Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP): 2025 – 2026 Round 5

UK registered academic institutions, RTOs or Catapults can apply for a share of up to £10 million to fund innovation projects with businesses.

Competition opens: Monday 1 December 2025
Competition closes: Wednesday 4 February 2026 11:00am

Opportunity Details

Competition Details

Summary

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme allows a UK registered business (which we will refer to collectively as the ‘business partner’ from now on), to partner with a ‘knowledge base partner’. The knowledge base partner should be 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.

Guidance on how to apply for a KTP is available.

Each application must be led by a knowledge base, working with a business partner and supported by a Knowledge Transfer Adviser.

If you are a business and do not yet have a relationship with a knowledge base partner, the Knowledge Transfer Adviser can help you to identify one.

In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process. This competition has a funding limit, so we may not be able to fund all the proposed projects. It may be the case that your project scores highly but we are still unable to fund it.

We consider a range of factors when determining whether to provide funding to applicants. This includes an assessment of prior conduct, such as any outstanding payments owed to Innovate UK or UKRI. Such factors may influence the funding decision, potentially resulting in a refusal of funding or an award subject to additional scrutiny.

This competition closes at 11am UK time on the deadline stated in this Innovate UK competition brief. We cannot guarantee other government or third party sites will always show the correct competition information.

It takes time to prepare an application. If yours will not be ready before the close date, you can apply to a later round.

Visit the KTP website to find out more about the programme and the current associate roles available for graduates.

Funding type

Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)

Project size

Projects must be between 12 and 36 months. A project’s total eligible costs are typically £8,500 per month. A proportion of the eligible costs will be funded by Innovate UK, the remainder are paid by the business partner.

Accessibility and Inclusion

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us.

You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

We recommend you contact us at least 15 working days before this competition’s closing date to allow us to put the most suitable support in place. The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the competition deadline.

You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Eligibility

Who can apply

Through the KTP programme Innovate UK seeks to support innovative businesses with the ambition to scale and grow in the UK.

Each Knowledge Transfer partnership (KTP) is a partnership between the following:

a UK knowledge base, acting as lead organisation and submitting the application
a UK registered business

All projects must align with the Industrial Strategy’s eight sectors, which we interpret as the application of technologies, for example, a business using AI, as well as developing AI tools.

The following organisations are specifically excluded:

central government departments and the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
organisations defined as being within the public sector, including UKRI and Advanced Research and Innovation Agency (ARIA), along with any commercial enterprise they own or operate, are not eligible to apply for a KTP
third sector organisations are not usually eligible to apply for KTP
organisations eligible to become a KTP knowledge base, may not apply into KTP as a business partner

Knowledge base partner

The knowledge base partner cannot work alone.

The knowledge base partner must lead the project and must:

be a UK registered higher education (HE) or further education (FE) institution, research and technology organisation (RTO) or Catapult
be registered as a knowledge base with the KTP programme
invite one UK registered business into the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) 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

As part of their involvement in the project the knowledge base partner must provide a case study to Innovate UK, using the template provided, upon completion of the project.

Publications are linked to the no subsidy status of this competition. It is therefore essential that knowledge base partners publish a minimum of two academic papers for each completed project or create at least two industry focused publications per project, publicly sharing project outcomes.

Your business partner must be invited into IFS by the knowledge base partner to collaborate on a project. When the business partner accepts their invitation, they will need to:

login or create an account
enter estimates of their own eligible project costs, which may be updated as part of the final reporting process

Business partner

Business partners cannot work alone. They must develop the project with a UK knowledge base who can provide the right skills to meet the knowledge gap within the business. We encourage business partners to approach Innovate UK Business Connect or knowledge bases to discuss the suitability of KTP for their specific circumstances.

To collaborate with a knowledge base, the business partner must:

be a UK registered business
have two 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

The business partner must provide financial accounts from the current financial year and the previous two years. Other supporting documentation may be required. For businesses less than three years old, the knowledge base or Knowledge Transfer Adviser (KTA) will give further guidance.

The size, location and type of your business determines the proportion of eligible costs we will fund. If the business is part of a group, it is the overall size of the group which should be declared.

Refer to the company accounts guidance or speak to your accountant to help determine the overall size of your business or group.

The KTP programme is accessible to any UK registered business. This is normally demonstrated on a public register, such as on Companies House.

The registered name and registration number provided must match the official public register.

UK subsidiary businesses of overseas parent companies are eligible, provided they are individually registered in the UK.

Where a business is not registered at Companies House the business must provide evidence of the legal status and ownership of the business.

The knowledge base and the business partner must sign a joint commitment statement. The business partner’s registered name must be used for both the application and the joint commitment statement.

You must deliver an exploitation plan during your project. By completing all sections of the application form you will have completed your initial exploitation plan.

Subcontractors

Subcontractors are not allowed in this competition.

Sanctions

This competition will not fund you, or provide any financial benefit to any individual or entities directly or indirectly involved with you, which would expose Innovate UK or any direct or indirect beneficiary of funding from Innovate UK to UK Sanctions. For example, through any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any entity as lead, partner or subcontractor related to these countries, administrations and terrorist groups.

Use of animals in research and innovation

Innovate UK expects and supports the provision and safeguarding of welfare standards for animals used in research and innovation, according to best practice and up to date guidance.

Applicants must ensure that all of the proposed work within projects, both that in the UK and internationally, will comply with the UKRI guidance on the use of animals in research and innovation.

Any projects selected for funding which involve animals will be asked to provide additional information on welfare and ethical considerations, as well as compliance with any relevant legislation as part of the project start-up process. This information will be reviewed before an award is made.

No subsidy

No subsidy

This competition has been designed to provide funding that is not classed by Innovate UK as a subsidy.

Your eligibility to be given an award on a ‘No Subsidy’ basis will be determined by Innovate UK after you have submitted your application.

You should still seek independent legal advice on what this means for you, before applying.

Further information about the Subsidy Control Act 2022 requirements can be found within the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk).

It is the responsibility of the lead organisation to make sure all collaborators in the project remain compliant with the ‘No Subsidy’ status they are awarded.

It is important to note that it is the activity that an organisation is engaged in as part of the project and not its intentions, that define whether any support provided could be considered a subsidy.

EU State aid rules now only apply in limited circumstances. See the Windsor Framework to check if these rules apply to your organisation.

In the ‘Project details’ section of your application you will be asked questions to indicate if State Aid or Subsidy applies to your organisation.

Further Information

If you are unsure about your obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 regime you should take independent legal advice. We cannot advise on individual eligibility or legal obligations.

Funding

Find out about the cost of participating in KTP and understand which project costs are eligible for funding.

Any funding is provided on a no subsidy basis. This means you must publish or make all project outputs openly available on a non-selective basis. If you decide to commercially exploit project outputs, you can only do so with no selective advantage.

Contribution from Innovate UK

Innovate UK has allocated a budget of £10 million for this round of the KTP programme, which will contribute towards the total eligible costs of the individual projects.

The grant contribution to your project may be funded wholly or in part by one or more of the KTP financial supporters. You must choose at least one of the following financial supporters:

UKRI KTP (Innovate UK)
Invest Northern Ireland
Scottish Funding Council
Welsh Government
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

The delivery of the KTP programme is supported by the UKRI Research Councils. If their involvement could be beneficial to your project, this must be indicated in the application.

Eligible costs depend on a number of factors, including:

the duration of the project
where the project will be located
the size of the business or group
if your business operates virtually

For full details on what costs you can claim, see the KTP project costs guidance.

Successful applications are partially funded on the following basis:

large companies may receive a grant contribution of up to 50% of eligible project costs, with the business paying the balance
micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SMEs) may receive a grant contribution up to 67% of eligible project costs, with the business paying the balance
as virtual businesses have no geographical location they may only receive a grant contribution of 50% or 67% depending upon the size of the business and must support additional costs as outlined in the KTP project costs guidance

For full details on grant contributions, see the KTP project costs guidance.

Contribution from the business partner

Business partners may work with any eligible knowledge base that has the knowledge they need to complete their project. The choice of knowledge base will impact upon total project costs and the level of contribution they will need to provide.

In the application the business partner must describe and agree to provide funding towards project delivery. The amount depends on the:

total eligible project costs
duration of the project
registered location of the business
location of the project
size of the business or group
type of business

Additionally, the business partner must fund:

items listed in the additional costs section of the application form
the time spent on the project by their own staff
other non-eligible costs such as the purchase of capital equipment
commercialisation of the project outputs

Application rules

All applicants should read and understand the following:

Innovate UK General Guidance
KTP guidance
cost guidance for KTP
all competition details
Terms and Conditions

If you have any questions regarding the rules of this competition, you should contact your Knowledge Transfer Adviser, prior to submission. By submitting your application you acknowledge that you are entering a competitive process and that you will abide by the outcome of the competition.

Number of applications

Each knowledge base can collaborate with any number of business partners.

Each business partner, including separate businesses within a business group, can only take part in up to four concurrent KTP funded projects.

Additional applications may be allowed at the discretion of the programme manager.

You must provide justification by email to [email protected] at least 20 working days before the competition closes. We will decide whether to approve your request.

Previous applications

You cannot use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition. All applications are scanned and compared, electronically checking for similarities.

We will not award you funding if you have previously:

submitted the same application
failed to exploit other Innovate UK or UKRI funded projects
not complied with the grant terms and conditions of any Innovate UK or UKRI funded projects

Knowledge Transfer Advisers

Applications must be supported by an Innovate UK appointed Knowledge Transfer Adviser (KTA).

The adviser will provide the knowledge base and business with guidance throughout the application process. To support all projects equitably, the adviser may set a timetable for the knowledge base and business during the development of an application. Should the timetable or the guidance offered not be followed, the adviser may choose not to support an application.

Applications will be withdrawn from the competition if the appointed KTA has not given their support to a project prior to the submission of the application.

Scope

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:

why the business needs this Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)
what new knowledge is required by the business
what new capabilities will be embedded as a result of the KTP

All projects must align with the Industrial Strategy’s eight sectors, which we interpret as the application of technologies, for example, a business using AI, as well as developing AI tools.

The Industrial Strategy’s eight sectors are:

Advanced Manufacturing
Clean Energy Industries
Creative Industries
Defence
Digital and Technologies
Financial Services
Life Sciences
Professional and Business Services

Projects we will not fund

We will not fund:

projects that are not strategic for the business partner
projects that do not demonstrate a genuine market opportunity or viable route to market
research projects
projects where the business partner is ineligible, for example, a public sector organisation
projects which are classed as State aid under EC regulations or a subsidy under the EU-UK TCA
undertakings which gain a selective economic or commercial advantage from the funding

Dates

1 December 2025 Competition opens
4 February 2026 11:00am Competition closes
2 April 2026 Applicants notified
9 April 2026 Feedback

How to apply

Before you apply you must read the guidance for KTP applicants and costs guidance for KTP projects along with the information contained within the competition information page. Additional guidance is given for each question on the application form.

Before submitting, it is the lead applicant’s responsibility to make sure:

that all the information provided in the application is correct
your proposal meets the eligibility and scope criteria
all sections of the application are marked as complete
that all partners have completed all assigned sections and accepted the terms and conditions (T&Cs)

You can reopen your application once submitted, up until the competition deadline. You must resubmit the application before the competition deadline.

You must complete all relevant sections of the application and upload the required documents using the templates provided. Failure to do so will result in the application being withdrawn from the competition.

You must not name an associate in your application.

You must not include any hyperlinks (URLs) in your answers. Inclusion of hyperlinks will lead to the application being withdrawn from the competition.

What we ask you

The application is split into three sections:

Project details, including scope. If your project is not in scope it will not be assessed and will be withdrawn from the competition.
Application questions.
Finances.

If your application is in scope, the assessors will score your application holistically. They will score on:

impact
challenge
innovation
cohesiveness

Each of these areas will be scored out of 10 marks, for a maximum total of 40 marks. Assessors will also consider the viability of the overall project including consideration of project affordability and commercialisation of outcomes.

You must meet all the eligibility rules for your project to be considered for funding.

Accessibility and Inclusion

You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

You can contact Innovate UK by email or call 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

1. Project details

This section provides background for the assessors and is not scored.

Do not include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers.

Application team

Decide which organisations will work with you on the project. Invite people from those organisations to help complete the application.

Project Delivery Team

The project delivery team should list the names and roles of the individuals who will deliver the project.

Application Details

The application title must follow this format “Knowledge Base and Business Partner KTP Year and Round”. You must use the full business name exactly as it appears on your Companies House registration. Do not use any abbreviations.

For example: University of Innovation and Shelen Limited KTP 25_26 R1.

This competition year and round is KTP 25_26 R5.

If your title is not correctly formatted, your application will be withdrawn.

Project duration must be in months.

Your answer can be up to 20 words long.

Project summary

Your project summary will give the assessors a useful introduction to your project. It should provide a clear overview of the whole project, including:

your vision for the project
key objectives
main areas of focus
details of how it is innovative

Your answer can be up to 200 words long.

Public description

The public description must begin with “To” and be suitable for public disclosure.

For example: To develop a novel process for picking soft fruit.

If your application is successful, Innovate UK will make use of this public description to comply with government requirements. We reserve the right to amend the description before publication.

Your answer can be up to 50 words long.

Scope

Describe how your project fits with the scope of the competition.

To demonstrate how your project aligns with the scope of this competition you must:

read the competition brief in full
understand the background, challenges and scope of the competition

You must describe:

why the business needs this Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)
what new knowledge is required by the business
what new capabilities will be embedded as a result of the KTP

If requesting support from a Research Council provide a summary of your project’s’ alignment with the interest and goals of the Research Council.

Your answer can be up to 200 words long.

2. Application questions

You must answer all questions.

You must not name an associate in your application or include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers.

Question 1. Animal testing (not scored)

Will your project involve any trials with animals or animal testing?

You must select one option:

We will only support innovation projects conducted to the highest standards of animal welfare.

Further information for proposals involving animal testing is available at the UKRI Good Research Hub and NC3R’s animal welfare guidance.

Question 2. Permits and licences (not scored)

Will you have the correct permits and licences in place to carry out your project?

We are unable to fund projects which do not have the correct permits or licences in place by your project start date.

You must select one option:

Yes
No
In the process of being applied for
Not applicable

Question 3. International collaboration (not scored)

Does your proposed work involve any international collaboration or engagement?

You must provide details of any expected international collaboration or engagement.

You must include a list of the names and the countries, any international project co-leads, project partners, visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in.

You must also include details of any subcontractors or service providers.

If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration or engagement, your answer must confirm this.

Question 4. Export licence (not scored)

You must indicate whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance.

You must select one option:

Question 5. Trusted Research and Innovation (not scored)

You must explain if your proposed project work relates to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) Principles, including:

a list of any dual-use (both military and non-military) applications to your research
a list of the areas where your project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act
whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance and the status of any applications
a list of any items or substances on the UK Strategic Export Control List

If your proposed work does not relate to UKRI’s TR&I Principles your answer must confirm this.

We may ask you to provide additional TR&I information at a later date, in line with UKRI TR&I Principles and funding terms and conditions.

Question 6. KTP type

What type of KTP are you applying for?

Select one option:

classic KTP
management KTP

Question 7. Number of associates

How many associates do you need to support this project?

Select one option:

one associate
two associates

Question 8. Alignment with the Industrial Strategy

Which of the IS-8 sectors described within the Industrial Strategy does your KTP most closely align with?

Advanced Manufacturing
Clean Energy Industries
Creative Industries
Defence
Digital and Technologies
Financial Services
Life Sciences
Professional and Business Services

Question 9. Business partner type

What is the business partner type?

This refers to the applicant business not the parent group.

Select one option:

limited company
limited liability partnership
partnership
public limited company
sole trader
unlimited company
other

Question 10. Virtual business

Is the business partner a virtual business?

The key characteristic of virtual businesses is that their employees predominantly work from home and are connected by online services. Some virtual businesses retain premises whilst some do not.

Select one option:

Question 11. Business partner size

Give the size of the business partner’s organisation. If the business partner is part of a group give the size of the overall group.

For more information on business sizes, refer to the company accounts guidance.

Select one option:

micro
small
medium
large

Question 12. Business partner SIC code

What is the business partner’s Standard Industrial Code (SIC)?

Your answer can be up to 10 words long.

Question 13. Business partner registration number

What is the business partner’s name and registration number?

This is normally demonstrated on a public register, such as Companies House.

The registered name and registration number provided must match the official public register.

An incorrect name or number will result in the application being withdrawn from the competition.

If your organisation is not a registered business, but is a legal entity, include additional information on your legal status as one of your supporting documents .

Your answer can be up to 20 words long.

Question 14. Partnership details

What is the name and the full registered address of your organisation and your business partner working on the project.

We are collecting this information to understand more about the geographical location of all participants of a project.

Provide the full registered name and address of the knowledge base partner in this order. Do not include bullet points in your response:

building name or number and street
town or city
county
postcode

Provide the full registered name and address of the business partner in this order. Do not include bullet points in your response:

building name or number and street
town or city
county
postcode

Your answer can be up to 100 words long.

Question 15. What is the expected working model for the associate?

Where will the associate mainly be working?

Select one option:

at a business location
working from home (virtual)

Question 16. Meeting location

Where will the business partner hold the face to face Project Management meetings and Local Management Committee meetings?

This is usually where the project physically takes place, or a chosen location for virtual projects. Provide the full address of the location in this order. Do not include bullet points in your response:

building name or number and street
town or city
county
postcode

Your answer can be up to 50 words long.

Question 17. Senior business employee

Who is the senior business partner employee?

Give their details in this order. Do not include bullet points in your response:

title
first name
surname
email address

Your answer can be up to 50 words long.

Question 18. Senior business employee’s background

How does the experience of the senior employee at the business make them suitable for this role?

The senior business employee will be expected to chair the Local Management Committee overseeing the delivery of the project.

The individual named must:

demonstrate the business partner or its group’s commitment to the partnership
provide evidence of the authority received to commit its resources to support the delivery of the project

Your answer can be up to 300 words long.

Question 19. Business partner supervisor

Who is the business partner supervisor for each associate?

Give their details in this order. Do not include bullet points in your response:

Business partner supervisor for associate one

title
first name
surname
job title
email address

Business partner supervisor for associate two

title
first name
surname
job title
email address

Your answer can be up to 50 words long.

Question 20. Business partner supervisor’s background

What is the business partner supervisor’s background?

Explain why their experience makes them suitable for this role.

The individual named must:

work in a team with the knowledge base supervisor and the associate
give day to day support to the project
offer guidance and mentoring support to the associate
provide links to information and expertise available within the business

It is expected that the supervisor will ensure that the business gives consideration to any request for resources or training of business personnel required for the project to succeed and for its outputs to become embedded within the business.

If your project has more than one business partner supervisor, you must give the background details for each person.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 21. Knowledge base lead’s background

What is the knowledge base lead’s background?

For the knowledge base lead:

describe how their subject knowledge, academic interest and experience are relevant to the project
give evidence that they have the necessary skills to contribute to the successful delivery of the project

Your answer can be up to 300 words long.

Question 22. Knowledge base supervisor’s background

What is the knowledge base supervisor’s background?

For each knowledge base supervisor:

describe how their subject knowledge, academic interest and experience are relevant to the project
give evidence that they have the necessary skills to contribute to the successful delivery of the project

If your project has more than one knowledge base supervisor, you must give the background details for each person.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 23. Business area

What are the businesses current activities?

Explain:

current revenue generating activities
current business objectives

If the business partner is not generating revenues, provide details of their funding sources. If part of a business group, you must also indicate the broader business activities undertaken by the group.

Your answer can be up to 200 words long.

Question 24. Project funding

Demonstrate how the business plans to address the funding of this project?

Explain:

how the business can afford the project
how any of the investments needed to undertake the project and commercialisation will be funded

If the business accounts show any of the following issues, you must also provide additional details:

declining turnover
low net profit, pre-tax
negative liquidity
high debt or equity
growth in long term loans

If the business’ financial position is complex and requires further explanation you should attach a business letter to the application.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 25. Future strategic aims

What are the future strategic aims of the business partner? How does this project address these needs?

Explain:

what are the business future strategic plans
how the project aims to address those
why this approach is innovative to the business
what new capabilities will be developed because of this project?

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 26. Use of knowledge, technology and expertise

What missing knowledge, technology or expertise does the business partner need from the knowledge base partner? How will this be transferred during your project and beyond?

Explain how the new knowledge, technology or expertise will be:

used within your project
embedded in the business for use beyond the lifetime of your project
commercially exploited by the business during and beyond the lifetime of your project

Your answer can be up to 300 words long.

Question 27. Reason for partnership

Why is an academic and business partnership the most appropriate approach for this activity?

Explain why the KTP structure and funding is necessary to achieve the desired outcomes. Explain why these outcomes could not be delivered by 'off the shelf' solutions, direct recruitment or through consultancy.

Your answer can be up to 200 words long.

Question 28. Market opportunity and route to market

What genuine market opportunities relating to the business case will your project open up?

Describe:

your target market
the size of your target market
the percentage of the market you aim to capture
your market strategy to achieve this share
who your competitors are and what share of the market they have
your route to market
obstacles to market entry

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 29. Commercial Impacts

What are the likely impacts of your project?

The response to this question complements the figures in the Commercial Impacts table, uploaded as part of this question.

Explain:

the income generating activities arising from the KTP
the assumptions you used to generate the revenue and profit figures in the commercial impacts table
the formulas you use to calculate the revenue and net profit before tax figures

You must download the latest commercial impacts template, complete it and upload as a PDF with a file size of up to 10MB. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

In undertaking a Knowledge Transfer Partnership, it is expected that the project outcomes will be primarily exploited for the UK’s benefit. The KTP terms and conditions contains clauses pertaining to the exploitation of the outcomes from the project.

Your answer can be up to 500 words long.

Question 30. Additional business actions and investments

What additional business actions and investments will be needed to commercialise the outputs from your project and deliver the benefits described?

Explain:

the additional actions required
what are the costs to bring the innovation to market
how are you going to fund the costs of your innovation
what is your budget for each stage of the innovation process and how will you support these costs

Where applicable, include within the finance table, details of any additional company contributions and financing required by the business during the life of the project.

Your answer can be up to 300 words long.

Question 31. Supplementary benefits

What additional benefits will be delivered as part of your project?

Describe and quantify:

if your project aligns with any of the United Nations sustainable development goals
the wider societal and environmental benefits
additional economic benefits including the number of new and safeguarded jobs
any other benefits that this project will deliver that may help your case for support

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Question 32. Associate arrangements

How will the associate or associates be supervised?

Associate supervision is critical to the success of any partnership.

Each associate must be supervised by both the:

business partner supervisor on a daily basis
knowledge base supervisor for at least half a day each week

Describe:

the nature of the daily supervision provided by the business supervisor
the nature of the half a day per week of supervision that will be provided by the academic supervisor
additional measures that will be implemented by project partners to support hybrid and virtual working

If the associate spends any time at the knowledge base, daily supervision will also be required from the academic supervisor. The business partner supervisor must also commit to supervise the associate at the knowledge base location.

Your answer can be up to 200 words long.

Question 33. Associate’s challenge

What makes this a challenging project for the associate?

Explain what the associate will focus on, for example:

technical challenges
resource challenges
people and change management challenges
project management challenges

Your answer can be up to 200 words long.

Question 34. Associates skills and attributes

In order to deliver your project successfully, what are you looking for from your associates?

Briefly describe the essential and desirable:

qualifications
skills
attributes
experience
rationale for salary requested

Explain the rationale for the budget request being made for associate employment costs. This must be based on evidence that it is appropriate for the industry or business in which the KTP will take place. Justifications relying solely on pay grades within the knowledge base or qualifications, will be withdrawn from the competition.

You may submit an additional document containing evidence and upload it as part of your supporting documents.

If your project is successful, the associate must be appointed through an open recruitment process.

If potential associates are named within the application, it will be withdrawn from the competition.

Your answer can be up to 200 words long.

Question 35. Knowledge base partner’s challenges

What challenges does the knowledge base partner have that will be addressed through this partnership?

Explain:

what challenge the project offers the knowledge base team
why the knowledge base team want to undertake this project

Your answer can be up to 200 words long.

Question 36. Knowledge base partner impacts and outcomes

What impacts and outcomes does the knowledge base partner expect to arise as a result of this partnership?

Explain the additional impacts and outcomes the KTP will bring to the knowledge base partner such as:

capability development
impact on teaching
academic career development
future funding opportunities
publication opportunities, including the number of papers likely to be submitted

Where applicable, you must cross reference to the workplan.

Your answer can be up to 200 words long.

Question 37. Workplan

How will you manage your project effectively?

Use the latest workplan template to detail your projects steps and stages, including benefits realisation phase and the exploitation phase.

You must select 'yes' to confirm the completed template has been uploaded. If you select ‘no’ your application will not be considered for funding.

You must download the latest workplan template, complete it and upload it as a PDF with a file size of up to 10MB. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Failure to upload a completed workplan on the latest template will mean the application will not be considered for funding.

Individual tasks in the workplan should typically have a four week duration to provide sufficient detail to support the assessment of the application.

The workplan should provide a summary of the technical aspects and the knowledge embedding activities undertaken in the project to deliver a legacy capability in the business.

Where there are two associates addressing different technical aspects of the project, they may work at the same time or may be staggered. The workplan should assume full time working although it should be noted that Innovate UK are open to part time or flexible working practices during project delivery and recognise that this may result in a longer overall project duration.

The workplan must include a summary of project risks and a summary Gantt chart indicating the inter-dependencies between tasks.

If your project has two associates, then two workplans must be provided and these must indicate inter-dependencies between the associate’s activities.

Workplans must be uploaded individually as appendices to this question. Each workplan must be a PDF, and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 38. LMC members

You must confirm that each member of the local management committee (LMC) is aware of their role and responsibilities. You must also confirm the knowledge base will provide the project secretariat.

Before the application is submitted you must ensure each LMC member is made aware their participation in the LMC is mandatory, should the application be successful.

As the formal project meeting, the LMC must be chaired by the senior business employee. Each member of the LMC must be listed in the Application Team section of the application. Once recruited the associate must also attend the meeting.

Members of the LMC are:

senior business employee
knowledge base supervisor: associate one
knowledge base supervisor: associate two
business supervisor: associate one
business supervisor: associate two
knowledge base lead
Knowledge Transfer Adviser
knowledge base project administrator
associates

You must select one option:

If your answer is no, your application will be rejected and not progressed any further.

Question 39. Applications from the business partner for KTP or AKT

Has the business partner applied for a KTP or Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) project?

You must include projects submitted by the business partner in the same round as this application and applications into any KTP or AKT competitions in the last five years.

Type 'Yes' or 'No' as part of your answer.

If Yes, for all applications that have been submitted within the previous five years you must provide:

the application reference number for each submitted project
details of how this application relates to the other submitted applications
details of how this project differentiates or builds upon previous projects, or complements other applications submitted in this round that include the business partner
a brief description of what benefits were gained by the business partner from previous submissions or a brief description of the changes made to projects that have previously been submitted but were not funded

We will not support a project that repeats activity undertaken in previous KTPs or AKTs involving the same business partner.

When two or more applications from the same business or group are made to the same round of KTP, each application must contain details to highlight the other submission. You must explain the reason for the multiple applications.

You are reminded that a business may receive funding for no more than four concurrent KTP projects.

Your answer can be up to 300 words long.

Question 40. Previous funding information

Have any of the partners previously received non-KTP awards that relate to this application within the last five years?

This includes awards from UKRI and other funding bodies.

Type ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ as part of your answer.

If Yes, you must provide:

the award number
the date of the award
the name of your supporter
a brief description of the award
details of how the previous award is linked to this project

Your answer can be up 200 words long.

Question 41. Joint commitment statement

The knowledge base partner and business partner must declare a commitment to work together on the project by completing our joint commitment statement template.

Download the latest joint commitment statement (JCS) template, complete it and upload it as a PDF with a file size of up to 10MB. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Select ‘Yes’ to confirm you have uploaded the completed template.

If you select ‘No’ or you do not upload the latest version of a completed JCS, your application will not be considered for funding.

Question 42. Potential supporters

Which funder do you want to financially support your project? You must type the name exactly as shown below.

You must choose at least one of the following:

UKRI KTP (Innovate UK)
Invest Northern Ireland
Scottish Funding Council
Welsh Government
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

In addition to the financial supporters, you can select relevant UKRI Research councils and Innovate UK Domain teams that may wish to support your project:

Arts and Humanities Research Council
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Economic and Social Research Council
Medical Research Council
Natural Environment Research Council
Science and Technology Facilities Council
Innovate UK net zero team
Innovate UK healthy living and agriculture team
Innovate UK digital and technologies team

If you select a supporter, they will be asked to review the application as a non-scoring assessor. The relevance of the selected supporter should be made clear within the application.

The Research Council supporters can make a recommendation for a project proposing societal benefits as well as commercial impacts to be considered for funding by Innovate UK.

Your answer can be up to 30 words long.

Question 43. Supporting documents one

You can use this question to upload up to three other supporting documents as appendices. For example, you can use this question to upload documents providing supporting evidence of the business partner’s finance position.

You must not upload photographs, excerpts from websites, electronic reports or documents that contain hyperlinks.

Appendices must be in PDF format with a file size up to 10MB. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 44. Supporting documents two

You must not upload photographs, excerpts from websites, electronic reports or documents that contain hyperlinks.

Appendices must be in PDF format with a file size up to 10MB. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 45. Declaration of accuracy

You must agree to the following declaration.

The partnership confirms:

that all proposal partners are aware of the information provided by Innovate UK as part of the application process including, but not limited to, Innovate Funding Service competition and application supporting information, KTP guidance, KTP costs guidance, Associate and Supervisor handbooks, and the Associate Recruitment guide
that the partnership agrees to abide by the rules and guidance contained within these documents and agree that subject to the terms of the Grant Offer Letter, in all matters, the decision of the KTP Programme is final
that the proposal meets the overarching criteria for KTP and, to the best of their knowledge, the information provided in this grant application form is accurate and complete

Select ‘Yes’ if you agree. If you select ‘No’ your application will not be considered for funding.

Question 46. Declaration of Knowledge Transfer Adviser approval

You must agree to the following declaration.

The partnership confirms that a Knowledge Transfer Adviser has reviewed the application and supports its submission into the competition

Select ‘Yes’ if you agree. If you select ‘No’ your application will not be considered for funding.

3. Finances

The knowledge base partner must provide details of the funding requested within each individual cost category for the project.

The categories are:

associate employment costs
associate development
travel and subsistence
consumables
academic supervisor costs
additional associate costs
estates
other

For full details on what costs you can claim, see the KTP project costs guidance.

Costs for consumables, travel and subsistence must be itemised and justified in the application.

The knowledge base partner must ensure the additional business cost estimates section is completed.

Using the tables provided the business partner must provide details of the business’:

financial position for the current financial year, if the latest filed accounts are more than nine months old at the date of the competitions funders panel
financial position over the preceding two financial years
financial contribution to support its own costs associated with its participation in the proposed project
total number of staff within the business and group

The applicant knowledge base must undertake their own due diligence on the finances of the business to assess their ability to support their financial commitments to the project funding.

Supporting Information

About the Knowledge Transfer Partnership

To find out more about KTP, read the KTP guidance.

Additional support from the Welsh Government

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) are a core component of Wales’ RD&I offer to businesses. This offer allows eligible micro, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to claim 75% of the project costs of a KTP.

To be eligible for this additional support the delivery of the project must be within Wales and the business must meet the definition of an SME. Virtual projects where the business is registered at an address in Wales are also eligible.

Additional support from Invest Northern Ireland

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) are a core component of Invest Northern Ireland’s RD&I offer to businesses. Invest NI will share the cost of supported projects with Innovate UK as detailed in the successful application’s Grant Offer Letter.

Working with the third sector

The Government defines the third sector as non-governmental organisations that are values-driven, and which principally reinvest their surpluses to further social, environmental or cultural objectives. It includes voluntary and community organisations, charities, social enterprises, cooperatives and mutuals. Third sector organisations are not usually able to participate in KTP, this includes business arms of charities or other third sector organisations that reinvest any surplus for social, environmental or cultural objectives.

About academic associate supervision

All academic supervision must be delivered weekly. Supervision can be delivered in one of two ways, either face to face or virtually. You must deliver academic supervision in the chosen format for the duration of the project.

You must clearly state in the “Associate Supervision” question which option you are choosing.

About project management meetings

A monthly project management meeting with the academic supervisor, associate and business partner is mandatory and must happen face to face.

About virtual business

The eligible costs for virtual businesses are different from those that operate a traditional business model. These differences reflect the ways in which virtual businesses operate and the additional flexibility it offers around location of staff.

Make sure you read the costs guidance document carefully and discuss the differences with your knowledge base and Knowledge Transfer Adviser before submitting your application.

About management KTPs

Management KTPs (mKTPs) focus on increasing effectiveness and improving productivity through better management practices. They create a partnership with a UK business school or academics that can demonstrate how their experience relates to management practice.

Management KTPs are aimed at supporting micro, small and medium sized enterprises (SME). Large companies are considered on a case by case basis.

To find out more, read the Management KTP guidance.

About employing the associate

KTPs are typically advertised on a full time basis. Associates may apply to work on a flexible basis for the duration of the project via the employers flexible working policy.

When required, an appropriate visa must be in place to cover the duration of the project before the associate starts work.

Where an associate has not finished writing a thesis or dissertation, it is expected that this will be completed outside of the KTP project.

Supervisors Workshop

If your application is successful, the business and academic supervisors are expected to attend the Supervisors Workshop.

These half day workshops are run by Innovate UK Business Connect and delivered online.

Workshops generally take place within one month of the knowledge base receiving notification that the project will receive funding. Successful applicants will be notified of the dates.

Data sharing

This competition is jointly operated by Innovate UK’s partner organisations (each an ‘agency’).

Any relevant information submitted and produced during the application process concerning your application can be shared by one agency with the other, for its individual storage, processing and use.

This means that any information given to or generated by Innovate UK in respect of your application may be passed on to Innovate UK, Innovate UK Business Connect, Innovate UK Business Growth, the Catapult Network, and any KTP financial supporters and vice versa. This would include, but is not restricted to:

the information stated on the application, including the personal details of all applicants
scoring and feedback on the application
information received during the management and administration of the grant, such as Monitoring Service Provider reports and Independent Accountant Reports

Innovate UK may also share any relevant information submitted and produced during the application process concerning your application with Innovate UK’s national and regional UK third parties and partners who may contact you. For more information see how we handle grant applicant and grant holder data.

Innovate UK and our partner organisations are directly accountable to you for their holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. Data is held in accordance with their own policies. Accordingly, Innovate UK, and our partner organisations will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application.

Innovate UK’s Privacy Policy

Innovate UK Business Connect Privacy Policy

Catapult Network Privacy Policy

Business Growth Privacy Policy

Welsh Government Privacy Policy

Invest Northern Ireland Privacy Policy

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and is committed to upholding data protection legislation, and protecting your information in accordance with data protection principles.

The Information Commissioner’s Office also has a useful guide for organisations, which outlines the data protection principles.

Contact us

If you need more information about how to apply or you want to submit your application in Welsh, email [email protected] or call 0300 321 4357.

Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Innovate UK or any of our partners will not tolerate abusive language in any written or verbal correspondence, applications, social media or any other form that might affect staff.