A KTP with us can help your business innovate, compete in new markets and increase profitability. From delivering improvements to existing products and supporting the development of novel products and systems, to creating frameworks that improve efficiencies in processes and upskill staff. This flexible approach enables you to identify the best way to accelerate business growth and enhance your competitive advantage.

Key benefits of the programme include:

  • Cost-effective access to our world-class knowledge base and resources
  • Competitive advantage through accelerated innovation and the possibility of creating Intellectual Property
  • Highly qualified Associates working in your business for up to three years, depending on your needs – embedding expertise, generating new knowledge, expanding capability and fostering a culture of innovation
  • Increased revenue through access to new markets and new product development
  • Improved profits through efficiency gains, increased productivity and better processes
  • Strategic input from a highly experienced Knowledge Transfer Adviser and access to the Knowledge Transfer Network throughout the lifetime of the project.
     
How does a KTP work?

With the help of our Research and Knowledge Exchange team, we'll help you to identify which of our academics have the right expertise to deliver your innovation and transform your business. Jointly we will define the project and build a business case that demonstrates the commercial impact of this innovation. A successful KTP project will address strategic needs in the company and identify the right solutions to help your business grow. This could be improving existing products, creating new products, implementing a strategy to enter new markets, or developing systems and frameworks to improve efficiency in staff and processes.

Once your project has been approved, we will jointly recruit a highly qualified researcher (KTP Associate) with the capability to lead this strategic project. They are employed by us but work within your business to manage the project, applying their knowledge and ensuring that the University’s expertise is embedded into the business for long-term benefit.

The Academic Team are closely involved throughout the project, spending half a day each week working with you at the company to support the project and supervise/mentor your KTP Associate.

How much does a KTP cost your business?

A KTP provides your business with extraordinary, cost-effective access to our unique resources, including research expertise, cutting-edge technology and equipment, and solution-oriented initiatives.

The cost of a KTP project is shared between the business, UKRI and other government co-funders who contribute 50-67% of the project cost via a grant to the academic or research organisation. Co-funders include the Scottish Funding Council, Welsh Government, Invest Northern Ireland, Defra and BEIS. Innovate UK manages the KTP programme and facilitates its delivery through a range of partners including the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), Knowledge Bases and Businesses. Each partner plays a specific role in the support and delivery of the programme.

In practice, the business makes a cash contribution for the remaining project cost with a small to-medium business contributing 33% and a large business 50% per annum. 33% of the total costs of running and delivering the project is typically between £30,000 and £35,000 per year. The balance of the cost is provided in the form of a grant from Innovate UK. This covers the salary of the Associate, their training and development, the cost of the Academic Supervisor’s time spent on the project and access to our facilities. KTP project costs are also eligible for the Governments Research and Development Tax Credit Scheme, which makes KTP a very cost-effective programme.

Why do a KTP with us?

We are in the top 10 most active universities for delivering Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) in the UK. We have a strong history of working in partnership with industry and delivering successful outcomes to businesses. Businesses of all sizes and from all sectors are eligible to participate, as well as 3rd sector organisations, charities and social enterprises.

Some highlights from our recent KTP projects include:

Metal Assemblies Icon1 Day IconSarissaPartnership Medical LimitedAurrigo
We have enabled machines to talk to each other and shop floor staff in real time, resulting in a 15% growth in company turnover.We created an intelligent design process for furnaces and ancillary equipment, reducing design lead times from 8 weeks to 1 day.We developed a smart production line using robots, which increased the manufacturing process 10 fold.We created an endoscope cleaning device with hygiene levels 1000x better than those specified in the British Standards Institution.We developed an airport Auto-Dolly which moves towards objects of interest, using machine learning and AI.
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Get in Touch

For more information about Knowledge Transfer Partnerships or an informal chat, please email ktp@aston.ac.uk or call 0121 204 4242.