Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) 2026 to 2027 round three

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) 2026 to 2027 round three is sponsored by Innovate UK (via UKRI). KTPs fund collaborative innovation projects between businesses and universities to deliver strategic change, develop new products or processes, and build capability.

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Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP): 2026 – 2027 Round 2 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 20 April 2026 Wednesday 24 June 2026 11:00am This competition is now closed.

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. Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) 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).

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 All projects should align with the six Industrial Strategy’s sectors prioritised by Innovate UK.

We interpret alignment as the application of technologies, for example, a business using AI, as well as businesses developing AI tools. If your project does not align with one of the six priority sectors, it may still be eligible if it is exploiting a novel area of research and the business partner meets the criteria for a high growth potential. Priority will be given to projects that align with the Industrial strategy.

The following organisations are specifically excluded from applying: UKRI, its councils and businesses owned or operated either wholly or partially by UKRI Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) central government departments and the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland Any organisation eligible to become a KTP knowledge base may not apply into KTP as a business 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 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. The 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: enter estimates of their own eligible project costs, which may be updated as part of the final reporting process 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 demonstrate the characteristics of a business with high growth potential 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 determine 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 are not allowed in this competition.

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. 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. 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. 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: 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 enterprises (SMEs) may receive a grant contribution up to 67% of eligible project costs, with the business paying the balance 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 registered location of the business size of the business or group 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 As virtual businesses have no geographical location they must support additional costs as outlined in the KTP project costs guidance .

All applicants must read and understand the following: Innovate UK General Guidance all sections of the application form UKRI Good research resources This is not an exhaustive list of guidance, but covers the major issues you are likely to encounter as part of your application.

Whilst Innovate UK is a part of UKRI, knowledge bases in particular should note that there are areas of difference between UKRI grants and those offered by Innovate UK. If you have any questions regarding the rules of this competition, you should contact your nominated Knowledge Transfer Adviser, prior to submission.

By submitting your application you acknowledge that you have read and understood the guidance above, that you are entering a competitive process and that you will abide by the rules and outcome of the competition. 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 support@iuk. ukri.

org at least 20 working days before the competition closes. We will decide whether to approve your request. 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. 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 how your project aligns with the Industrial Strategy what characteristics the business possesses that suggest it has high growth potential The six Industrial Strategy’s prioritised by Innovate UK sectors are: If your project does not align with one of the six priority sectors, it may still be eligible if it is exploiting a novel area of research and the business partner meets the criteria for a high growth potential.

Priority will be given to projects that align with the Industrial strategy.

Projects we will not fund projects that are not strategic for the business partner projects that do not align with the industrial strategy or are not considered to be exploiting a novel area of research projects that do not demonstrate a genuine market opportunity or viable route to market projects where the business partner is ineligible, for example, a public sector organisation projects where the business partner has not provided sufficient information to support affordability projects where similar outcomes could be achieved by other mechanisms, for example, contract research projects without sufficient clarity on how the knowledge transferred will be embedded into the business 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 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.

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

They will score on: 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 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). Text update 24 April 2026: word count for Scope increased. This section provides background for the assessors and is not scored.

Decide which organisations will work with you on the project. Invite people from those organisations to help complete the application. The project delivery team should list the names and roles of the individuals who will deliver the project.

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 R2. 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. 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 details of how it is innovative Your answer can be up to 200 words long. 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.

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 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 how your project aligns with the Industrial Strategy what characteristics the business possesses that suggest it has high growth potential Your answer can be up to 300 words long.

You must answer all questions. You must not name an associate in your application. You must not include any website addresses or links (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: In the process of being applied for 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. What type of KTP are you applying for? Question 7.

Number of associates How many associates do you need to support this project? Question 8. Alignment with the Industrial Strategy Which of the IS-6 sectors described within the Industrial Strategy does your KTP most closely align with?

Question 9. Business partner type What is the business partner type? This refers to the applicant business , not the parent group.

limited liability partnership 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. 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 . 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 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 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?

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 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: 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. Business partner supervisor for associate two.

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