KTP Awards
The Annual KTP Awards
The annual Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Awards celebrate the exceptional achievements of graduates, universities, and businesses driving innovation across the UK.
The Golden Awards
As part of the 50th anniversary of the Teaching Company Scheme (TCS) and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP), we’re proud to launch the Golden Awards – a major feature of the KTP 2025 Conference in Manchester (28–30 October 2025).
These awards recognise the most outstanding people, projects, and partnerships across five decades of knowledge transfer excellence.
To learn more about the judging process or how to improve your submission, register for the Golden Awards Q&A session on the 24th July 2025.
Who can apply?
We welcome entries from any previous participant in the TCS or KTP programme whose work exemplifies excellence in innovation, knowledge transfer, and collaboration:
- People: individual contributors (Associates, Supervisors, Chairs, Support Staff)
- Partners: joint applications from collaborators on one or more projects
- Participants: groups involved in multiple engagements over time
Entries must relate to TCS/KTP activity that began after 1 January 1975 and completed by 30 June 2025.
Award Themes
Knowledge with Impact
Celebrating measurable outcomes, transformative change, and lasting value.
Criteria: In this category applications should demonstrate exemplary TCS / KTP credentials, with a particular focus on evidencing the impacts made, the transformative outcomes delivered, and the exploitation potential realised.
Eligibility: To be eligible for this award, your TCS / KTP participation must have begun after 1st January 1975 and have been completed by 30 June 2025.
Driving Innovation for the Future
Recognising bold thinking, market disruption, and progressive innovation.
Criteria: Here we wish to showcase the most creative, innovative and market-disruptive aspects of TCS / KTP. Applicants here should be able to demonstrate and evidence the nature, novelty and scale of progressive change enabled and exploited by TCS / KTP.
Eligibility: To be eligible for this award, your TCS / KTP participation must have begun after 1st January 1975 and have been completed by 30 June 2025.
The Art of Successful Collaboration
Honouring outstanding partnership, mutual benefit, and shared ambition.
Criteria: This theme exemplifies the TCS / KTP ethos, here we wish to focus on the relationship aspects of TCS / KTP and how applicants can demonstrate a depth and breadth of reach and impact that has been facilitated through people and organisations working in partnership for a common goal.
Eligibility: To be eligible for this award, your TCS / KTP participation must have begun after 1st January 1975 and have been completed by 30 June 2025.
Ready to Apply?
Showcase how your people, projects, or partnerships have shaped 50 years of Knowledge Transfer. To apply for the Golden Awards, please register below.
The 2025 Awards Competition
The Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Awards 2025 competition is now closed.
Thank you to everyone who submitted an application. Entries will now be reviewed by our internal Knowledge Transfer Advisors, followed by our Judging Panel.
We’re excited to celebrate the innovative impact of your Knowledge Transfer Partnership projects. Thank you for sharing your successes and helping to showcase the power of collaboration and positive change.
The 2025 Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership Awards are fast approaching – and the standard of submissions has once again been exceptional.
After a detailed review by our expert judging panel, we are proud to announce the finalists for this year’s awards:
Changing the World Award
- Check4Cancer Ltd – University of Essex
- Dunsters Farm – Manchester Metropolitan University
- Routes to Work – University of the West of Scotland
Best Knowledge Transfer Partnership Award
- Aggregate Industries (Holcim UK Limited)/ Leeds Beckett University
- Routes to Work/ University of the West of Scotland
- Yeo Valley Farms (Production) Ltd/ University of Reading
Academic of the Year Award
- Dr David Hughes – Jackson Lees Group Limited/The University of Manchester
- Dr Firdous Nazir – TNEI Services Limited/Glasgow Caledonian University
- Professor Chris Sangwin – IDEMS International/University of Edinburgh
Technical Excellence Award
- Datatecnics Corporation Ltd – University of Exeter
- Saraco Industries Limited – The University of Manchester
- Soapworks Limited – University of Glasgow
Business Transformation Award
- Detoxpeople Ltd – Anglia Ruskin University Higher Education Corporation
- Dunsters Farm Limited – Manchester Metropolitan University
- 3Dental Manufacturing Ltd – University of Northumbria
Best Knowledge Base KTP Support Team
- Aston University
- The University of Essex
- West of Scotland KTP Centre
Future Leader Award
- Ali Maysara Mohammed – Vision Surgery & Research Centre Ltd/University of Bradford)
- Ansu Mary Alex – Moore Concrete/Queen’s University Belfast
- Charlotte-Rose Kennedy – Renato Software Ltd/Birmingham City University
- Daniel Niepsch – UBU Environmental Limited/Manchester Metropolitan University
- Dr Simeon Skopalik – Soapworks Limited/University of Glasgow
- Hang Xu – IST Power Limited/The University of Manchester
- Ray Holder – Smartify Holdings Limited/University of the West of Scotland
- Shay McEvoy – AB Pneumatics Ltd/Queen’s University Belfast
- Thomas McKinney – MOPO (Mobile Power)/University of Sheffield
- Usama Jamil – Ashtead Engineering Company Limited/Kingston University
Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership Awards 2025
All finalists are invited to attend the Awards Ceremony, where the winners of this year’s KTP Awards will be revealed.
Join us in Manchester on Tuesday, 28 October 2025 at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, from 16:00 to 21:00, as we recognise the outstanding partnerships driving UK innovation forward.
Spaces are limited – register now to secure your place at this year’s celebration of innovation.
See the impact of KTP
Browse our case studies and see how we can help deliver real innovation across all economic sectors for any UK business, big or small.