Funding competition Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP): 2026 – 2027 Round 1

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 2 February 2026

Competition closes

Wednesday 1 April 2026 11:00am

This competition is now closed. Start new application

Competition sections

Summary
Eligibility
Scope
Dates
How to apply
Supporting information

Description

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.

Funding type

Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)

Project size

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).

Who can apply

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
a UK registered business

All projects must align with the Industrial Strategy’s eight sectors, which we interpret as the application of technologies, for example, a business using AI, as well as developing AI tools.

The following organisations are specifically excluded from participating in KTP:

UKRI, its councils and businesses owned or operated either wholly or partially by UKRI or one of its councils
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.

Knowledge base 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.

Your 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:

login or create an account
enter estimates of their own eligible project costs, which may be updated as part of the final reporting process

Business partner 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
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 determines 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 Subcontractors are not allowed in this competition.

Sanctions 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.

No subsidy

No subsidy 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.

Further Information 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.

Funding

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:

UKRI KTP (Innovate UK)
Invest Northern Ireland
Welsh Government

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 enterprise (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
duration of the project
registered location of the business
location of the project
size of the business or group
type of business

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
additional costs described in the KTP project costs guidance for virtual businesses

Application rules

All applicants should read and understand the following:

Innovate UK General Guidance
KTP guidance
cost guidance for KTP
all competition details
Terms and Conditions

If you have any questions regarding the rules of this competition, you should contact your Knowledge Transfer Adviser, prior to submission. By submitting your application you acknowledge that you are entering a competitive process and that you will abide by the outcome of the competition.

Number of applications 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.

Previous applications 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 project

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

All projects must align with the Industrial Strategy’s eight sectors, which we interpret as the application of technologies, for example, a business using AI, as well as developing AI tools.

The Industrial Strategy’s eight sectors are:

Advanced Manufacturing
Clean Energy Industries
Creative Industries
Defence
Digital and Technologies
Financial Services
Life Sciences
Professional and Business Services

Projects we will not fund

We will not fund:

projects that are not strategic for the business partner
projects that do not align with the industrial strategy
projects that do not demonstrate a genuine market opportunity or viable route to market
research projects
projects where the business partner is ineligible, for example, a public sector organisation
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 start

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.

You must not name an associate in your application.

You must not include any hyperlinks (URLs) in your answers. Inclusion of hyperlinks will lead to the application being withdrawn from the competition.

What we ask you 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.
Application questions.
Finances.

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

impact
challenge
innovation
cohesiveness

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.

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).

1. Project details

This section provides background for the assessors and is not scored.

Do not include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers.

Application team Decide which organisations will work with you on the project. Invite people from those organisations to help complete the application.

Project Delivery Team The project delivery team should list the names and roles of the individuals who will deliver the project.

Application Details 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 26_27 R1.

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.

Project summary 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
key objectives
main areas of focus
details of how it is innovative

Your answer can be up to 200 words long.

Public description 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.

Scope 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

You must describe:

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

If requesting support from a Research Council provide a summary of your project’s’ alignment with the interest and goals of the Research Council.