A pre-project planning of a KTP project for social impacts – Challenges and opportunities

Abstract

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) foster collaboration between academia, businesses, and graduates, driving innovation. Buckinghamshire New University, despite limited KTP experience, secured funding for a project supporting a charity, marking the Business and Law school’s first KTP project with a focus on social impact. Existing literature often overlooks the pre-project stages, such as funding applications and Associate recruitment. Our study addresses this gap, offering recommendations for future KTP projects with a social impact focus. We explore the funding application process from initial idea development (August 2021) and the challenges of recruiting Associates within the 9-month requirement post-fund approval, leading up to the project’s start (May 2023). The results suggest the potential for a social impact framework for stakeholders during KTP pre-project stages. Even in these early stages, KTPs can contribute to 8 of the 17 ESG goals by leveraging opportunities at each step.