Programme

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 / Panel discussion
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: Impact and Knowledge Exchange leads from Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Manchester and the University of Salford.

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.

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 two 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: Practitioners and Academics

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: 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.  Her journey into this field was shaped by a decade in the hospitality industry and time spent growing her family, experiences that honed her adaptability and passion for people. Since joining IUKBC in 2015, she has progressed through roles in Business Support and Reach and Engagement, before following her passion for Diversity and Inclusion.  She thrives on bringing creativity and collaboration to everything she does - whether that’s designing impactful events and campaigns, forging stakeholder partnerships, or coaching and mentoring colleagues.  She is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.  Her dedication is fuelled by lived experience and a deep belief in celebrating people’s individuality and uniqueness, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued.

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: Associates

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

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.

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: Keynote
Audience: All

From navigating postnatal depression to rowing 2,700 miles across the Pacific Ocean, Purusha Gordon shares a story of resilience, connection, and personal transformation.  What began as an extraordinary challenge taken on by an ordinary woman became something far deeper: a journey shaped not just by the physical demands of life at sea, but by the unexpected lessons that surfaced along the way.  From the quiet strength of a kind, cohesive team to the mental clarity found through disconnection from the digital world, this talk explores how we find perspective, purpose, and one another when everything else is stripped back.

Speaker: Purusha Gordon

Guinness World Record Breaker Purusha Gordon is living proof that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things, given the tools to develop a positive and resilient mindset.

Purusha transformed her health, wellbeing and self-belief 10 years ago, inspiring her mantra that it’s never too late (or too early!) to make a change, confront our fears and develop an ‘I can and I will’ approach to life.

In 2021, with no prior rowing experience, she started Ocean Sheroes rowing team. Together they went on to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest all-female team of four to row across the Pacific Ocean. For 35 days at sea, Purusha rowed: two hours on, two hours off, 24/7 from San Francisco to Hawaii - enduring sea sickness, acute fatigue, biting winds and biblical storms. To this day, the team maintain it was Purusha’s guidance, strong values, positive mindset and culture of kindness that got them through it all, even managing to shave 15 days off the previous record.

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 organizational 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’re catalysts for transformation, where ideas spark, confidence builds, and real change begins.

With over 25 years of experience in learning and development, Rich brings a rare blend of strategic insight and human connection.  His career began in the financial services sector, where he led national teams at Allianz and NFU Mutual, shaping high-performance cultures.  As the founder of his own consultancy, he partnered with PwC and their audit clients, delivering bespoke learning solutions that made a measurable difference.  Before joining Ashore Hill, Rich took on the global challenge of redesigning Jaguar Land Rover’s retailer sales training an ambitious project that showcased his ability to lead complex, high-impact initiatives across borders.  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.

Session type: Seminar
Audience: Practitioners and academics

Curious about the newest form of KTP funding?  Join KTP Practitioners, Advisers, and leaders from Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust to explore the full lifecycle or Public Sector Management KTPs (MKTPs).

Through real-world case studies and best practice, you’ll gain the tools to:

• Build awareness and buy-in across internal and external stakeholders.
• Navigate public sector engagement barriers with confidence.
• Shape and refine your project concept into a scalable solution.
• Quantify impact using a data-driven business case.
• Understand public sector-specific considerations for MKTPs.
• Set up and deliver projects effectively - from contracting to recruitment.

Speakers: Susan Suttle, Knowledge Transfer Adviser; Alistair Roddie, Manchester Metropolitan University; Northern Care Alliance; Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Susan Suttle is the Knowledge Transfer Adviser for Liverpool, East Lancashire, and Salford, with over 22 years of experience in facilitating collaboration between academic and industry partners on strategic, business-led projects, primarily through KTP, as well as consultancy and contract research.  Her expertise includes business development, project management, and supporting grant funding applications (both as a bid-writer and Innovate UK assessor), connecting diverse companies with academic professionals across the entire academic spectrum.  

Since 2002, Susan has been involved in KTP, including 11 years as a KTP Manager at LJMU and Salford University, and most recently, 8 years as a KT Advisers. She is a strong advocate for public sector management KTPS, acting as the KT Adviser on 4 current projects and several in development.

Alistair Roddie is a part of Manchester Met’s KTP team, working on pre-award activities with academic and industry partners to develop high quality funding applications.  He has supported a diverse portfolio of Classic, Management (MKTP), African Agriculture (AAKTP), and Public Sector Management KTPs, and AKTs with public, private and third sector partners across both STEM and SHAPE disciplines.

Alistair is an experienced business and bid development professional, with six years of experience in the world of KTPs and a decade prior to this in the private sector. 

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!

Speakers: John Clayton, Knowledge Transfer Adviser; Jo Griffiths, Leeds Beckett 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.