Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

What is a KTP?

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) are a UK-wide programme that help businesses improve their competitiveness by enabling them to work with higher education or research and technology organisations. From this, businesses can obtain knowledge, technology and skills of strategic competitive importance.

The programme is overseen by Innovate UK, the UK's innovation agency, and supported by a number of other public-sector funded organisations. Funding rates range from 50-67% of the project costs. It is widely regarded as the most successful grant-funding initiative available to UK businesses today. KTPs are available for any industry area, in either a technical or management/leadership capacity, and last between 12 and 36 months.

Who is involved?

A KTP is a three-way project between:

• Your business
• De Montfort University
• An associate (recent graduate)

The associate, employed by DMU, manages and delivers the project for your business, while being supported by a DMU academic with expertise and experience in the project area and access to the university’s facilities. KTP projects provide your business with expertise that can be embedded into your organisation, support access to new markets and lead to significant increases in profitability and productivity.

Our experience

We have a long history of successfully managing and completing KTPs, having generated more than 100 projects working with companies from a wide variety of sectors and industries. We offer full support with the whole process, including applying for funding, managing the project administration and sourcing and recruiting the right graduate.

“The project has clearly demonstrated that commitment, coupled with the right knowledge, can give you a distinct advantage. The project has been a resounding success, and since finishing the KTP, Flexpress has continued to grow quadrupling our turnover, and tripling our staff.”

Steve Wenlock, Managing Director, Flexpress Ltd.

We are committed to knowledge exchange, and encourage collaboration between research, academia, business and society by developing relationships that go beyond 'one translation'.

By creating a dialogue between these communities, knowledge exchange helps research to influence policy and practice, leading to wider reaching impacts.

Contact our Knowledge Exchange Officers, Rhianna Briars or Darsheet Chauhan, to find out how DMU can help your organisation with a KTP.

T: +44 (0)116 207 8455
E: KnowledgeExchange@dmu.ac.uk