Frequently Asked Questions

A KTP is a relationship formed between a company and a University to facilitate the transfer of knowledge, technology and skills to a company which does not have access to those skills in its workforce. Each partnership employs one or more recent graduates (known as an Associate) to work in a company on a project of strategic importance to the business, whilst also being supervised by an academic from the University whose expertise is relevant to the project.

• To increase company profitability and create employment
• Tp provide company-based training for graduates to enhance their business and specialist skills
• To stimulate and enhance business-relevant teaching and research undertaken by the University
• To increase the interaction between businesses and academic institutions, and awareness of the contribution academia can make to business development and growth

KTPs can involve the transfer of knowledge in any discipline the University has relevant expertise in. The programme must be strategically important to your company, must have a significant positive impact on company performance and must be dependent on the transfer of knowledge from the University to facilitate that. Often a KTP will involve one of the following:

• Refining existing products, or designing new products
• Opening new markets, for new or existing products
• Improving business, marketing or manufacturing systems
• Cutting costs and waste to run the business more efficiently.

Projects vary in length between 6 and 36 months. Currently, a programme of 6-12 months is referred to as a shorter KTPs (sKTP) and a programme of 12-36 months is a classical KTP. There are some differences between classical and shorter KTPs in the application process, budget and management of the programme (see below).

A classical KTP has a duration of 12-36 months. The grant rate is 67% for SMEs and 50% for large companies. There is a two stage application process which involves a visit from one of the TSBs KTP Advisers.

A shorter KTP has a duration of 26-51 weeks. The grant rate is 60% for SMEs and 40% for large companies. There is a one-stage online application process. The budget does not cover travel, consumables or equipment and the KTP Associate does not receive a personal development budget.

SMEs are eligible for grants of up to 67% (60% for shorter KTPs) and large companies are eligible for grants of up to 50% (40% for shorter KTPs). The grant rate reduces if a company has more than one project.

Grants are administered by the Technology Strategy Board who is also the major funder however there are currently 12 additional KTP funding organisations including government departments and research councils. The source of the grant does not change the management of the programme.

The KTP scheme was launched in 1975 as the Teaching Companies Scheme (TCS). In 2003 Knowledge Transfer Partnerships replaced TCS and, since 2007, the programme has been managed by the Technology Strategy Board.

The University of Brighton has been offering KTP (and its predecessor TCS) for over thirty years, delivering over 200 successful programmes. The University has one of the largest KTP programmes nationally.

Companies and organisations from a broad range of industrial and commercial sectors (including the third sector) are eligible to participate. Applications from SMEs are particularly encouraged; large companies are required to demonstrate that knowledge will  be transferred to SMEs within their supply chain and that those SMEs will benefit from their involvement.

To be eligible for grant funding the company:

• Must have the infrastructure to support the Associate and the project and must have at least five employees;
• Must have been running for at least two years.

At an early stage in the development of a KTP the company will need to supply the last two year’s audited accounts and latest period management accounts. The KTP Manager will assess the company’s accounts in terms of liquidity and profitability; the accounts have to be submitted along with an application to satisfy the funders that the company can ‘afford’ the cost of a KTP and any implementation costs that will enale the company to profit from the programme.

Searching current partnerships on the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships website provides a good idea of the types of companies and organisations currently engaged on Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.

An SME is a company with not more than 250 employees. Turnover and balance sheet total may also be assessed. Where a company is part of a group, the total number of employees will be calculated to assess SME status.

There are 6 deadlines for grant proposal submissions per year. Partnerships will normally hear the outcome of their proposal within a month of the deadline.

If a KTP is of interest the KTP Manager will meet with you and describe the process in detail. The main stages are as follows:

1. Project scope is identified.
2. Company provides accounts to enable KTP Manager to assess eligibility.
3. KTP Manager identifies suitable academics and introduces them to the company.
4. Partnership agree the scope of the project and identify the benefits to all participants.
5. KTP Manager drafts Expression of Interest form and circulates to the team.
6. EOI is sent to a KTP Adviser.
7. KTP Adviser meets the team at the company premises.
8. Partnership is invited to develop a full proposal.
9. KTP Manager drafts proposal and circulates to the team for input and comment.
10. Proposal is submitted for consideration by the Programme Assessment Group (PAG).
11. If successful, a Grant Offer Letter is received and an Associate is recruited.

The length of time it takes to get a KTP varies considerably from programme to  programme. If a company has a very clear idea of the project and supporting academics can be identified and engaged immediately it is possible to get a grant approved within three months. Often, the project will benefit from the partnership spending a little more time scoping the project. Our objective is always to support the partnership to move forward at a speed they are comfortable with.  

The University of Brighton has specialists across a broad range of areas including:

• Engineering
• Computing
• Pharmacy
• Business and marketing
• Environmental sciences
• Art and design
• Architecture and the built environment
• Product design
• Medicine and healthcare
• Retail
• Tourism
• Sport science

The largest part of the costs of a KTP is the employment costs of the KTP Associate and the cost of staff from the University who are directly involved in supporting the Partnership. The remainder includes provision for equipment and travel costs, the University's indirect and administrative costs and costs associated with the personal and professional development of the KTP Associate.

Companies will need to cover the full overhead costs of their own participation in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership. These include management and supervisory effort, additional materials, capital equipment and accommodation. They are also expected to contribute to the cost of equipment purchased specifically for the use of a KTP Associate during their project work above the contribution provided for in the grant. Companies should also be prepared to enhance the salaries of Associates to reflect pay levels in their organisation, business sector and location.

A company can have more than one KTP. It is possible to apply for funding for more than one KTP Associate on a KTP proposal (we currently have two programmes with two Associates working in the same company on linked projects), alternatively you can apply for an entirely separate grant at any time during or after your first KTP.

The grant funding rate varies depending on how many KTPs the company has had: An SME receives a 67% grant for the first three KTP Associates, a 50% grant for the fourth Associate, then 0% for any subsequent Associates.  For a large company the grant rate drops from 50% to 30% for the second to fourth Associate, again dropping to 0% thereafter.

The budget for a KTP with the University is standard across all programmes, calculated to reflect the full eceonomic cost of delivering the programme. The amount of the grant which can be applied for is determined by:

• the number of Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associates to be employed
• the length of the project
• whether the company is an SME or a large company
• whether the company has collaborated on a KTP in the last 5 years.

For a two-year Classical KTP project with one Associate and a company based outside of London:

SMEs contribute one-third of the funding = £39,393;
Funder's grant contributes two-thirds of the funding = £79,979

Large company contributes half the funding = £59,686;
Funder's grant contributes half the funding = £59,686

For a 51-week shorter KTP project with one Associate:

SMEs contribute 40% of the funding plus a one-off set up fee of £1650 = £21,030;
Funder's grant contributes 60% of the funding = £29,070

Large company contributes 60% of the funding plus a one-off set up fee of £1650= £30,720;
Funder's grant contributes 40% of the funding = £19,380

NB In some instances is is possible to apply for additional budget to contribute to salary costs where an Associate with a PhD is required, and to contribute to travel costs and consulables where these are forecast to exceed the standard budget. The company contribution rate applies to any top-ups granted.

Companies are invoiced by the University monthly for all fixed costs and quarterly for all variable costs. Expenditure is agreed by all parties on a quarterly basis.

The KTP Associate, though officially employed by the university, is based at the company premises throughout the project, and is treated as part of the company team. Terms and conditions of employment are equivalent to company staff in a number of respects including annual leave allowance and hours of work.

As part of the KTP, the Associate has a supervisor from the company, who acts as their line manager and provides day-today support.

The academic team visit the company to contribute to the project on a regular basis. The academic supervisor commits, on average, half a day a week to the project over the lifetime of the partnership.

Project management meetings between the Associate and the supervisory team are held on a monthly basis. The local management committee (the Associate, managing director, company supervisors, academic supervisors and KTP adviser) will meet every four months to review the progress of the project and to monitor the finances. These are formal meetings, minuted by the local management committee secretary provided by the Centre for Collaboration and Partnership, and at which the Associate will give a formal presentation.

A final report showing how the objectives have been met, and the benefits to the university and the company is produced at the conclusion of the programme.

Contact the KTP Manager and we will arrange a visit to your company to explore how KTP could benefit your business. We will be able to:

• discuss suitable projects and relevant expertise available from the University
• advise on the project development and grant application process in detail
• prepare the proposal for the government grant, in consultation with the company
• coordinate the paperwork and answer queries

Confidentiality will be strictly maintained throughout the project with a non-disclosure agreement being entered into before detailed discussions take place if required. IPR is negotiable and is agreed on a project by project basis; partners enter into a written agreement over confidentiality and IPR before the KTP begins.

KTPs  can help enhance career prospects by providing the opportunity to manage a challenging project central to a company's strategic development and long-term growth.

Data shows that KTP Associates benefit from:

• A competitive salary
• Access to a generous training budget with opportunities to undertake fully funded professional and/or higher academic qualifications
• The opportunity to make an impact on a business from day-one
• Over 75% are offered employment by host company at the end of the KTP programme.

Businesses benefit from:

• Opportunities to develop competitive advantage by linking with academia
• The high calibre of graduates accessible through KTP
• Transfer of knowledge/expertise
• Embedding of innovation culture

Business performance outputs vary from case to case, given the rich variety of the projects. According to TSB figures, 55% of companies who completed a KTP between 2007 and 2010 reported an increase in profitability as a result of increased sales, 52% reported an increase in profitability because of improved operations, 48% reported increased profits due to penetration of new markets and 41% reported increased profits as a result of improved quality.

Latest Knowledge Transfer Partnership information (from the 2009/10 Annual Report) shows that the business benefits that can be expected are, on average:

• Anticipated increase in annual profit of over £280k (highest £7.5m)
• 3 genuine new jobs created
• Investment in plant and machinery of over £110k
• Commercial benefits from application of IP~28%
• An additional 30 staff trained

KTP provides academics with the opportunity to:

• Apply knowledge and expertise to important business problems
• Develop business-relevant teaching and research materials
• Identify new research themes and undergraduate and postgraduate projects
• Publish high quality research papers
• Gain a relevant and improved understanding of business requirements and operations
• Demonstrate impact and income for the Research Excellence Framework (REF)
• Lead rewarding collaborations with innovative businesses
• Assist strategic change in businesses
• Supervise and act as mentors for graduates working on company-based projects

• Income
• Higher degree registrations
• Graduate career opportunities
• IP - negotiated with the company
• Measurable input to the Research Excellence Framework (REF)
• Strategic relationship with company
• Published papers
• Teaching materials, case studies and student projects
• New research themes - commercial relevance
• Staff development - commercial awareness

Partnerships use a variety of methods to attract the right Associate. The recruitment strategy for each Knowledge Transfer Partnership, the job description and person specification are agreed jointly between the University and the company. All KTP Associate vacancies are advertised nationally in appropriate publications, on graduate job vacancy web sites, across a network of UK university careers services and on ktponline.org.uk. The company and the University both take part in Associate interviews, and appointment decisions are made jointly.

The Partnership Approvals Group meets approximately every eight weeks and therefore vacancies for Associates change on an almost daily basis. The types of projects that are available vary enormously. It is strongly recommended that graduates interested in becoming a KTP Associate bookmark the KTP vacancies page and view it on a regular basis.

A key feature of a KTP is that every Associate should spend at least 10% of their time on training and personal development opportunities; a budget of £2,000 per annum is provided for this purpose (NB this budget is not available to Associates engaged on shorter KTPs). The University will offer the Associate the opportunity to obtain a higher qualification such as the Masters by work-based learning objectives if applicable.

• We generally draft recruitment documents immediately after a proposal is submitted so we are ready to advertise as soon as a Grant Offer Letter is received from the funder. 
• We routinely advertise for 2-3 weeks and hold interviews 2 weeks after the closing date to give the Partnership enough time to agree a shortlist and notify candidates of the interview date.
• Associates routinely start within a month after the job offer is made.

Interviews will be held on the company premises and will include a tour giving the candidate an opportunity to see where they would be based.

Associates will usually be interviewed by a panel of 4-5 people, chaired by the KTP Manager and including the company and academic supervisors.

Typically each candidate is asked to prepare a presentation relevant to the role in advance and to deliver it to the panel.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session designed to test the applicants aptitude for all aspects of the role.

Sometimes a practical or written test will be included but notification of this will always be provided in advance.

Second interviews may be required if more than one suitable candidate is identified.