Transform businesses through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)

Turn your knowledge and ideas into solutions with a funded collaboration that brings about real change within a business.

Through the Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme, you’ll be able to work with a UK company on a complex strategic project.

What is a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)?

A KTP provides the funding and support for you to join forces with an organisation and a high-calibre associate to solve a significant business challenge. Together you’ll work for one to three years on developing a new product, process, service or efficiency saving.

Examples of our recent KTPs

• UCL Statistical Science have teamed up with Hummingbird Technologies to improve the science behind the drones that provide insights into how crops are growing.
• UCL Institute of Education is collaborating with Numbermix on the design of a digital education platform for teachers and schoolchildren. 
• UCL Physics & Astronomy and UCL Chemical Engineering are using advanced chemistry simulation techniques to set up a Digital Lab for BP and solve the challenges of oil and gas production. 

How the partnership benefits you

By sharing your expertise with the business you’ll be able to:

• publish your findings
• initiate new student projects 
• develop business-relevant teaching materials
• extend the partnership into new areas

The other partners will benefit too. On average, businesses see an increase in annual profits of around £600,000 and associates are often offered a job at the end of it.

How a KTP works

• The business has an idea about how your existing research could help increase their profits or efficiencies. 
• You and an academic colleague will jointly commit half a day a week to overseeing the introduction of these new ideas.
• UCL employs an associate, usually at master's level or above, who’s based full-time at the business. They will lead the project and make sure its innovations take root. 

What funding is available

KTPs typically cost around £120,000 a year.

Innovate UK, the government funding body, will cover a substantial part of these costs: 

• 67% funding for an SME 
• 50% funding for a larger company

Your organisation will then need to pay the remaining percentage.

Process and timings

It can take at least nine months to get all the pieces of a KTP in place. That includes applying for the funds, creating a detailed workplan and recruiting an associate. You’ll be supported at every stage by our KTP Manager and a Knowledge Transfer Advisor from Innovate UK.

Next steps

If you have a project in mind, find out what you need to do next (you'll need to enter your UCL password).