Uni in top ten for Government’s Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
Wed, 16 Dec 2015 15:22:00 GMT
“...KTPs link companies with a university and a graduate to work on a specific project...”
► French engineer Brunehilde Carniel-Perrin is the KTP Associate for Reliance Precision, a specialist engineering company providing custom-built, high reliability, precision instrumentation. Her work centres on increasing the company's competitiveness by embedding the latest business management and manufacturing techniques at all levels. Brunehilde is holding the gear that was designed for the European Space Agency's Rosetta satellite, allowing it to deploy its solar panels and rotate them towards the sun.
A GROWING roster of research projects with go-ahead companies has propelled the University of Huddersfield into the UK Top Ten for operating Government-backed Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.
KTPs are administered by the official body Innovate UK and they link companies with a university and a graduate to work on a specific project.
The graduate is known as the “associate” and – supervised by an academic expert at the university – he or she brings new skills and knowledge to the business in the course of a project that can last up to three years. Small-to-medium-sized companies (SMEs) contribute just a third of the cost, with the balance of funding coming via Innovate UK. Well over half of KTP associates are offered a permanent job in the company when the project ends.
The University of Huddersfield has been building its number of KTPs so that there are 16 currently in operation – a five-fold increase in the course of just two years – across fifteen companies. As a result, the University now shares ninth place in the whole of the UK, it was revealed at a recent conference.
The companies are (in alphabetical order):
AC/DC LED Ltd- Andel Ltd
- Blackhall Engineering Ltd
- Citizen Connect Ltd
- HR Blowers UK Ltd
- Halifax Fan Ltd
- Kromek Group plc
- Machine Tool Technologies Ltd
- Paxman Coolers Ltd
- Reliance Precision Ltd
- Stelram Engineering Ltd
- Weir Valves and Controls UK Ltd
► Aadil Rafiq (left) and Ngqabutho Sibanda are both KTP Associates with Blackhall Engineering Ltd. Aadil, from India, is developing inverse design methodology, based on Computational Fluid Dynamics, and carrying out flow-loop experimental analysis of bespoke valves to establish performance envelope. Zimbabwean Ngqabutho is embedding Computational Fluid Dynamics and Finite Element Analysis in the design process of valves.
Huge potential
Growing success in forging KTPs has delighted the University’s Head of Business Development, Dr Barry Timmins.
“They are a cast iron metric of our relevance to the outside world,” he said. “The Government is still trying to rebalance the economy towards manufacturing and KTPs service that superbly well.
“An SME can get a fantastic graduate with huge potential plus a training package, and the graduates can upskill themselves with professional qualifications – they are very much tomorrow’s industry leaders,” he added.
The bulk of the University’s Knowledge Transfer Partnerships have been awarded within its School of Computing and Engineering, where the Business Development Manager is Marie-Claire Micuta.
“It is easier to get KTPs within our subject area because the innovation is more tangible when you are developing new products,” she said, but added that other schools within the University had also enjoyed success, including the School of Applied Sciences, the School of Art, Design and Architecture and the Business School.
Dr Timmins and Mrs Micuta are in no doubt that KTPs offer exceptional value to companies and opportunities for graduates.
“Ambitious firms should get straight on the phone and contact the University!” said Dr Timmins.
