Funding Competition: Knowledge Transfer Partnerships: 2024 to 2025 Round 2 (UK)

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme allows a UK registered business or not for profit organisation, (which they will refer to collectively as the ‘business partner’ from now on) to partner with a ‘knowledge base partner’, which is either a UK higher education (HE) or further education (FE) institution, research and technology organisation (RTO) or Catapult.

The KTP partnership brings new skills and the latest academic thinking into the business partner to deliver a specific, strategic innovation project. The knowledge base partner recruits the ‘associate’ to work on the project. The associate has the opportunity to lead a strategic development within the business, developing new skills and gaining valuable experience.

Project Size

• Typically, a project’s total costs are £8,500 per month. Projects must be between 12 and 36 months. A proportion of the knowledge base partners’ costs will be funded by Innovate UK.

Who can apply?

• Each Knowledge Transfer partnership (KTP) is a partnership between the following:
  • a UK knowledge base, acting as lead organisation and submitting the application
  • a UK registered business, not for profit organisation or eligible public sector organisation
• They use the term ‘business partner’ for businesses, public sector organisations, not for profit organisations, charities or charitable businesses.
• The definition KTP uses for not for profit organisations, charities or charitable business include:
  • a registered charity
  • a registered Community Interest Company
  • a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation
  • a charitable company
  • an exempt or excepted charity
  • non-departmental public bodies and arm’s length bodies (ALBs)
  • the NHS
  • local authorities, bodies owned and controlled by local authorities
  • government owned companies, nationalised industries, most trading funds and regulators
• The following public sector organisations are specifically excluded:
  • UKRI organisations and businesses owned or operated either wholly or partially by UKRI or one of its councils
  • Advanced research and invention agency (ARIA)
  • central government departments and the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
  • any organisation eligible to become a KTP knowledge base
• Knowledge base partner
  • The knowledge base partner cannot work alone.
  • The knowledge base partner must lead the project and must:
    • be a UK registered higher education (HE) or further education (FE) institution, research technology organisation (RTO) or Catapult
    • be registered as a knowledge base with the KTP programme
    • invite one UK registered business, not for profit organisation or eligible public sector organisation into the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) application
    • invite one knowledge transfer adviser to support the application
    • not have ownership of 50% or more of the business partner or a controlling interest via a shareholder agreement
• Business partner
  • Business partners cannot work alone. They must develop the project with a UK knowledge base who can provide the right skills to meet the knowledge gap within the business. They encourage business partners to approach Innovate UK Business Connect or knowledge bases to discuss the suitability of KTP for their specific circumstances.
  • To collaborate with a knowledge base, the business partner must:
    • be a UK registered business, not for profit organisation or eligible public sector organisation
    • have two or more full time equivalent employees
    • determine the size of their business or group
    • declare the total number of employees within the business and if part of a group of businesses, within the group
    • complete the application form in partnership with the knowledge base partner.

For more information, visit Innovate UK.