Programme

Session type: Seminar
Audience: All

We will be sharing our insights and tips, and the tools and techniques that work.

Direct from the front-line successfully delivering innovation in industry we will cover the need for cognitive diversity and psychological safety, how to help professionals have new and fresh ideas - how to get rid of mood hoovers and how to get past the many barriers to ensure that great ideas become applied innovations delivering critical benefits.  

People have ideas - companies don’t.

Speaker: Dr Frank Allison, CEO, FIS360 Ltd; Tina Catling, Innovation Consultant, ThinkOTB

Dr Frank Allison is an expert in the commercialisation of technologies, from concept to commercial product.  He has developed and delivered several commercialisation initiatives, including Sellafield’s Game Changers open innovation programme.  He has over 20 years’ experience commercialising early-stage technologies, licensing and spin-out, into a wide range of sectors both nationally and internationally, including working in the Middle East to establish a technology transfer business unit and innovation investment fund for Dhahran Techno Valley Company, Saudi Arabia.

Frank has spent many years in the steel, space and aerospace industries in the UK and US.  He mentors early-stage companies, sits on several innovation committees, and has a real passion and enthusiasm to make a difference.

Tina Catling is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a corporate psychologist who is passionate about unlocking the potential of people to have great ideas.  A successful entrepreneur with 30 years’ experience in marketing, communications and strategic innovation management.

Tina is passionate about understanding creative thinking and unlocking the potential in individuals to think in new and better ways.  As part of this work, she gained a Masters with Honors in Corporate Psychology and has written two best-selling business books published by Wiley.

Session type: Workshop
Audience: Practitioners and Academics

Join us for an engaging and informative session introducing the Innovate UK Business Connect Bootcamp - an ITOL accredited CPD opportunity developed by Innovate UK Business Connect and delivered by their experienced team of Knowledge Transfer Advisers. This immersive and interactive bootcamp has already been experienced by over 100 KTP Practitioners and is specifically designed for Knowledge Base KTP professionals who are business-facing and involved in shaping high-quality KTP proposals.

During our session, we’ll provide a detailed overview of the bootcamp and what participants can expect, as well as facilitate a discussion on the concept of the ‘golden thread’ - the essential elements that, when effectively woven together, create a proposal that is not only cohesive and innovative, but also deeply challenging and capable of embedding new capability within a business to drive real commercial impact. Whether you are new to KTP or looking to refine your approach, this session will offer practical insights and peer-led discussion to support your continued development.

Speakers: John Bound, Knowledge Transfer Manager – Innovation and Design; Bethany Procter, Innovation Academy Content Manager; Dr Ian Heywood, Senior Knowledge Transfer Adviser, Innovate UK Business Connect

John Bound is a member of the Design in Innovation team at Innovate UK Business Connect, co-creating tools such as the Innovation Canvas that help companies generate value from new products and services.  He also manages activities for Materials and Design Exchange (MaDE), which connects the materials science, product design and making communities to accelerate innovation.  He has a background in manufacturing, inclusive design and professional development, including roles at Michael Peters Group, the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design and InnovationRCA at the Royal College of Art.

Bethany Procter is a design and innovation specialist working in Innovate UK Business Connect’s (IUKBC) Design in Innovation Team.  She focuses on the design and development of IUKBC’s Innovation Academy.  In this role, she develops innovation-focused training content and co-delivers IUKBC’s Innovation Strategy Course.  Bethany is trained as an industrial designer.  She brings experience in design, innovation management, strategy, and design thinking.  She also has insight into the KTP Associate journey, as she started her career as a management KTP Associate.

Ian Heywood oversees KTP in North Scotland.  He promotes innovation leadership and has helped design IUKBC’s Innovation Strategy Course.  With senior roles across private, public, and academic sectors, Ian brings experience in economic development, business strategy, and disruptive technologies.  Ian previously directed the MBA Programme at the University of Aberdeen, founded The Ideas Academy Ltd and led Scottish Enterprise Grampian’s high-growth company portfolio.

Session type: Seminar
Audience: All

From grant proposals to commercial spinouts, every collaboration creates potential IP, but are you capturing it effectively?

This seminar will unpack what we really mean by IP (it’s not just patents), how to recognise it in your project, and how to capture and protect it before it slips away.

You’ll leave with practical tools and real-world examples on how invention records, good documentation and early IP reviews can unlock future funding, partnerships and impact.  No legal jargon - just useful, clear IP know-how for KTP Associates, practitioners and academics alike.

Speaker: Freddy Guemeni, Head of Intellectual Property, University of Manchester Innovation Factory

Freddy Guemeni is a qualified European Patent Attorney, Registered Technology Transfer Professional, and Unified Patent Court Representative, and was recognised as one of the world’s leading IP strategists by IAM Strategy 300. He brings over a decade of experience in research commercialisation, including roles at Imperial Innovations and the NIHR i4i programme, supporting universities, funders, spinouts, and SMEs in transforming early-stage innovations into protected and valuable assets.

Freddy is an internationally active IP educator, delivering training on IP strategy and business modelling. He regularly mentors researchers, innovators, and early-stage entrepreneurs - helping them use IP strategically to strengthen their innovation journeys.

Session type: Workshop
Audience: All (participants can only attend one session)

Join us for an engaging workshop utilising the innovative LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology to explore and reflect on best practices to collaborate across industry, academia and customers.  This creative and hands-on building process helps you visualise your processes and strengths within your collaboration methods and processes, offering a unique and interactive way to help you map out next steps in your professional practice.

After this workshop, participants will be able to:

• reflect on the individual process of collaboration
• highlight personal strengths
• identify gaps in practice
• develop a next step plan for professional growth

Speaker: Dr Ciara Reidy, Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist

Dr Ciara Reidy is a chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with over five years of experience supporting individuals and groups through a holistic approach, helping people unlock their potential and perform at their best while maintaining a positive mental health. Her work centres on the person behind the performer – fostering self-awareness and clarity so they can take confident steps toward their personal and professional goals.

Session type: Workshop 
Audience: All

Showcasing the successful strategies and practices of the GM Innovation Ecosystem in engaging with new and larger companies, and to provide actionable insights for university development teams across the UK.

• Introduction to the GM Innovation Ecosystem: Overview of the ecosystem and its components. Importance of collaboration between universities and business support organisations.
• Engaging New Companies in the Ecosystem: Strategies for identifying and engaging companies new to the Growth Hub (‘Dark Matter’). Case studies of successful engagements.
• Routes through to KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnerships): Explanation of positioning of KTP through other funded programmes. Pathways for companies to engage in KTP.
• Positioning Support with Larger Companies: Techniques for shifting focus from micro to larger companies. Examples of successful collaborations with larger enterprises.
• Successes on the Programmes: Highlighting key successes and outcomes from our programmes, both ERDF & UKSPF. Data visualisation and impacts.
• Adopting the Approach in Other Universities: Practical steps and recommendations for other universities to implement similar strategies. Discussion on scalability and customisation for different regions.

Speaker: Dharma Nurse, Senior Innovation Development Manager, and James Spiers, Innovation Development Manager, GM Business Growth Hub; Alistair Roddie, Innovation Partnerships Development Manager

Dharma Nurse has over 16 years’ experience championing innovation through funded programmes and fostering collaboration between industry and academia. At GM Business Growth Hub, she leads a talented team of innovation development managers, driving complex, high-impact projects across Greater Manchester by harnessing ecosystem partnerships and unlocking grant funding opportunities. A recognised figure in the UK’s innovation landscape, Dharma has played a pivotal role in increasing regional and national funding uptake and in shaping Greater Manchester’s innovation strategy. Her forward-thinking leadership continues to strengthen ties between Higher Education and business sectors, fuelling measurable impact and sustainable growth across the region.

James Spiers‘ expertise spans economic development, business strategy, and digital consultancy. He is a seasoned professional recognised for driving growth and innovation within the Creative, Digital, and Tech sectors. His strategic acumen and collaborative approach have enabled partnerships with some of the world’s most respected brands, consistently delivering high-impact results. James has championed initiatives to unlock university engagement for businesses, amplifying access to knowledge exchange, research, and development support.

Alistair Roddie is an experienced bid and proposals professional, with over a decade of experience of bid management in the private sector and latterly, over 6 years of experience in leading pre-award services as part of Manchester Met’s KTP team – where he has developed a successful portfolio of KTP, MKTP, AAKTP, Public Sector MKTP, and AKT projects. Throughout his time at Manchester Met, Alistair has worked closely with the GM Business Growth Hub’s innovation service, gaining key insight into the practical approaches and benefits for Knowledge Bases in collaborating with Growth Hubs.

 Session type: Workshop
Audience: All

In today’s increasingly competitive and fast-evolving landscape, the ability to demonstrate clear, differentiated impact is more critical than ever. Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) offer a unique opportunity for businesses, universities, and associates to collaborate in ways that drive innovation, growth, and long-term value.

This workshop will explore how each partner—associate, business, and university—can effectively articulate the impact of their contributions building metrics alongside narratives to deliver impact stories. We will collectively examine how delivering on the KTP creates tangible benefits, fosters strategic differentiation, and builds enduring partnerships that extend beyond the initial engagement.

Participants will gain insights into:

• Evidencing the value created for each stakeholder
• Communicating impact in a way that resonates with employees, funders, external audiences
• Positioning KTPs as a strategic asset in competitive environments

Join us to discover how to elevate your narrative and unlock long-term benefits for all partners involved.

Speaker: Sahar Abuelbashar, Solutions Account Manager, and Dr Matt Walker, Director, ELSEVIER

Dr Matt Walker has a PhD in Ecology from Imperial College London. He began his career working in consultancy at two startups, providing specialist advice on IT, technology and public sector procurement. He then spent more than a decade coordinating research and supporting business engagement and knowledge exchange at the universities of York and Manchester before joining Elsevier in 2014. He currently works within Elsevier’s Academic & Government Research Marketing team partnering with Sales, Marketing, Product, and Customer Success to align enablement programs with revenue goals and deliver compelling, insight-led customer engagements.

Sahar Abuelbashar is a Solutions Account Manager, working with Academic and Government organisation in Northern England and the Midlands in harnessing Elsevier’s Research Intelligence solutions to enhance their research strategies. With a background as a Research Intelligence Customer Consultant, she has collaborated extensively with academics and government organizations across Southern England, Greece, Malta, and Cyprus. Prior to joining Elsevier, Sahar was based at the University of Sussex as a Research Metrics Analyst, promoting and implementing tools like SciVal to support the university’s research strategy. In 2018 she collaborated with Librarians in Ghana and Cameroon to produce a study that examined the external factors influencing the African’s scholarly regional research landscapes. Between 2016 to 2018, Sahar served on the JISC Lis-Bibliometrics Committee, shaping discussions around research metrics and evaluation.

Session type: Workshop
Audience: Practitioners and Academics 

Learn how to support prospective partners to create viable KTP projects that accelerate business innovation and make the most of Associate skills within the KTP timeframe. You will learn the key factors that will enable you to test the feasibility of project ideas and ways to influence partner expectations so that scope, quality and resources align. In this way you will improve partner-Associate relations, remain outcomes-focused, and enable smoother KTP innovation journeys.

This workshop is led by Dr Sabina Strachan and draws from what works in real-world settings, supported by unique how2glu ‘glucard™’ tools, and graphically illustrated with best-practice examples and insights from Sabina’s direct experiences.

Speaker: Dr Sabina Strachan, Director, how2glu

how2glu provides research and management consultancy, business advice and training with a particular focus on effective collaboration. Its founder, Dr Sabina Strachan, is a strategist and expert problem-solver who has worked with strategic stakeholders for 25 years. The how2glu approach is practical, facilitative and action-oriented – i.e. ‘What works in the real world, not the ideal world’.

As a trainer, Sabina specialises in collaboration, innovation, inclusion and career development programmes, helping participants develop and harness a wide range of ‘soft’ skills and strategies and make connections across sectors. As a consultant and business advisor, she supports organisations and businesses to make strong cases for support, diversify income, achieve organisational stability, and accelerate partnerships.

Session type: Workshop
Audience: All

Learn how to build a reputation as a go-to source of credible expert insight among policy makers. Through practical exercises, case studies and expert presentations this session explores how best to engage with aspects of the national policy making process that regularly call on the input of academic, technical and industry expertise.

Speakers: Mark Fuller and Arlen Pettitt, Showrunner Communications

Showrunner Communications specialises in helping experts and innovators to play a role in local, national and international policy making. Our consultants combine high level expertise of the influencing techniques used in corporate public affairs and social purpose campaigning, with a deep understanding of higher education. Teams of academics at universities including Durham, Essex, Exeter, Manchester Metropolitan, Newcastle and Southampton have benefitted from our support over recent years, as well as business leaders from a variety of sectors, including tech, infrastructure and construction.

Sponsored by Manchester Metropolitan University’s think tank, Metropolis

Session type: Workshop
Audience: All

A high-energy, highly interactive session exploring how blind spots form, how they shape everyday decisions and relationships, and what we can do to notice and adjust in real time. Through short, engaging activities and clear, jargon-free guidance, we’ll surface early cues that matter and connect them to common trigger patterns. All attendees will also receive free access to the e-Factor emotional intelligence (EI) assessment — a scientific tool that, in 30 minutes, provides an in-depth, personalised dashboard across the four domains of EI (Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Social Interaction), helping people better understand their emotions, manage them effectively (it’s not always about being ‘nice’), and recognise and work skilfully with others.

After this session, participants will be able to:

• Recognise where blind spots arise in everyday work
• Notice early internal and interpersonal cues
• Identify personal trigger patterns that affect decisions and relationships
• Apply simple, in-the-moment resets to improve clarity and composure
• Set a realistic next step to sustain progress

Speaker: Aaron Garner, Director, EmotionIntell

Aaron Garner helps leaders and teams turn emotional intelligence into everyday habits that improve communication, decision-making and performance. At EmotionIntell, he works across sectors delivering practical, evidence-informed sessions that translate behavioural science into plain English, prioritising interaction, relevance and immediate application. He’s also lead tutor for the MSc in Applied Emotional Intelligence, a collaborative partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University. 

Session type: Seminar
Audience: Associates

Learn how to maximise your impact and manage risks effectively by revisiting the intended outcomes, reassessing available resources and re-establishing priorities in the early stages of your KTP. You will learn how best to involve your partner in this process, embrace the agency you have as an Associate, and manage your own expectations and those of your partner. In this way you will be able to strengthen your partnership, build in outcomes-focused review points, and pave a smoother path to innovation.

This workshop is led by Dr Sabina Strachan and draws from what works in real-world settings, supported by unique how2glu ‘glucard™’ tools, and graphically illustrated with best-practice examples and insights from Sabina’s direct experiences.

Speaker: Dr Sabina Strachan, Director, how2glu

how2glu provides research and management consultancy, business advice and training with a particular focus on effective collaboration. Its founder, Dr Sabina Strachan, is a strategist and expert problem-solver who has worked with strategic stakeholders for 25 years. The how2glu approach is practical, facilitative and action-oriented – i.e. ‘What works in the real world, not the ideal world’.

As a trainer, Sabina specialises in collaboration, innovation, inclusion and career development programmes, helping participants develop and harness a wide range of ‘soft’ skills and strategies and make connections across sectors. As a consultant and business advisor, she supports organisations and businesses to make strong cases for support, diversify income, achieve organisational stability, and accelerate partnerships.

Session type: Practice-sharing seminar
Audience: All

This session explores how KTPs can serve as powerful vehicles for impact generation within the context of REF 2029. 

Impact and knowledge exchange professionals from the Universities of Salford, Manchester, and Manchester Metropolitan University will share insights on how KTP activity can be strategically planned, tracked, and evidenced to support high-quality impact case studies. Drawing on good practice examples, the session will highlight how KTPs have contributed to successful submissions across a range of Units of Assessment, and will include testimonials from 3 examples of successful KTP projects that underpinned the development of REF 2021 Impact Case Studies.

Participants will gain practical guidance on aligning KTP outputs with the REF definition of impact, selecting appropriate indicators and evidence, and embedding impact planning throughout the lifecycle of a KTP project. The discussion will also consider how KTP-driven impact aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and contributes to institutional strategies, including global impact rankings.

Speakers: Vera Baron, Manchester Metropolitan University; Dr Lucy Stone, The University of Manchester

The speakers are experienced professionals working across knowledge exchange, research partnerships, and impact generation.  Collectively, they have supported a wide range of KTPs and impact case studies across disciplines, helping academic teams translate collaborative research into demonstrable change for REF submissions and beyond.

Vera Barron is a specialist in research and impact development with deep expertise of UK and EU funding programmes, the research impact agenda, and the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF). She supported KTP project development at two UK Higher Education institutions in her previous roles and co-delivered a pilot Knowledge Transfer Programme for the Czech Ministry of Trade and Industry with two former UK KTP Advisers. Vera has extensive experience facilitating large-scale R&D collaborations that bring together universities, industry, and public-sector partners using diverse funding mechanisms. Her work spans all stages of the research cycle and across a wide range of disciplines. She combines technical understanding of impact policy with a practical appreciation of how to embed inclusive and meaningful impact culture in institutions.

Dr Lucy Stone is based in the Faculty of Humanities at The University of Manchester, where she works primarily with researchers in the Faculty’s School of Arts, Languages and Cultures. Her role focuses on supporting research impact through the research lifecycle, from building research impact into funding proposals to the development of impact case studies for the Research Excellence Framework (REF). Lucy began working in research impact in 2012, initially with a focus on REF 2014. She has since supported impact case study development across the three REF exercises to date.

Session type: Seminar
Audience: All

Through expert presentations and case studies, with interactive Q&A, this session explores key approaches enabling strategy to be described and analysed, reviewed and implemented, underpinned by a market-oriented approach and supported by use of evolving technologies such as AI.

In particular three topics will be covered, with real-life examples:

• Strategy Frameworks and Examples
• Business Models and Stakeholder Partnerships
• AI Enabled Research and Segmentation Techniques

After this workshop, participants will be able to: 

• Articulate clearly the link between core strategy and key tactical projects to be articulated and broadly understood.
• Understand how to utilise partnerships successfully to overcome resource limitations in a way consistent with the overall business approach.
• Use AI as a significant tool for both operational and strategic activities, in a low-cost way in most instances.

Speaker: Professor Paul Smith, Manchester Metropolitan University

Paul Smith is a Professor of Marketing, with experience of successful completion of 5 Management KTPs, and 2 major grant funded contract research projects.  His research interests are primarily in market research and innovation, but his expertise spans marketing strategy, B2B marketing, complex statistical modelling and business applications of AI and machine learning.

He is a former senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where he specialised in technology enabled process transformation for a wide range of industries and clients, and where he had significant strategic responsibilities. Paul is a Board advisor to multiple large and small organisations, including the Gambling Commission, a leading global professional services firm and multiple UK SMEs.

Session type: Workshop
Audience: All (participants can only attend one session)

Join us for an engaging workshop utilising the innovative LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology to explore and reflect on best practices to collaborate across industry, academia and customers. This creative and hands-on building process helps you visualise your processes and strengths within your collaboration methods and processes, offering a unique and interactive way to help you map out next steps in your professional practice.

After this workshop, participants will be able to:

• reflect on the individual process of collaboration
• highlight personal strengths
• identify gaps in practice
• develop a next step plan for professional growth

Speaker: Dr Ciara Reidy, Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist

Dr Ciara Reidy is a chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with over five years of experience supporting individuals and groups through a holistic approach, helping people unlock their potential and perform at their best while maintaining a positive mental health. Her work centres on the person behind the performer – fostering self-awareness and clarity so they can take confident steps toward their personal and professional goals.

Session type: Workshop
Audience: All

This interactive session will explore current efforts to broaden participation in KTP, with a focus on engaging underrepresented groups. The session will begin with a brief overview of Innovate UK’s current direction, followed by two case-led initiatives – one supporting greater academic engagement from women, and another aimed at increasing participation from women in business. We’ll examine what’s working regionally across academic and business communities, what challenges remain, and what support is still needed. Attendees will be invited to contribute ideas and experiences, leaving with practical insights to help create a more inclusive and representative KTP landscape.

Speakers: Dr Serena Broadway and Karen Souza, Innovate UK Business Connect; Elaine Wallace, West of Scotland KTP Centre; Sophie O’Callaghan, University of Exeter

Serena Broadway is Senior Knowledge Transfer Adviser for the East of Scotland at Innovate UK Business Connect (IUKBC). She leads teams across Scotland and the North West of England, supporting strategic partnerships between academia and industry. With over a decade of experience in innovation and a background in agrifood, Serena previously coordinated the BBSRC Diet and Health Research Industry Club, fostering collaborative research between research and industry.

Karen Souza is Senior Diversity and Inclusion Partner at IUKBC, leading on programmes that drive inclusion, engagement, and innovation across the UK’s diverse communities. Her work spans strategic leadership of IUKBC’s Community Engagement work, the delivery of competitions including Women in Innovation and Young Innovators, and the management and continuous improvement of Innovate UK’s Reasonable Adjustments service.

Elaine Wallace is Director of the West of Scotland KTP Centre, a shared service helping multiple university partners deliver KTP.  She has 30 years’ experience in KTP, having supported over 500 projects and enabled collaborations that lead to innovation. Elaine introduced the “Strathclyde Women in KTP” initiative to encourage greater participation from underrepresented groups.

Sophie O’Callaghan is the Senior KTP Manager at Exeter and is currently Chair of the KTP National Forum.  Her pre-KTP work focussed on sustainability in organisations, including supporting frameworks for EDI.

Session type: Workshop
Audience: All

Have you ever wondered how some people effortlessly work a room, confidently build rapport, and always have something interesting to say? In this session, you’ll learn how to develop the qualities of great networkers, overcome nerves, and make meaningful connections both in-person and online. Also, discover how to build an authentic personal brand and stay memorable. Join this session to master THE essential skill for future career success.

Speakers: Mark Lynch, Knowledge Transfer Adviser – Central/North London and Hertfordshire; Jan Stringer, Knowledge Transfer Adviser – East Anglia and Central London; Bethany Procter, Innovation Academy Content Manager

By profession, Mark Lynch is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of both the IMechE and IET. He has worked in a broad range of engineering design and lean manufacturing roles, across various industry sectors, principally with SMEs. These include instrumentation and measurement, automation and process engineering, the automotive and pharmaceutical supply chains, as well as various contract engineering positions. Additionally, he has led groups in the Civil Service, delivering specialist technical projects. Mark is committed to raising professionalism and the profile of engineering through mentoring and coaching others. With a little help he believes people can maximise their potential, whilst businesses should acquire the best possible talent. Mark started his career as a KTP (TCS) Associate, so is pleased to be helping launch the career of others.

Jan Stringer describes working with Innovate UK Business Connect as the “best job in the world!”. She gets the chance to use her senior level technical/commercial business experience to help form and deliver University/Business partnerships and mentor early career KTP Associates to deliver innovations in all disciplines and sectors. Over the last 20 years Jan has supported the formation and delivery of nearly 300 KTPs and mentored a similar number of KTP Associates - many of whom she remains in contact with as they progress their careers.

Bethany Procter is a design and innovation specialist working in Innovate UK Business Connect’s (IUKBC) Design in Innovation Team. She focuses on the design and development of IUKBC’s Innovation Academy. In this role, she develops innovation-focused training content and co-delivers IUKBC’s Innovation Strategy Course. Bethany is trained as an industrial designer. She brings experience in design, innovation management, strategy, and design thinking. She also has insight into the KTP Associate journey, as she started her career as a management KTP Associate.

Session type: Workshop
Audience: Associates

As a KTP Associate you may be required to launch a new product or service or lead a business division via improved ways of working, success depends on your ability to manage finances, risks, and projects effectively.

This workshop introduces key financial concepts and shows how to apply them through sound project and risk management to drive profit and long-term value. 

Participants will learn how to:

• Develop business models and sales forecasts.
• Understand turnover vs. profit, cost structures, and tax.
• Interpret Profit & Loss and Cashflow statements.
• Build financial forecasts and identify investment needs.
• Apply risk and project management to maximize returns.

Speaker: Dr Frank Allison, CEO, FIS360 Ltd

Dr Frank Allison is an expert in the commercialisation of technologies, from concept to commercial product. He has developed and delivered several commercialisation programmes, including Sellafield’s Game Changers open innovation programme. He has over 20 years’ of experience commercialising early-stage technologies, licensing and spin-out, into a wide range of sectors both nationally and internationally, including working in the Middle East to establish a technology transfer business unit and innovation investment fund for Dhahran Techno Valley Company (DTVC), Saudi Arabia.

Frank has also spent many years working in the steel, space and aerospace industries in the UK and US. He currently mentors early-stage companies, sits on several innovation committees, and has a real passion and enthusiasm for making a difference.

Session type: Workshop
Audience: Practitioners

This workshop will help you successfully manage your KTP project finances and interpret the financial statement, covering everything from Associate forecasting to the process for moving money between budgets, you will gain a wider understanding of all KTP finance processes.

Speakers: Eileen Maltby, West of Scotland KTP Centre; Emma Craig, North of Scotland KTP Centre; Anneliese Santer, East of Scotland KTP Centre; Emma Mawby, Manchester Metropolitan University; Emma Kelly, Manchester Metropolitan University

This session will be led by teams from the regional KTP Centres in Scotland and the Manchester Metropolitan University, both of which have many years of experience in providing centralised support and successfully delivering KTPs.

Session type: Workshop
Audience: All 

This interactive, hands-on session offers an accessible introduction to using AI within the context of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. Rather than focusing solely on tools or prompts, the workshop explores how AI can act as a creative and strategic thought partner-helping individuals and teams to navigate complexity, unlock time, and enhance the value of their work. We’ll particularly explore how GenAI can serve as an intelligent soundboard, enabling you to articulate, examine and refine your thinking through structured dialogue. The emphasis is on mindset, not mastery: we’ll share grounded examples, simple principles, and opportunities to explore where AI might support your work - without compromising on human insight, ethics or authenticity.

After this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify practical, values-aligned opportunities for AI use in KTP activities
• Understand the foundations of working well with AI – from framing problems to guiding outputs
• Use AI as a reflective soundboard to clarify thinking, challenge assumptions, and develop ideas
• Approach AI as a collaborative enabler of insight, reflection and progress

Speakers: Alexander Leonard, University of Salford; Rupert Lorraine, University of Plymouth

Alexander Leonard is the Research, Design, and User Experience Lead at the University of Salford, dedicated to exploring how people engage with technology by uncovering their needs, behaviours, and emerging trends to ensure digital tools empower rather than hinder human activity. Combining strategic insight with innovative thinking, they transform these observations into actionable solutions that drive digital transformation.

Rupert Lorraine is Director of The Bridge at the University of Plymouth, where he leads cross-disciplinary work at the intersection of research, education, knowledge exchange and civic engagement. He champions the role of culture, creativity, and technology in driving inclusive and place-based innovation, helping people and places realise their potential. A passionate advocate for responsible AI, Rupert works to demystify emerging technologies and make them more accessible through clear, human-centred approaches that support practical adoption. His work spans strategic leadership, partnership development, and programme design, supporting international, national, and regional initiatives that connect policy, business, and the creative economy.

Session type: Facilitated Roundtable discussion
Audience: Practitioners and Academics from FE and HE

Join us for a discussion spanning Further Eduction (FE) and Higher Education (HE), to explore how FE can engage with KTP funding opportunities and how HE-FE collaborations can work.

With extensive work-based learning programmes, FE has local business reach that few HE institutions can match - FE’s offer has strong synergy with the KTP programme. HE has deep experience in delivering KTP, especially in pre-award development and post award administration. These synergies have long been realised in Northern Ireland, via collaborations between Queens University Belfast and FE Northern Ireland.

Innovate UK piloted an FE in Innovation programme that saw FE Innovation Champions and Clusters deliver highly impactful short knowledge exchange interventions. We’ll showcase successful FE projects, discuss challenges, and facilitate open conversations between these sectors.

Speakers: Mick Card, KT Adviser - North Wales, Merseyside and Cheshire; Ken Frame, KT Adviser - Northern Ireland; Dr Fergal Tuffy, Technology and Innovation Manager; Rosie Peacock, Lead Specialist for Innovation Skills

Dr Fergal Tuffy is Technology Innovation Manager at the North West Regional College. He manages their Business Support Centre, and leads their policies, programmes and projects to ensure delivery of the College’s priorities for economic development, industry engagement, business skills and innovation. 

As KT Adviser in Northern Ireland, Ken Frame works with over 30 programmes, covering companies from a wide range of industrial sectors and involving both University and Further Education College partners. With over 30 years’ experience working the ICT and General Business Sectors, he has extensive experience of Business Consultancy, Project and Quality Management, and Application Development.

Mick Card is KTP Adviser for North Wales, Merseyside and West Cheshire. A champion of the skills, relationships and projects that FE bring to innovation, he has been supporting Innovate UK’s FEIF activities bringing value, energy and supportive insight to structuring and delivering opportunities for collaboration and engagement. Prior to being a KTP Adviser, Mick had a private sector background in Commercial Management and subsequently held senior Business Development roles in 3 UK knowledge bases building strategic partnerships, commercial and research activities.

Rosie Peacock is a Lead Specialist for Innovation Skills at Innovate UK, where she leads on Talent and Skills programmes such as the Further Education Innovation Fund programme. With over ten years of experience in UKRI roles, Rosie has supported a wide range of innovation, business, talent, and skills initiatives. Rosie has a background in bioscience, holding a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Medicine from the University of Bristol. She has experience of both academic and industrial research and development within the biotech sector.

Session type: Workshop
Audience: All

Do you ever find yourself not quite connecting? Wanting to understand someone better, or wanting to make yourself better understood? Sometimes both? Understanding the Interaction Compass will help.

‘We are all walking on the same ground, but we have our own individual maps’. By understanding our own maps better, and by understanding others’ maps better, we can make better connections and achieve more. In this interactive session, Rich Tricker from Ashorne Hill will help you understand your preferred and habitual patterns of behaviour, observing, adapting, and strengthening connections.

Terms like ‘head thinking’ and ‘heart thinking’, and principles of introversion and extroversion may be familiar to some, but how well do we develop and use this understanding to create beneficial outcomes? You’ll leave this session with greater and / or reinforced understanding, with a variety of ways to keep making things better, and with hints on making healthy habits stick.

Speaker: Rich Tricker, Ashorne Hill

Rich Tricker is a dynamic force within the Ashorne Advantage Facilitation Team, known for his ability to transform traditional training into immersive, energising experiences. With a flair for designing and delivering interactive learning solutions, Rich creates learning environments where people feel empowered to explore, challenge, and grow. His sessions are more than just training they are catalysts for transformation, where ideas spark, confidence builds, and real change begins.

With over 25 years’ experience in learning and development, Rich brings a rare blend of strategic insight and human connection. Whether managing national teams or spearheading global L&D strategies, Rich’s focus has always been the same: unlocking potential and driving performance through meaningful learning.

Session type: Conversation 
Audience: All

This open, reflective session invites participants to consider how AI is reshaping not just what we do, but how we think about ourselves and our value in knowledge exchange. Through discussion and shared experience, we’ll explore AI’s influence on collaboration, creativity, and strategy across KTPs - including how AI can help us become more thoughtful practitioners by providing space to reflect on our own motivations, biases, and decision-making processes. We’ll consider how we can shape AI adoption in ways that centre people, relationships and ethical responsibility.

After this session, participants will be able to:

• Reflect on how AI is influencing their role, relationships and professional identity within KTPs
• Use AI-supported reflection to gain deeper insights into their own practice and assumptions
• Explore how AI can enable more inclusive, strategic, and imaginative approaches to knowledge exchange
• Contribute with confidence to institutional and sector-wide conversations about responsible AI adoption

Speakers: Alexander Leonard, University of Salford; Rupert Lorraine, University of Plymouth

Alexander Leonard is the Research, Design, and User Experience Lead at the University of Salford, dedicated to exploring how people engage with technology by uncovering their needs, behaviours, and emerging trends to ensure digital tools empower rather than hinder human activity. Combining strategic insight with innovative thinking, they transform these observations into actionable solutions that drive digital transformation.

Rupert Lorraine is Director of The Bridge at the University of Plymouth, where he leads cross-disciplinary work at the intersection of research, education, knowledge exchange and civic engagement. He champions the role of culture, creativity, and technology in driving inclusive and place-based innovation, helping people and places realise their potential. A passionate advocate for responsible AI, Rupert works to demystify emerging technologies and make them more accessible through clear, human-centred approaches that support practical adoption. His work spans strategic leadership, partnership development, and programme design, supporting international, national, and regional initiatives that connect policy, business, and the creative economy.

Session type: Seminar
Audience: All

Based on many years of personal experience delivering complex systems of systems to very demanding customers.

In this session participants will:

• Gain insights from real-world examples of the contact sport of delivering innovation
• Learn why selling skills are important for all
• Learn how to know what their customers really want
• Learn how to listen and speak in different languages

Speaker: Professor Rob Rolley, Knowledge Transfer Adviser - Wales

Rob Rolley is an ex Industrial executive and technical specialist, he has many years of experience gained from delivering complex systems of systems in the Telecommunications, Defence, Cyber and Security industries. He chairs the Industrial Advisory Board at Cardiff University and is a member of the Technology Leadership Council for Technology Connected, helping to promote technology, skills, and manufacturing in Wales. In his free time, you may catch him playing in 99%Chimp a rock covers band.

Session type: Workshop
Audience: All

We appreciate that change is a constant, so why is change still a challenge?

Disturbing statistics – remind us that the average success rate has remained persistently low. Less than one-third of respondents - all of whom had been part of a transformation in the past five years - say their companies’ transformations have been successful at both improving organisational performance and sustaining those improvements over time (McKinsey Global Survey 2021). The brutal fact is that about 70% of all change initiatives fail (Harvard Business Review 2000 ‘Cracking the Code of Change’).

At Ashorne Advantage we understand change. We have identified 5 component elements which leaders need to get right. Elements in which leaders can take practical action to make change stick - REACH

• R Receptivity – are we ready?
• E Engagement – have we got the right ambassadors onboard?
• A Action – are we doing the right things?
• C Challenge – what challenges can we foresee? How are we going to overcome these?
• H Habit – how are we encouraging / rewarding the right behaviour and making this stick?

Find out in this experiential session with Rich Tricker how you can tie an Alpine Butterfly knot and learn to lead change that sticks.

Speaker: Rich Tricker, Ashorne Hill

Rich Tricker is a dynamic force within the Ashorne Advantage Facilitation Team, known for his ability to transform traditional training into immersive, energising experiences. With a flair for designing and delivering interactive learning solutions, Rich creates learning environments where people feel empowered to explore, challenge, and grow. His sessions are more than just training they are catalysts for transformation, where ideas spark, confidence builds, and real change begins.

With over 25 years’ experience in learning and development, Rich brings a rare blend of strategic insight and human connection. Whether managing national teams or spearheading global L&D strategies, Rich’s focus has always been the same: unlocking potential and driving performance through meaningful learning.

Session type: Round table
Audience: Practitioners

Join us for an engaging workshop utilising the innovative LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology to explore and reflect on driving innovation in your area of work. This creative and hands-on building process helps identify current challenges that cause barriers to innovation and identify actionable next steps to overcome it. This workshop offers a unique and interactive way to visualise challenges and take a proactive approach to overcome them. Furthermore, it teaches you a new method of problem solving.

After this session, participants will be able to:

• identify future potential innovation within their own area
• identify potential innovation barriers
• identify and develop an actionable next steps plan to overcome challenges

Speaker: Dr Ciara Reidy, Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist

Dr Ciara Reidy is a chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with over five years of experience supporting individuals and groups through a holistic approach, helping people unlock their potential and perform at their best while maintaining a positive mental health. Her work centres on the person behind the performer – fostering self-awareness and clarity so they can take confident steps toward their personal and professional goals.

Session type: Workshop
Audience: Practitioners and Academics

Exploring the evolving KTP recruitment landscape and discussing the tools and techniques our community finds effective. This interactive session will provide an opportunity for you to hear and share your recruitment challenges and successes. Acquiring tips on how to confidently navigate recruitment practices and deliver maximum impact from your partnerships.

After this session you will have a robust toolkit to best adapt to your practice.

Speakers: Rosi Newman, Leeds Beckett University; Emma Craig, North of Scotland KTP Centre; Jannine Thomas, Manchester Metropolitan University; Ceri Carr, Manchester Metropolitan University

With over 50 years’ experience of the full KTP life cycle, Rosi Newman, Emma Craig, Ceri Carr and Jannine Thomas have seen most things while searching for the perfect candidate. Their blend of unique experience including navigating HR nuances while supporting projects across several Scottish universities and leading graduate recruitment in HE Careers, allows them to talk knowledgeably about the techniques used to recruit award winning KTP Associates while meeting the competing focus of business and academia.

Session type: Workshop
Audience: Associates

Innovate UK’s Innovation Canvas is designed to help you create value from innovation and identify the changes needed to make your idea succeed. It provides a simple framework for assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a specific innovation project, identifying the most urgent challenges to overcome, and prioritising what actions to take.

In this interactive workshop, you will work with the print version of the Innovation Canvas to map your own strengths, experience, and interests against key factors for successful innovation – from leadership to user understanding and risk management. The insights you gain will help identify where you can add value as a future innovation practitioner.

Speakers: John Bound, Knowledge Transfer Manager – Innovation and Design; Bethany Procter, Temporary Innovation Academy Content Manager; Ian Heywood, Senior Knowledge Transfer Adviser, Innovate UK Business Connect

John Bound is a member of the Design in Innovation team at Innovate UK Business Connect, co-creating tools such as the Innovation Canvas that help companies generate value from new products and services. He also manages activities for Materials and Design Exchange (MaDE), which connects the materials science, product design and making communities to accelerate innovation. He has a background in manufacturing, inclusive design and professional development, including roles at Michael Peters Group, the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design and InnovationRCA at the Royal College of Art.

Bethany Procter is a design and innovation specialist working in Innovate UK Business Connect’s (IUKBC) Design in Innovation Team. She focuses on the design and development of IUKBC’s Innovation Academy. In this role, she develops innovation-focused training content and co-delivers IUKBC’s Innovation Strategy Course. She is trained as an industrial designer. She brings experience in design, innovation management, strategy, and design thinking. She also has insight into the KTP Associate journey, as she started her career as a management KTP Associate.

Ian Heywood oversees KTP in North Scotland. He promotes innovation leadership and has helped design IUKBC’s Innovation Strategy Course. With senior roles across private, public, and academic sectors, Ian brings experience in economic development, business strategy, and disruptive technologies. Ian previously directed the MBA Programme at the University of Aberdeen, founded The Ideas Academy Ltd and led Scottish Enterprise Grampian’s high-growth company portfolio.

Session type: Interactive Q&A session
Audience: Practitioners and Academics

This seminar will explain different models of IP ownership to maximise return to universities through a dynamic Q&A session focused on shared learnings from a Regional Innovation Fund project. The collaboration trialled a cooperative programme across Greater Manchester’s HEI network in support of the regional innovation ecosystem. Through sharing best practice and creating a sustainable model of peer support, the collaboration is helping to build a more connected, resilient and high-performing innovation landscape across the region.

Speakers: Paul Cihlar, University of Salford; Clare Arkwright, The University of Manchester Innovation Factory; Sinéad McGovern, Manchester Metropolitan University; Michelle Phillips, Royal Northern College of Music

Paul Cihlar works with researchers to identify and protect intellectual property through licensing and forming spinout companies or social enterprises. He has over 18 years’ experience developing collaborative research partnerships. He is a highly skilled and knowledgeable KTP practitioner who is now applying those skills to generate impact.

Clare Arkwright has over 25 years’ experience in IP commercialisation and knowledge transfer. She has held a range of roles from IP commercialisation to portfolio management to her current role in operations management. Clare’s expertise includes operational governance, stakeholder engagement and innovation policy. She is committed to strengthening collaboration and sharing best practice across the knowledge exchange community.

Sinéad McGovern works to commercialise innovations arising from the University’s world-leading research. Sinéad’s work covers identification of new technologies, exploring markets and funding for commercialisation, negotiating licences with partners, and supporting IP and spin outs.

Michelle Phillips research interests include entrepreneurship and freelance careers, audience response to live and recorded music, and music and Parkinson’s. She was Principal Investigator on the StART Entrepreneurship Project that sought to develop initiatives in entrepreneurship and enterprise training. She has served as a Director of the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship and is a Fellow of Enterprise Educators UK.

You’ve completed a great KTP project and honed your innovation leadership skills in often challenging situations. Now, you’re ready to build a career unique to you, where collaboration and continued learning are vital to success. Who better to share that journey than your fellow KTP associates and alumni, who are also pioneering across a wide range of sectors and geographies? 

During this special workshop, you will meet with current and former Associates to map out what a KTP associate alumni network might look like, what benefits it could offer, and how it can be sustained as a thriving community of innovators. The workshop will introduce you to a range of creative research tools, both familiar and new, and help create a blueprint for turning a bright idea into a valuable alumni resource. (Open to current Associates and alumni.)

Speakers: Shona Campbell, Senior Knowledge Transfer Adviser; Anuradha Kamble, KTP Associate, Aston University; Muhammad Ibrahim Khalil, Data and Strategy Consultant, Beyond; Kemi Gbadebo, Research Officer, Together Housing Group. 

Shona Campbell is a Senior Knowledge Transfer Adviser, leading the London and South-East team and supporting partnerships between the South Coast and South London. After an academic background in plant genetics she worked in the public sector supporting agricultural research programmes. She has had continuous involvement KTP since joining the University of Brighton as KTP Manager 16 years ago, subsequently moving on to be Associate Director of Knowledge Exchange. She joined Innovate UK Business Connect as a KTA in 2022.

Anuradha Kamble is a KTP Associate leading a KTP between Aston University and Protaform Springs and Pressings. She drives digital transformation in the manufacturing sector and is an expert in guiding the adoption of advanced technologies and leading change. Anu holds an MSc by Research in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Bristol. She is a passionate entrepreneur and has founded a peer mentoring EdTech startup for international students, supported by The Prince’s Trust and the University of Bristol. Drawing on her own recent experiences and her journey through a KTP project, she has executed an initiative to bring the KTP Associate community together through monthly online meetings, alongside two fellow KTP Associates.

Muhammad Ibrahim Khalil is a transformation and data specialist working at the intersection of business innovation and digital transformation. Currently, as a Data and Strategy Consultant at Beyond he leads initiatives that align business strategy with cutting-edge technologies to enable sustainable growth and data-driven decision making. Trained as a data scientist with an MSc from the University of Essex, Ibrahim brings expertise in transformation management, analytics, and knowledge management. His experience spans healthcare, technology, and engineering sectors, where he has delivered projects that embed innovation, improve efficiency, and support organisational change. During his time as a KTP Associate, Ibrahim, in collaboration with his colleagues, spearheaded initiatives to unite Associates nationwide. These efforts were aimed at addressing shared challenges and fostering a culture of collaboration among peers.

Kemi Gbadebo is a design researcher and service designer serving as a research partner at Together Housing. She supports the organisation in making evidence-based decisions by providing essential research, data, and insights. As a service designer, she helps to improve services by focusing on the end-to-end user or customer experience across the organisation’s touchpoints. Additionally, Kemi is a certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Facilitator. She utilises special LEGO bricks to help teams and organisations unlock creativity and reach their full potential, enhancing problem-solving, communication, and strategic thinking. By tapping into their existing knowledge, she guides teams to collaboratively develop solutions. With over 2 years of diverse sector and international experience, Kemi offers valuable expertise. She is also a former KTP Associate, having completed her project in January 2025.

Session type: curated panel discussion and Q&A
Audience: All

Over the last 10 years the KTP model has become a successful British knowledge exchange export enhancing the UK’s position as a thought leader in innovation, attracting international attention and interest.

Join this panel discussion to find out more about how the model is being adapted for local audiences in Asia and the Middle East as well as hearing direct from those involved in the in-country programmes in Africa and Europe.

If you’d like to know more or are curious about how you could get involved then bring your questions to the panel and join what is sure to be a lively discussion!

Facilitated by Jo Griffiths, Leeds Beckett University, a panel discussion with John Clayton, Knowledge Transfer Adviser; Chaleeda Borompichaichartkul Assoc. Prof. Dr, Research University Network, Thailand; Porramate Chumyim PhD, Food Innopolis Accelerator, NSTDA; Olamide Akintaro, Managing Director, Taro Agric Consulting; Professor Saidu Oseni, Department of Animal Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University.

John Clayton is a Knowledge Transfer Adviser with Innovate UK Business Connect. John has 20 years’ experience of developing KTPs in the UK and outside of the UK in Sweden, Qatar, Ghana, Nigeria and most recently Thailand. Career international experience has included Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office postings in China, the US and Kuwait.

Jo Griffiths is Head of Funding Support at Leeds Beckett University, which includes leading on the acquisition and delivery of the University’s KTP portfolio. Over the last three years Jo has worked with universities and government innovation agencies in both Qatar and Thailand on developing their own KTP models, this has included hosting fact-finding visits, delivering in-country workshops and training and attending programme launch events.