Getting a Knowledge Transfer Partnership for Your Startup
From eligibility to application for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership: part-fund a graduate with a UK university partner, plus every other UK grant you qualify for.
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships plus other UK grants, all with one application
Free
Eligibility check after you sign up
4 routes
Grants, family offices, angel investors & VCs
A KTP funds up to 67% of project cost for SMEs (50% for large companies), runs 12 to 36 months with a graduate embedded in your business, and typically costs £100K to £300K total.
The founder's guide
What Is a Knowledge Transfer Partnership?
A Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a three-way collaboration between your business, a UK university or research organisation, and a recently-qualified graduate (the KTP Associate) who is embedded in your company for 12 to 36 months to deliver a specific, strategic innovation project. Innovate UK funds the majority of the cost: up to 67% for SMEs (50% for larger companies).
It's one of the most under-used routes for startups that have a real technical challenge but lack in-house R&D capacity. You get academic expertise, a talented graduate who often stays on as an employee, and the bulk of the cost covered. Our free eligibility check shows whether a KTP, and which other UK grants, fit your startup.
How it works
The Three Partners in a KTP
A KTP only works when all three partners are the right fit. Here's who does what.
Your Business
Brings a strategic innovation challenge, hosts the Associate, and contributes the remaining share of the cost (cash and in-kind). You direct the project and keep the results.
The Knowledge Base
A UK university, RTO, or Catapult that provides specialist academic expertise and supervises the project alongside you. Their research strength in your domain matters a lot.
The KTP Associate
A recently-qualified graduate employed to deliver the project inside your business. They become a highly-trained specialist in your technology, and often stay on afterwards.
Not sure if a KTP fits your project?Complete the application form and we'll automatically match you with the most relevant grants, including KTP and everything else you qualify for. It's 100% free.
KTP suits established startups with a concrete technical challenge and the capacity to host a graduate, rather than idea-stage companies.
A UK trading company with the capacity to host and manage a graduate Associate for the project's duration.
A defined strategic project with a real technical challenge, not routine work, that can deliver a step change in your business.
A suitable knowledge-base partner (a UK university, RTO, or Catapult) with genuine research strength in your domain.
Ability to fund your share. SMEs typically fund around a third of the cost; larger companies around half, as cash or in-kind contribution.
A founder's guide
How to Set Up a KTP
Allow a few months from idea to approval. The university partner and project scope are the make-or-break decisions.
Step 1
Define the Project
Pin down a strategic challenge with a clear technical outcome and measurable business impact. Run the free eligibility checker to confirm a KTP, and which other UK grants, fit your plan.
Step 2
Find a Knowledge-Base Partner
Identify a UK university or research organisation with strong expertise in your field. Their KTP office co-develops the proposal with you, this partner choice strongly influences your score.
Step 3
Apply & Recruit the Associate
Submit through an Innovate UK KTP round via the Innovation Funding Service. Once approved, you and the university recruit the Associate. Projects with a clear IP or measurable improvement outcome score highest.
Done-for-you service
Don't want to write it yourself? We build the application for you.
The steps above are the do-it-yourself route. If you would rather hand it off, our grant specialists write, package and manage the whole application for you, working alongside you so the technical detail stays yours while we handle the process.
1ApplyTell us about your startup and the grant you are targeting. It takes a few minutes.
2Chat with a specialistA grant specialist checks your fit, confirms the right programme, and scopes the work with you.
3We build your applicationWe write the narrative, budget and supporting documents to the funder's exact scoring criteria.
4We guide every stageMany grants run in several rounds (assessment, interviews, sometimes multiple phases, then reporting). We handle each step and explain everything as we go.
Transparent, mostly success-based pricingA modest upfront fee to scope and start the work (not always tied to your metrics), plus a success fee based on the grant, the amount awarded, and your business. Every engagement is quoted individually.
Apply and we'll come back with a tailored budget for your specific grant.
Interactive Tool
Check Your UK Grant Eligibility in 30 Seconds
Every UK grant is listed below by default. Tell us your stage and sector to narrow them to the Innovate UK grants, R&D credits, and SEIS/EIS routes that match your startup. Getting matched is 100% free - no fee, no commission, no credit card.
Choose your stage and sector below to see which UK grants you may be eligible for
Want a definitive eligibility report? It's free.
This is a first-pass match based on stage, sector, and geography. Complete the application form and we'll automatically match you with the most relevant grants - including the one you're researching - cross-referencing your technology, IP, team, and traction against every active UK programme. This matching service is completely free: no fee, no commission, no credit card required.
The strongest raises stack multiple non-dilutive programmes. Here are the other UK grants you can apply for, all matched in one free eligibility check.
Innovate UK funds up to 67% of the project cost for SMEs (and 50% for large companies); you contribute the rest. Total projects typically run around £8,500 per month, so a two-year project is roughly £200K, of which an SME might fund about a third.
The KTP Associate is employed to deliver the project (usually via the knowledge-base partner) and works inside your business. By the end, they're a highly-trained specialist in your specific technology, and many Associates are hired permanently by the host company.
You need to be trading, have a genuine strategic project, and have the operational capacity to host a graduate, so very early idea-stage companies rarely qualify. Post-revenue startups with a real technical challenge are a strong fit.
Yes. A KTP pairs well with Innovate UK grants and R&D tax credits. Our free check shows everything you qualify for so you can build the full stack.
The Full Capital Stack
Grants Are Only Part of the Stack
Innovate UK grants and R&D tax credits cover early-stage R&D, but most UK startups need equity capital to scale. The strongest raises combine grants with SEIS/EIS-qualifying angel or VC investment.
AngelsPartners is the only platform where a founder can access all three capital pathways in one place: grants (this page), debt financing, and 120,000+ equity investors.
Equity funding
UK Angels & VCs
Search a database of SEIS/EIS-active angels, micro-VCs, and funds investing in UK startups. Filter by sector, geography, ticket size, and stage. Direct contact details included - no gatekeepers, no pay-to-pitch.
Venture debt, revenue-based financing, and startup loan programmes - without diluting your cap table. Our AI matches you to a curated lender network based on your revenue, traction, and geography.
