About KTP

Established in 1975, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) are one of the world’s leading knowledge transfer mechanisms, providing:

• Businesses and not for profit organisations with access to the UK’s world class academic expertise, helping them innovate for growth and embed knowledge for lasting, positive impact
• Graduates with one of the biggest recruitment platforms in the UK (around 300 jobs every year) – a unique career springboard, leading change on a strategic innovation project 
• Academics with a valuable opportunity to apply the outcomes of their research to real world business challenges.

If you think a KTP or Management KTP could be the right mechanism to deliver your innovation or strategic management project and you have read the Business section of this website (including the section: Funding a KTP),  please use the map below to find your nearest Knowledge Transfer Adviser whom you should contact in the first instance to discuss your project idea. 

Since it started KTP has helped over 12,000 organisations innovate for growth. The programme aims to help businesses improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills within the UK knowledge base. 

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) are funded by UKRI through Innovate UK with the support of co-funders, including the Scottish Funding Council, Welsh Government, Invest Northern Ireland, Defra and BEIS.  Innovate UK manages the KTP and mKTP programmes and facilitates their delivery through a range of partners including the KTN, Knowledge Bases and Businesses. Each partner plays a specific role in the support and delivery of the programme.

Innovate UK is the United Kingdom’s innovation agency, a non-departmental public body operating at arm’s length from the Government as part of UKRI.

Innovate UK KTN is a knowledge-based network of people that exists to connect innovators with new partners and new opportunities beyond their existing thinking – accelerating ambitious ideas into real-world solutions to make positive change happen.

Innovate UK KTN (henceforth “KTN”) facilitates the use of R&D to connect innovators, partners and opportunities to enable businesses and organisations to innovate. Innovate UK supports KTN by publicly funding its programmes and by maintaining a connection to funders and the UK government – to drive positive change together. 

As well as facilitating delivery of the KTP and mKTP programmes, KTN runs a wide variety of briefings and events to help UK businesses in all sectors access expertise and funding. See the full KTN Events listing here.

KTP Media Resources Centre

Click here for a list of KTN’s specialist KTP Advisers and their locations.

Dates and deadlines for applying for a KTP or mKTP:

Please check here for the full list of open and close dates. The table above contains the list of current open and close dates for all KTP competitions, including African Agriculture KTP (AA KTP). All dates are subject to change.