Tagged / KTP

Funding Development Briefing 01/02/23 Spotlight on: KTPs – with Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange Managers_re-scheduled!

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, Guidance

What are Funding Development Briefings?

Each session will cover the latest major funding opportunities, followed by a brief Q&A session. Sessions will also include a spotlight on a particular funding opportunity of strategic importance to BU. Sessions will be on Wednesdays, from 12 pm for half-an-hour. The same link can be used each week to join here.
Next Weds 01 February 12:00-12:30, we will cover the Knowledge Exchange Partnerships (KTP) and we will have the pleasure of having the Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange Managers along to talk to us about the KTP process and tips about getting partnerships together.
Sessions will be recorded and made available after the session for those who cannot attend.

Innovation in health and life sciences round 3- DEADLINE 6/12/17

Knowledge Transfer

InnovateUK have announced the opening of the Innovation in health and life sciences, round 3.  All projects must be led by a business and have the involvement of at least one SME on the project.  Research organisations may participate in applications as collaborators. All submissions must demonstrate plans for significant innovation in at least one of the priority areas:

  • increasing agricultural productivity
  • improving food quality and sustainability
  • advanced therapies (cell and gene therapies)
  • precision medicine
  • medicines discovery
  • preclinical technologies
  • advanced biosciences

Applications will also need to address at least one of the competition themes.  Applications for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships are also welcome.  Total project costs should be between £50k and £2m and last from six months to three years.

For information on Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, please contact Rachel Clarke (clarker@bournemouth.ac.uk).  For discussing how to developing a research collaboration with industry, please contact Ehren Milner (emilner@bournemouth.ac.uk).

 

 

 

 

BU and Precision Acoustics work together on high-impact NDT software programme

Awarded & submitted bids, Business Engagement, Fusion, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer

Aircraft engines

It is estimated that some 30% of airline engines worldwide are analysed using PA’s current-generation technologies to detect fan blade defects

A team from the Faculty of Science and Technology, led Professor Siamak Noroozi and Dr Richard Gunstone, have successfully obtained a Grant Offer Letter (GOL) for a high-impact KTP working with Precision Acoustics Limited (Dorset).

In this blog post we discuss some of the background to this KTP, and objectives.

Precision Acoustics (PA) manufactures acoustic measurement products for the medical and Non Destructive Testing (NDT) industries and is well established as a major supplier of equipment for the (MHz) ultrasound markets world-wide. PA has a close working relationship with the National Physical Laboratory, London, and academic establishments across the UK to further R&D.

The company’s core products are acoustics measuring devices. The company already has a significant share of the world market in this area, and is now embarking on innovative industrial NDT systems working on a number of precursor projects including with Rolls Royce. The longer term objective can only be achieved if PA introduces a software capability able to devise, maintain and develop a development process that has the expected attributes of resilience, performance and integrity, supporting product deployment. This is the principal focus for the KTP, capitalising on the capability in systems design, software, and assurance within BU.

The diagnostic systems work at PA are being developed and used in numerous applications, including malaria detection. It is estimated that some 30% of commercial airliners globally use the technologies developed by PAL for analysing defects in engine fan blades, for example. Due to the inherent nature of NDT systems and the potential application areas, these application areas are likely to have societal relevance and high-impact.

A great deal of effort has been spent in designing the project to be flexible and comprehensive. This has been made possible by the capable contribution of Norman Stock, the Faculty Business Relations Officer. He has worked closely with the academic staff and also the company to present a suitable proposal to Innovate UK, who are part-funding the collaboration.

In terms of project design, the KTP incorporates the new “KTP laydown” of an integrated MRes opportunity for the Associate, combined with expectations of research activity leading to co-authored papers. This provides a route for knowledge transfer of expertise from the university to the company, in a way that delivers advantages for all stakeholders.

We look forward to providing further reports on our collaboration with PA as time progresses.

In terms of advice for others considering KTP funding, Richard highlights a few relevant points:

“Engage early with the Business Relations Officer for your Faculty. Make sure deadlines are adhered to, including submission windows with Innovate UK. Finally, clarify the project plan as early as possible, including what is achievable in the project timescale – scoping is key”

How can you use your research to build partnerships and entrepreneurial capacity in the Creative Economy?

The AHRC has committed to ensuring that the research it funds can be properly exploited and applied in areas where it can make a difference.  In particular, the AHRC’s new delivery plan puts KE, external engagement, collaboration, partnership working, public and policy engagement and impact at the very heart of all that it does.

The AHRC has made a huge investment of £20m fEC to establish four ‘Knowledge Exchange Hubs for the Creative Economy’ over the next 4 years. The purpose of these hubs will be to build new partnerships and entrepreneurial capacity in the ‘Creative Economy’ and in addition increase the number of arts and humanities researchers actively engaged in research-based knowledge exchange.

Take advantage of this investment  and look at how you can engage with the creative economy; perhaps through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)?  An excellent example of knowledge exchange, KTPs are run by the Technology Strategy Board and are co-funded by a range of bodies such as the AHRC.

KTPs provide academics with the opportunity to:

  • Apply knowledge and expertise to important problems facing businesses
  • Develop relevant teaching and research material
  • Identify new research themes and undergraduate and post graduate projects
  • Publish high quality journal and conference papers
  • Gain an improved understanding of business requirements and operations
  • Contribute to the (REF)
  • Participate in rewarding and ongoing collaboration with innovative businesses
  • Supervise and act as mentors for past graduates working on business based projects

Why not consider the benefits of knowledge exchange and use your research to move forward in building partnerships and entrepreneurial capacity in the creative economy……

KTP associate attends conferences to promote her research

Dr Celia Beckett, Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) research associate at BU and Five Rivers Child Care Ltd attended the KTP Associates’ Conference at Brighton University on 13th June. She presented a paper on the pilot stage of her project “Improving the care of children in residential units: assessment and interventions”. The conference, which is a Brighton University initiative supported by the Centre for Collaboration and Partnership, was well attended and there were 10 paper presentations and 8 posters. Topics ranged from roller blinds to leak repair additives for coolant systems! A recurring theme at the conference was the role of the KTP in working to effect change in organisations that result in improved commercial outcomes as well as the challenges and rewards of this role.

There are c. 800 KTP associates currently working on projects throughout the UK, ensuring that there is an exchange of knowledge between Universities and private / public companies, making a real difference to all those organisations involved in KTPs. It is one of the largest graduate schemes in the UK. More information about BU’s KTPs can be found at the newly relaunched Business Pages.

Celia will also be presenting a poster at the forthcoming  Recovery-focused conference: Engagement in Life: Promoting Wellbeing and Mental Health, hosted by BU on 6th September 2013.

Successful knowledge engagement events encourage more businesses to work with BU!

Funding opportunities

There are a variety of funded initiatives on offer to help businesses develop and grow, but many are not aware of these offers, or just how much BU can help them with their development.

This is why we felt it was important to organise the recent KTP and SMART award events, to help promote and encourage businesses to take advantage of the expertise BU has to offer.

Both events were well attended by businesses and academics wanting to find out more on Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, SMART Awards and Innovation Vouchers.  The feedback was extremely positive from all those who attended, and as a result a number of meetings have been arranged with businesses who are keen to discuss how BU can help them develop!

It was fantastic to receive such positive feedback; one business owner was particularly impressed and commented:

“I go to quite a few so called “Business Events” that serve little purpose, so I approached today’s event at BU a little circumspect.  Now I can say that this morning I have attended the best business focused event in my recent experience.  Extremely informative, very professionally managed and a great breakfast.  A big thank you for showing the way that Academia and business can and should complement each other.”

 Roger Allen  – Managing Director, Zeta Commerce Ltd

 

Should you wish to find out more on how businesses can benefit from any of the funded initiatives spoken about at the events, please contact Lucy Rossiter, email or call  01202 961215.

DEC receives successful KTP training session…..

Training

i love KTPAlthough KTPs have been around for over 30 years; for some academics they are still new territory! Bearing this in mind, it was suggested that a training session on KTPs would be welcomed by academics in the School of DEC.

The training session took place at the Talbot Campus last week, and was well received – especially as the session provided the opportunity to meet Neil Grice who is the KTP Advisor for the region.  KTP Advisors play a key role in the setting up of KTPs – they have a broad range of industrial expertise and are on hand to help with the preparation of a KTP proposal.  Then, throughout the life cycle of the KTP, they monitor the progress to ensure that all the partners achieve their goals.

Neil provided an excellent and engaging overview of KTPs, and in addition to his presentation, further project information was delivered by BU colleagues, Emily Cieciura and Norman Stock. They both did a fantastic job of explaining the particulars in bidding for KTPs and what is required post award. The technicalities of a KTP can be quite laborious, so credit goes to Neil, Emily and Norman for delivering a training session which was clear and straightforward!

If you feel you or your school would benefit from a KTP training session, please get in touch! KTP’s are an excellent opportunity for academics to engage with further Research and Development, and in particular they contribute to the REF.  Taking this into consideration, why not take advantage of a training session and find out the value of KTPs?

To find out further information, or to arrange a training session, please email Lucy Rossiter.

Need help with Knowledge Transfer Partnerships or Innovation Vouchers?

Do you require further advice or guidance on Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP)  or other funding initiatives such as Innovation Vouchers?  Well, hopefully I can be of help!

My name is Lucy Rossiter and I have recently started working at BU – I am the new Knowledge Exchange Officer within the Research and Knowledge Exchange Development team.  My focus will be on promoting and marketing BU expertise and services to external organisations to secure new business for the university. 

Perhaps you have links with organisations that would benefit from a KTP or use of an Innovation Voucher? If so, I will happily engage with the organisation and offer necessary guidance, or I can help develop any project ideas which you may have.

Over the coming weeks I will post further information on the benefits of KTP’s and Innovation Vouchers, but in the meantime please get in touch if you require any help or guidance regarding these funding initiatives.  

Please contact me by email , or should you wish to meet – I am based in Melbury House on the 4th Floor in the R&KE office.

I will look forward to working with you!

Arts and Humanities Research Council – KTP Funding Criteria

KTP diagramThe AHRC has announced that it will support Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) projects in which knowledge, skills and/or technology/technologies arising from arts and humanities research are transferred to businesses and other sectors within the UK. These can range from commercial to, not for profit, charity, and publicly funded organisations.
Project subjects which qualify for funding consideration include law, archaeology, journalism, and media and communication studies, artistic design and media.
The funding is focussed on meeting the needs of small/medium sized organisations.
A KTP project can last from 26 weeks to 3 years. The funding pays for a full time post-graduate and 1/2 a day per week of an academic supervisor’s time. Projects need to be co-funded by an organisation from any of the sectors listed above. For small/medium sized organisations their contribution to the funding costs is approximately £308 per week.
If you require any further information on this post or KTPs in general please contact Peter Delgado, Commercialisation and KTP Officer, e-mail – pdelgado@bournemouth.ac.uk

Revised Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Award Criteria

Funding opportunities

KTP diagramThe Technology Strategy Board has made some revisions to the criteria a project has to meet in order to receive a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) grant. This has caused some confusion. In order to obtain clarification, Neil Grice, the local Adviser visited the University last week for a meeting with School representatives.

Listed below are the current key award criteria:

  • Project is for the development of a company capability, not a product.
  • On completion, the company is left with a legacy, e.g. a new capability or process.
  • Innovative – leading edge knowledge is transferred to the company. Can’t be done by employing consultants, needs research.
  • Impact – the project makes a significant difference to the company which would not have happened without the KTP. University also receives significant results.
  • Challenge – Stretching for University and company.
  • Fits in with company strategy.
  • Company is financially sound.
  • Science and technology focussed. Difficult to obtain awards for social care, marketing and business development projects.
  • Awards are most likely to be granted for projects with small/medium sized organisations.

 

If you require any further information on KTPs in general please contact Peter Delgado, Commercialisation and KTP Officer, e-mail – pdelgado@bournemouth.ac.uk

TSB Planning to increase number of KTPs

KTP diagramEstablished in 1975, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) is one of the world’s leading knowledge transfer mechanisms, which provides academics with the unique opportunity to apply their knowledge and expertise to important problems facing businesses. The programme provides Government grants to fund joint projects with business or third sector organisations lasting from 6 months to 3 years.

Following the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review, the budget for new KTPs was reduced to £25m per annum. While this is sufficient to fund between 600 and 800  KTPs per annum, the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) is seeking other ways of funding additional KTPs. At a meeting between a number of universities, including Bournemouth University, and the TSB held on the 17th January, Debbie Buckley-Golder, the TSB’s Head of Knowledge Exchange said this additional funding is being sought from major charities and industry. While the £25m core funding will continue to be available on an any time, any topic basis, the new funding is likely to be targeted at particular subject areas with set response timescales.   Subject areas will driven by business needs and are likely to be published in March 2012.

The current success rates for KTP applications is above 80%, however, the grant rate for multiple KTPs from the same company is likely to be reduced. Due to the significantly larger impact, most KTPs (75%) will be granted for projects with Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs). However, to facilitate the continued involvement of large organisations, the TSB are investigating a reduced grant rate KTP where the organisation will fund most of the project but continue to receive support from the TSB, for example KTP Advisers and associate training.

Bournemouth University has been very successful in assisting businesses through the KTP programme, see article on this link.

If you require any further information on this meeting or KTPs in general please contact Peter Delgado, Commercialisation and KTP Officer, e-mail Peter Delgado.

Highlights from the recent Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Conference

Funding opportunities

KTPFollowing the Comprehensive Spending Review of 2010, the Technology Strategy Board was hit hard, as were many government departments and their initiatives. The December 2011 KTP Conference, however, shows that the climate for KTPs is improving and that BU is in a position to benefit from this optimism.

Highlights from the conference were:

  • Iain Gray (TSB Chief Executive) emphasised KTPs are central to the schemes offered by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) delivered via the Technology Strategy Board.
  • Although KTPs should still demonstrate the previously advised elements of Innovation, Impact and Challenge, there is a shift towards Quality in proposals. The outcome for BU is that KTPs looking at market development and business strategies may be acceptable to the TSB, if a high level of quality can be clearly demonstrated in the proposal.
  • A good relationship with local our KTP adviser is vital in ensuring successful KTP outcomes. The adviser should be contacted early on in the development of the proposal to ensure that each project meets with current TSB (and other funders’) criteria.
  • The TSB is developing relationships with other potential KTP funders including public bodies such as research councils. Other funding schemes are available within the TSB and should be considered if the KTP model is not appropriate.
  • Academic staff are encouraged to make contact with the Knowledge Transfer Network for their area of expertise via the _connect website.
  • The TSB is consulting with HEIs in the light of the Wilson Review . This is supported by other TSB reports such as Concept to Commercialisation.
  • There is a general need across the KTP sector to attract,  recruit and retain high quality UK / EU graduates

For more information on KTPs, please go to the KTP website  or at BU contact David Kilburn (dkilburn@bournemouth.ac.uk)

Technology Strategy Board – Updates

Funding opportunities, Guidance

The Technology Strategy Board, which delivers the Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme, has announced:

  • New funding criteria from the ESRC and BBSRC – ESRC Criteria for KTP support 2011 and  BBSRC Criteria for KTP Support 2011
  • Updated financial procedures for timely claiming and payment of awards
  • Applications for Shorter KTPs are now re-opened during the migration of KTPs to a streamlined 6 to 36 month scheme
  • A new version of Guidance Notes for Grant Application and Proposal Forms has been issued
  • An updated Management Handbook for KTPs – for Supervisors was released in October 2011
  • There is a competition for KTPs in Multicore and Parallel Processing  – closing date 24/11/11
  • Ashorne Hill have been selected to provide the new training package for Associates

As the TSB releases more information on KTP scheme, I will be posting this on the blog, so watch out for more news.

Please contact me if you have any queries about current or future KTPs, in the first instance. Further information is also available on the KTP website. For those interested in developing KTPs and networking with others with the same interests, the TSB recommends that you join the Knowledge Transfer Network.

Emily Cieciura (Research & Knowledge Exchange Operations)

ecieciura@bournemouth.ac.uk or 01202 968241

BU workshop on Meta Transfer of Knowledge as part of EU project

You are invited to contribute and participate in a Workshop on Meta Transfer of Knowledge – Challenges in Transfer of Knowledge in Industry.

The workshop is taking place at the International Conference on Innovation through Knowledge Transfer at BU on 19th and 20th of April 2012.

The workshop is a part of Knowledge Transfer activities that take place within the EU funded INFER project coordinated by Prof. Bogdan Gabrys, DEC. INFER offers participants the opportunity to move between sectors and country in order to provide, absorb and implement new knowledge in a professional industrial-academic environment.

The workshop will allow conference delegates to benefit from experiences in knowledge transfer, knowledge exchange and knowledge sharing, during the progress of the INFER and other similar projects.

The goal of the workshop is to share the knowledge about the most effective transfer of knowledge activities that can and have been organised especially in large international projects such as those carried out within EC “People” Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP) programme.

Such projects are of particular interest to this workshop as their aim is to stimulate intersectoral mobility and increase knowledge sharing through joint research partnerships in longer term co-operation programmes between organisations from academia and industry where effective knowledge transfer is critical to the success of the projects.

As the transfer of knowledge mechanisms can be observed in all areas where the cooperation between academia and industry exists, it is hoped that sustainable collaborations between people who are interested in continuous development of these mechanisms and improvement of their efficiency will be fostered. This will give the opportunity to push further the discussion upon the potential of Transfer of Knowledge phenomena across different communities.

More about this event can be found on the project website and if you have any further questions about the Workshop please contact Katarzyna Musial.