partnership with a university, college or research and technology organisation (including Catapults). Projects must include the employment of a graduate as the associate; applications must be completed jointly by the business and the academic or research organisation with agreement of a knowledge transfer adviser and submitted by the academic or research organisation.

The application is completed jointly by the business and the academic/research organisation with agreement of a knowledge transfer adviser; the academic/research organisation submits the application via the KTP applicant site. Local KTP offices or knowledge transfer advisers can be contacted to develop the project. Decisions are normally made within 12 weeks.