Cardiff Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme is part funded by a number of sponsors including all of the UK Research Councils, Welsh Government and Innovate UK, who are responsible for managing the scheme.

The sponsors provide a 67% grant for SMEs and a 50% grant for large organisations. Third sector businesses of any size may receive a grant contribution of up to 75% of eligible project costs from Innovate UK, subject to a cap, with the business paying the balance. This is a long-term commitment from KTP to help increase the numbers of projects from 3rd Sector businesses.

Each KTP grant application is assessed against a list of criteria to ensure that the proposal fits within the agreed mission and objectives of the programme.

The net cost to you varies depending on the project but as a guide:

• £25,000 per year for an SME
• £35,000 per year for a large organisation

A KTP offers an alternative option to consultancy or student placements, leading to a wide range of benefits including:

• Increased profitability.
• Improved performance.
• Competitive advantage.
• Process enhancement.
• Reduction in costs.

This investment, only slightly more than a starting wage for a high-level graduate, gives you:

• an Associate working full-time on the project
• the time of the lead academic
• a travel and equipment budget
• access to the University’ facilities and equipment that the Associate may require to do their job
• an Associate Training and Development budget which gives the Associate new skills to enhance the project further
• a range of administrative and logistical support from the University and the central KTP team

In the current difficult economic environment, Welsh Government has announced they will contribute 75% towards the total costs of KTP projects that meet eligibility criteria and are approved for participation in the KTP programme.

SME businesses are usually expected to contribute 33% of the total project costs, but eligible businesses in Wales will now only have to contribute 25%.

Partnerships jointly develop proposal to address a specific business need and must submit their proposal for assessment between 1 September 2020 and 29 March 2023. Only applications received during this time will be eligible for this funding.

Assistance is available to organisations in the UK that take on a recent graduate from Cardiff University.

KTPs can be undertaken by:

• Stable companies of all sizes from all industrial sectors across the UK.
• Charities and not-for-profit organisations.
• Education institutions (LEAs and schools).
• Health organisations (hospitals and NHS Trusts).

The programme is open to any high-quality innovative ideas from all businesses. You can apply from any technology base or sector. Your project may also be at any research and development stage.