Neil Kendall

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) are long-established and highly successful Government schemes to provide a ‘knowledge injection’ into businesses. They embed a high-calibre graduate into an organisation or business, along with specialist supervision from a business-minded academic, to tackle a strategic project with a cash grant from Government to help with costs. Projects need to be transformational in nature, i.e. help an organisation to innovate in a way it could not do alone, for example in product design, manufacturing, technical innovation, business processes or commercial development.

Traditionally these have tended to be in the areas of science, engineering and computing but the Lincoln School of Media is being very proactive in developing innovative Media KTPs. For example, one of these is a two year project with Interflora, based in Sleaford – a local company with national outreach.

A talented Lincoln graduate, David Clancy, is employed by the University but works for Interflora as a Video Producer with my support, as an LSM academic. David is involved with developing and shooting material for the Interflora web-site and creating bespoke webcasts, some of which have used the University TV studios and student crews. There has also been a photography project involving Media Production students. David has undertaken studies toward management and MA qualifications, attended specialist training courses and gone to national and international media conferences, all with support and funding from the KTP.

Full KTPs last between one and three years, but a shorter version of the scheme is available for businesses and organisations with smaller projects – website design, marketing and e-commerce, for example – which might be completed in a period of up to nine months. Lincoln University has had lots of experience and has conducted over 60 projects with companies large and small, local, regional and national, private and public sector. Knowledge Transfer Partnerships are designed to benefit everyone involved; businesses acquire new knowledge and expertise, the graduate KTP Associates gain business-based experience and personal and professional development opportunities, and the University and academics get to bring their experience to enhance the business relevance of their research and teaching.

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