KTP for Academics
Engage in a highly rewarding collaborative project with industry partners.
Partially funded by Innovate UK, other government co-funders, and participating companies, KTP projects leverage the cutting-edge knowledge of academics to tackle business-critical challenges.
Academics involved in KTPs often find the experience highly rewarding, as it provides the opportunity to develop commercially relevant teaching materials, identify new areas for research, expand their professional network, and open new opportunities for students.
KTP offers academics benefits such as:
- Generate business relevant teaching and research
- Applying knowledge and expertise to real-world problems
- An average of three new research projects and two research papers per KTP
- Finding new research themes and Research Excellence Framework (REF) case studies
- Source of valuable research income
- Building long-term, rewarding collaborations with innovative companies
- Publishing high-quality journals and conference papers
RESEARCH IMPACT
As the demand to prove the economic and societal impact of research investment grows, KTPs offer an excellent modality for the translation of research into tangible real-world outcomes, whilst informing the direction of ongoing and future research.
Additionally, the papers and publications generated through these projects play a significant role in enhancing the Research Excellence Framework (REF) rating of an academic department.
RESEARCH INCOME
By engaging in KTP projects, academics gain direct financial support that can cover a range of research expenses. Additionally, the visibility and success of KTPs can enhance an academic's ability to attract further grants and co-funding from both public and private sectors.
The research income generated through KTP can support further research initiatives, PhD studentships, investment in new resources, and the development of new research areas.
INDUSTRY CONNECTONS
KTPs enhance academics' professional networks by fostering valuable industry relationships and providing practical expertise and industry insights.
These connections open doors to collaborations that can drive research forward and boost professional reputation and visibility, leading to opportunities like conference invitations, advisory roles, and contributions to industry publications, driving career advancement.
Hear from our Academics
"My experience of working with companies on KTPs means that I can talk about the projects and share what we learnt with the students I am teaching."
Read More“I really enjoy working on KTP projects, especially transferring knowledge from academia into real life projects and helping the company partners to benefit."
Read More"KTPs can guide fundamental academic research by exposing areas that require further research, significantly increasing the impact of our research projects."
Read More"For me, enjoyment’s a big part of it. You keep in touch with the latest developments in your field and that feeds into your teaching."
Read More
How to Get Involved
If you're keen to explore the possibility of working on a KTP with a business, here's everything you need to know about getting involved.
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Getting Started
If you're an academic at Queen's and would like to get involved with KTP, the first step is to contact us. Our team will provide you with detailed information about potential partnerships and guide you through the process. This typically involves discussing potential project ideas, identifying suitable business partners, and understanding the specific requirements and expectations for your involvement. The KTP team will also help you navigate the application process, ensuring that your expertise aligns with the needs of the business partner and that the project has the potential for significant impact.
- KTP Office Support
The KTP Office provides comprehensive support to academics throughout the entire KTP project lifecycle. From identifying industry partners and developing a compelling proposal for Innovate UK to recruiting an Associate and offering ongoing project management, the KTP office handles all aspects, including budgeting, compliance, and intellectual property.
This end-to-end support allows academics to focus on research and innovation while the KTP team manages the administrative tasks.
- Time Commitment
KTP is delivered on a full economic cost basis, which means that the 10% of the academic’s time involved in KTP is 100% funded.
This equates to roughly a half day per week dedicated to the KTP project, usually at the company premises. KTP projects can include a variety of activities, such as carrying out lab work, attendance at meetings, mentoring the graduate and jointly supervising student projects.
Academics participating in KTP will get direct access to the academic supervision component of the KTP project budget (approximately £15,000 per year per project). This commitment can be divided among two, three, or even four academics, depending on the specific expertise needed, and may include cross-faculty collaboration.
- Requirements
Academics are responsible for supervising and mentoring the KTP Associate, offering ongoing guidance, keeping the project on track, and ensuring alignment with both academic goals and business objectives.
Academics are required to make one in-person visit to the company each month throughout the project's duration.
They are also expected to participate in quarterly project management committee meetings at the company premises. These meetings are attended by the Knowledge Transfer Adviser and an Innovate UK representative who acts as the monitoring officer.
Additionally, academics must collaborate with the company to produce a short final report that summarises the project's outcomes.