A Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a partnership between a company, university and a graduate.
The company benefits from a highly qualified graduate working as a member of their staff for two years, on a project that brings a strategic change to the business. Both large companies and SMEs (small to medium enterprises) are eligible.
KTPs operate by building partnerships between companies and academic institutions. The partnership develops a Knowledge Transfer Programme focused on meeting the needs/solving a problem of the industrial partner through the transfer of expertise.
For companies Knowledge Transfer Partnerships help them to:
Develop new products or improve existing ones.
Increase efficiency through improved business processes.
Enter new markets.
Increase the company's skill base.
For graduates, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships mean:
Career development.
Implementing strategic projects in a real business situation with some clear responsibility for the end result.
The opportunity to develop a portfolio of technical and business skills.
Knowledge is transferred via a recent graduate working within the company with mentoring from an academic expert. Financial support is available as a grant, which can cover up to 67% of the programme costs.