Deadline Date: April 01, 2026
The Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme 2026–2027 Round 1 offers UK registered academic and research organisations the opportunity to collaborate with businesses to deliver strategic innovation projects that support business growth and capability development in the UK.
The programme focuses on strategic innovation projects, the transfer of academic knowledge and skills into businesses, alignment with the Industrial Strategy’s eight sectors, the application and development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, and supporting innovative businesses with the ambition to scale and grow within the UK.
The Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme enables a UK registered business, referred to as the business partner, to work in collaboration with a knowledge base partner that must be a UK higher education or further education institution, a research and technology organisation, or a Catapult. The knowledge base partner acts as the lead organisation and is responsible for submitting the application to Innovate UK.
Through this partnership, new skills and the latest academic thinking are embedded directly within the business partner to address a defined strategic innovation challenge. A key element of the programme is the recruitment of a dedicated associate by the knowledge base partner, who works within the business to lead the project and deliver the agreed innovation objectives while gaining valuable professional and technical experience.
For the 2026–2027 Round 1 competition, UK registered academic institutions, research and technology organisations, and Catapults can apply for a share of up to £10 million in funding. Projects must have a duration of between 12 and 36 months, with total eligible costs typically calculated at £8,500 per month. Innovate UK funds a proportion of these eligible costs, with the remaining balance contributed by the business partner.
All projects supported through the KTP programme must align with the Industrial Strategy’s eight sectors, which are interpreted through the application or development of technologies rather than limiting eligibility to specific industries. This includes businesses applying advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence as well as those developing new technological tools.
Certain organisations are excluded from participating in the KTP programme. These include UK Research and Innovation, its councils, and any businesses owned or operated wholly or partially by them, the Advanced Research and Invention Agency, central government departments, devolved administrations, and any organisation eligible to act as a knowledge base partner applying instead as a business partner.
For more information, visit GOV.UK.
