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Powering Strategic Collaborations

Our partnerships drive innovation, solve complex challenges, and unlock new opportunities for business and industry. As a powerhouse of research and expertise, we provide the knowledge, resources, and cutting-edge insights needed to help you stay ahead in a competitive landscape.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

Our Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) have delivered strategic, transformational step changes in productivity, market share and operating process.

We have an excellent track record in helping Northern Ireland businesses grow and flourish through exciting KTP collaborations.

How KTPs can benefit your business

Consultancy

Through consultancy projects, we put our research to work supporting interventions in advanced manufacturing, the creative industries, the renewables sector, operations management and life and critical care for the benefit of business and the wider community.

Our team is here to help you make the right connections and guide you through every step of the process.

How consultancy can solve your business challenge

Tailored PhDs

By harnessing the power of PhD research you can unlock innovative solutions for your business in a cost-effective way.

These projects offer a unique opportunity for employees to deepen their expertise while actively contributing to your company’s growth, gaining cutting-edge insights, problem-solving skills, and academic excellence.

How PhDs can empower your workplace

Designed to stimulate innovation, business growth, sustainability and competitiveness. SMEs and individuals in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland can apply for funding that will enable them to access a University wide range of expertise and facilities.

Relevant support areas include expertise to help create or improve products, services, business models or processes; access to specialist expertise in new materials; tapping into research and scientific expertise; consumer research, validation, strategic advice.

Innovation Vouchers

The Innovation Voucher Scheme, run by Invest NI and Enterprise Ireland, is designed to help you tap into specialist knowledge in order to develop forward-thinking solutions, ideas to expand and improve or create new products, services and processes.

SMEs in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland can apply for vouchers worth up to £5,000/€5,000 to enable them to access Ulster University's wide range of expertise and facilities.

You do not need to be an Invest Northern Ireland or Enterprise Ireland client company to apply and businesses can be awarded up to a maximum of three innovation vouchers (terms and conditions apply).

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

A Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme provides funding for partnerships that address business challenges in any sector and any discipline – as long as they meet the KTP funding criteria.

Government funding is available for KTP (up to 60% for SMEs and up to 40% for larger organisations) through Invest NI and Innovate UK.

Business of all sizes in most industries and commercial sectors can take part.

Innovation Boost

A cross border programme which provides support to ambitious firms to engage in product and process-development and innovation.

Innovation Boost provides support to the SME and funding for a graduate (the Project Manager) to work on a project (12 months typically for process improvement projects or 18 months typically for new product/service development). The graduate/Project Manager is employed by the SME and based at the company.

An experienced university academic provides mentoring and specialist expertise throughout the programme alongside an InterTradeIreland IB consultant. Requirements include the need for a key technology/knowledge to be transferred and embedded in the company and an academic challenge.