KNOWLEDGETRANSFERPARTNERSHIPS

Imagine if your business had access to thinking that would increase profits, create new jobs, help develop new products, technologies and processes or improve existing ones… and up to 67 per cent of the costs were met by government funding

IT EXISTS.IT’S CALLED A KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER PARTNERSHIP

HOW A KTP DEVELOPS

WHAT IS A KTP? A KTP is an innovative and challenging project which an organisation needs university support to complete. Organisations tap into the knowledge and expertise of the university to improve competitive advantage, productivity and performance. The government provides funding, primarily via the Technology Strategy Board, as KTPs are a key element in their agenda for strengthening the UK’s business economy.

HOW DO KTPS WORK? A KTP helps you develop a solution to your strategic business challenge. It’s a three way partnership between your business, a highly qualified KTP Associate recruited by the university specially to work on your project full time, plus the university as “managing partner” – without whose expertise the project would not be possible.

Organisation presents a strategic challenge to the university Enterprise team who visit to discuss possible solutions and approaches to the project.

If the project is potentially suitable for KTP, an LSBU academic with relevant expertise meets the organisation for technical discussion. The company and the academic jointly develop a KTP application, supported throughout by a government advisor and LSBU’s KTP manager.

The proposal is submitted to the TSB. If approved, the Government funds are issued to LSBU. We manage the financials and invoice the company for their share of the funding on a monthly basis.

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We foresee a dramatic increase in profit following the project’s completion. The principle of KTP has been excellent and we are delighted with the expected outcome. For businesses embarking on a KTP project, the benefits are exponential.James Walsh Managing Director, Wright MachineryBusiness: Machinery providers for food manufacturersProject: Lowering production costs and implementing new distribution processes.

HOW CAN A KTP HELP MY BUSINESS?If you have a strategic business challenge for example you want to• create competitive advantage• update your technology base• transform business processes• move into new markets• develop new productsThen a KTP could be the vehicle for you.

DO KTP’S REALLY DELIVER?We’ve seen enough successes to know that KTP offers a terrific return on investment and benefits all those involved. The latest information from the Technology Strategy board shows typical benefits from a KTP project are:• An increase of over £240,000 in annual profits before tax• The creation of two genuine new jobs• An increase in the skills of existing staff

HOW MUCH DOES A KTP COST?Most ‘classic KTP’ projects last between 12 – 36 months. A classic KTP has a typical budget of £64k p.a. The government sponsor meets 67% of the cost and the SME organisation the remaining 33%. Large organisations of 250+ employees receive 50% sponsorship.

DO I QUALIFY FOR A KTP?Private sector, third sector and some public sector organisations are eligible.The criteria are:• You must have at least 5 employees• You need to have been running for at least 2 yearsYou will need to supply the last two year’s audited accounts and latest period management accounts as the organisation will be assessed to ensure that you can afford the cost of the KTP.And of course you have to have a strategic and challenging project.

In order to compete internationally a business like ours needs to be efficient. This type of forward looking business strat-egy will drive the company in decades to come and help us focus on tomorrow. Ray Tomsett Technical Director, Wire BeltBusiness: Manufacture, sale and supply of specialist conveyorsProject: Create a step change in product performance and lower costs of manufacturing

WHAT DOES LONDON SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITY HAVE TO OFFER?

LSBU has successfully delivered over 160 KTPs.

We have helped organisations with everything from penetrating new markets and developing new products to increasing turnover.

Our academic expertise spans a broad range of subject areas including engineering, IT and informatics, refrigeration, food production safety and control, human performance, new product development and marketing to name just a few.

We’re ten minutes from Waterloo and London Bridge stations so we’re easy to find. Get in touch to arrange a meeting with the team.

If you have an idea you’d like to discuss call us on 0207 815 5435 or email b2b@lsbu.ac.uk

Or to find out about some of our recent KTP projects visit www.centreforknowledgetransfer.co.uk