Graduates

Are you a graduate or postgraduate looking to:

• do meaningful and important work that utilises and enhances your capabilities?
• fast-track your career?
• own your own project and deliver positive change?
• take on a role that bridges academia and business?
• apply your academic knowledge to solving a real-life challenge?
• gain a further professional qualification?
• benefit from expert coaching and mentoring from our Advisers?
• carry out further training and development to boost your skills?

An Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership can help enhance your career. You’ll manage and ‘own’ a project central to an organisation’s strategic development and long-term growth.

Search and apply for KTP Associate roles.

A KTP is a three-way collaboration between:

• a graduate or postgraduate ​(known as an Associate)
• a business or a non-profit organisation
• a university or research institute (known as a Knowledge Base)

As a KTP Associate, you’ll lead the project with input and support from the host organisation, the Knowledge Base teams and the dedicated Adviser for your KTP.

KTP has raised career ambitions and accelerated career progression. KTPs have positively impacted associate employment opportunities and earning potential over the course of their careers.

Over 14,000 KTPs have been funded in almost every sector and company size. This includes global organisations and businesses who are household names. There are over 100 knowledge bases and over 800 Associates currently involved in KTPs.

A KTP project will last anywhere between 12 months and three years. Over 50% of Associates are offered employment by their host business at the end of the project.

Projects can be in any sector and business of any size providing they meet the Innovate UK eligibility criteria. As an employee of the Knowledge Base (usually a university), you will be jointly recruited by the business and university.

You’ll spend most of your time located at the business. An academic team will supervise you and you will be coached and mentored by a Knowledge Transfer Adviser (KTA).

KTPs provide a link between an expert academic team and a dynamic company, giving you unique access to both worlds.

As a KTP Associate, you’ll act as a project lead and benefit from:

• dedicated coaching and mentoring from one of our Advisers
• access to specialist leadership training
• the opportunity to become a member of a chartered institute
• your own personal training budget, subject to authorisation
• access to the ITOL certified Innovation Strategy course

KTPs span every discipline and sector, offering diverse projects and immense opportunities.

You might focus on designing and introducing new products, re-organising production facilities, improving quality systems or developing new market strategies, utilising existing skills from within the field that you are already qualified.

Find out what it’s like to be an Associate in ​this video.

Training and development

KTP Associates devote 10% of their time to their own training and personal development. You’ll have access to a training budget of £2,000 per year and will be mentored by your partnership who will help you to decide on suitable opportunities.

There is a huge variety of training providers, conferences and courses to choose from. If you think you need it, your partnership can discuss it.