Eligibility and funding

Businesses and organisations of all sizes participate in KTP. The only exclusions are public sector organisations. Nationally, businesses that have taken part include companies as diverse as Dyson, Jaguar Land Rover, Sainsburys and Unilever. These include both technical and business projects

Taking part in a KTP helps your organisation to innovate. You access expertise that you don’t have in-house, and embed it in your business to become more competitive and productive.

Oxford Brookes University has partnered with a range of businesses on KTPs from technology companies to a legal practice. Examples include Sony and InterContinental Hotels.

Part of the cost of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is funded by a grant from the innovation agency Innovate UK, and other government co-funders. You apply for this in a competitive call for submissions. Project costs are variable, but can typically be in the order of £75,000 to £90,000 per project year. For Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises the grant rate is 67% of the project cost and for large companies 50%. The remainder of the project cost is met by monthly cash payments from your company.

Experience shows that the benefit to businesses is many times that investment, one reason why KTPs have been an important part of government strategy for 40 years.