Funding Competition: Knowledge Transfer Partnerships 2022 to 2023 (UK)

Deadline: 16-Nov-22

UK registered academic institutions, RTOs or Catapults can apply for a share of up to £9 million to fund innovation projects with businesses or not for profits.

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme allows a UK registered business or not for profit organisation (which we will refer to collectively as the ‘business partner’ from now on) to partner with a knowledge base partner’ (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.

Funding Information

Innovate UK has allocated up to £9 million in this round of the KTP programme.
Typically, a project’s total costs are no more than £75,000 per year. A proportion of the knowledge base partners costs will be funded by Innovate UK. The remainder of the project costs are paid by the business partner.

Eligible Projects

Your application must be for a specific, strategic innovation project that tackles one or more challenges faced by the business partner.

It can be any kind of project and must show:

How it helps the business with a real need.
How it fits the strategic aims of the business partner.
A genuine market opportunity and a viable route to market.
How the knowledge gained will be embedded within the business partner.
What makes your project innovative.

Eligibility Criteria

Each KTP is a partnership between the following:
- A UK knowledge base, acting as lead organisation and submitting the application.
- A UK registered business or not for profit organisation.
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 or not for profit organisation of any size into the Innovation Funding Service 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.
- Recruit associate roles in a demonstrably open and fair manner.
- Allow associates to participate in the typical working patterns of the business for the majority of the project, unless working virtually, this should take place at the business partner’s premises.
- Agree to provide at least half a day per week of academic support for the associate.
- Complete the application form in partnership with the business.
- Make sure the application is completed and submitted with the agreement of a knowledge transfer adviser before the competition closes.
- Submit a current full economic costing (fEC) letter with each application if you are using the full fEC costing model and support the project in accordance with its provision.
- Provide the project secretariat.
- Reach an intellectual property (IP) agreement with the business partner before the project commences.
- Agree to attend specified meetings at a location identified by the business partner.
- Ensure that none of the proposed academic team are directors, consultants or otherwise engaged by the business or group.
To collaborate with the knowledge base, the business partner must:
- Be a UK registered business, charity or a charitable business of any size.
- Have 2 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.
- Provide evidence of their ability to financially support their contribution.
- Host the associate and provide them with day to day supervisory support.
- Host monthly supervisor, Local management Committee (LMC) and other mandatory meetings at their own expense.
- Provide evidence that demonstrates their ability to financially support the exploitation of the project.
- Reach a written IP agreement with the knowledge base before the project commences.