The Food Chain CIC is actively involved in developing Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) for the food industry in the UK.

KTP's are Europe's leading programme helping businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the UK knowledge base.  KTPs are designed to help businesses access expertise by working in partnership with academics or researchers. They are partially funded by the government to encourage innovation in industry.

Each partnership employs one or more high calibre Associates (recently qualified people) to work on a project, which is core to the strategic development of the business.   Projects can last between 1 and 3 years (usually over a period of 2 years) but KTP’s are flexible to each project.

Benefits of KTPs
The benefits to business are:
* gains an associate with consultancy support and expertise form the university. 
* Find an innovative solution to help your business grow 
* Increase your competitive advantage 
* Access recently qualified people to spearhead new projects 
* Access experts who can help take your business forward

Both the academic and academic insituton also benefit from the partnership:
* the academic has enhanced career prospects through the opportunity to manage a project
* the academic institution will enhance the business relevance of their research and teaching

Types of Projects: 
* improving existing products
* developing new products 
* improving manufacturing processes
* improving logistics processes 
* improving energy use and environmental impact.

To find out more about KTP’s contact the Food Chain CIC to arrange a visit by a member of the Food Chain to discuss your company’s suitability for the scheme.