Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)
A UK government-backed scheme that connects a business with an academic institution and a graduate to deliver an innovation project.
A Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a three-way collaboration between a company, a university or research organisation, and a qualified graduate (the "associate"), part-funded by Innovate UK. KTPs help startups access specialist academic expertise to solve a strategic innovation challenge, with the grant typically covering a significant share of the associate's salary and project costs over 12 to 36 months.
Examples
A deep-tech startup runs a KTP with a university to develop a novel materials process. — An AI company uses a KTP to embed a research associate and build a new machine-learning capability.
How it relates to The Startup Foundry
Schemes like KTPs strengthen the Executability and Scalability pillars the Investability Report scores. The Foundry's Learn/Improve modules help founders identify which grants and partnerships fit their stage, so the company is stronger before the Funding Sprint.