Information For Businesses

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships enable the transfer of knowledge between businesses and universities, colleges, or research organisations. They are Government funded and aim to strengthen the productivity, competitiveness, wealth creation and economic performance of the UK and enhance knowledge and skills within UK businesses .

The objectives are:

• to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and the spread of technical and business skills, through projects undertaken by recently qualified people under the joint supervision of personnel from business and the knowledge base;
• to increase business profitability
• to stimulate and enhance business-relevant training and research undertaken by the knowledge base;
• to increase the extent of interactions by businesses with the knowledge base

How does it work?

KTP is a highly effective programme for companies with strategic vision or challenging problems who can use additional expertise and resources in growing their business, exploiting opportunities or finding solutions.

Staff at Tayside KTP Centre will help businesses to identify an academic or researcher who has the right expertise to assist the business. A project will be defined and agreed that will enable the company to draw on the academic expertise and apply it to the business. The agreed project could be for any length of time between one and three years, with the overall aim of helping the business make a step change in an area that has been identified as high priority.

What type of projects are eligible?

• improving existing products
• developing new products
• streamlining a manufacturing process
• improving logistics processes
• developing a marketing strategy
• implementing best practice in important areas of the company

What are the benefits?

Project costs are grant funded at a level of 67% for a SME company and 50% for a large company.

The company will acquire new knowledge and expertise. In addition the evaluation of KTP projects has shown that on average a company undertaking a KTP project will generate additional recurring profits of around £200,000 per annum.

Innovative and strategic projects important to the business are resourced through the full-time secondment of the Associate/s to the company.

Through the Associate the company has access to the physical and knowledge resources of the knowledge base partner such as expensive laboratory equipment, library and research databases.

What are the costs ?

Each project is different as it is tailored to suit the business and the needs of that business. Consequently the costs to a business can vary. As a guide, for a project with a typical SME, the annual cost to the business will vary from £16,220 up to £20,500. For a non SME the costs are higher as % grant funding from the DTI is less.