Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships create structured collaborations between academic institutions like Queen's and organisations such as businesses, public sector bodies, charities.

As one of the UK Government's most successful knowledge transfer programmes, KTP has helped around 12,000 organisations. Supported by Innovate UK and Invest NI, KTPs are a nationally recognised, cost-effective way to drive growth, enhance competitiveness, and contribute to wider social and economic impact.

How Does KTP Work?

Each partnership is made up of three partners who all benefit from their engagement in KTP.

The business identifies a specific challenge or area of opportunity that they need external expertise in, such as developing a new product, improving operational efficiency, or enhancing strategic capability, and a KTP project is built around this goal.
A graduate, known as a KTP Associate, is recruited and embedded within the organisation to lead the project, supported by academic experts and guided by clear, measurable goals.
An academic team from Queen's is appointed to provide specialist knowledge, ongoing advice, and access to research resources throughout the project.

These three partners work together to drive the project forward. They are supported throughout the lifetime of the project (usually between 12 to 36 months) by an expert Knowledge Transfer Adviser from Innovate UK Business Connect who is on hand to enable and inspire its success.

The programme’s flexibility allows it to suit organisations of all sizes and sectors in Northern Ireland and across the UK.