The Management KTP is the lesser-known sibling of the standard Knowledge Transfer Partnership — and for public sector organisations, it’s the only KTP route available. Here’s what it is and when it fits, cited to UKRI. (dgm implements osFoundry as an independent partner; we are not a grant-writing service.)
What a Management KTP is
A Management KTP (MKTP) is a variant of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership that focuses on embedding management best practice — new ways of working, governance, and organisational capability — rather than a purely technical product innovation. It uses the same three-way structure as any KTP: your organisation, a university or research “knowledge base” partner, and a recently qualified graduate (the Associate) embedded to deliver the project.
For AI, that distinction matters. Sometimes the hard part isn’t the technology — it’s running an AI-enabled operation well: governance, process redesign, skills, and change. An MKTP can fund exactly that capability.
How it differs from a standard KTP
| Standard KTP | Management KTP | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Technical/product innovation | Management capability & transformation |
| Public sector eligible? | No | Yes (the only KTP route they can use) |
| Per-round cap | — | Max 10 applications per round |
The headline rule, per UKRI: public sector organisations can apply only for a Management KTP, and MKTPs are capped at a maximum of 10 applications per competition round — so they’re competitive and worth preparing well.
Funding and duration
Like other KTPs, the Innovate UK grant covers up to about 67% of eligible project costs for most SMEs (the organisation funds the rest), with lower rates for large organisations. Projects typically run 12–36 months at roughly £8,500 per month of eligible cost. The academic/knowledge-base partner applies on behalf of the partnership.
When an MKTP fits an AI project
An MKTP suits organisations whose AI challenge is organisational as much as technical:
- a council or NHS body wanting to embed responsible AI governance and processes;
- a growing business that needs new management practices to scale AI adoption;
- any organisation where “how do we run this well” matters more than “which tool”.
If your need is narrowly technical, a standard KTP (for eligible businesses) or a direct implementation may fit better.
Where osFoundry and dgm fit
The capability an MKTP builds still needs a platform to build it on. dgm scopes and implements AI projects on osFoundry — usage-priced, bring-your-own-key, and self-hostable in your own cloud (or its EU region) for the data control that public sector and regulated organisations need. osFoundry publishes US/EU/JP regions, not a UK one, so UK data-sensitive work goes to an EU region or self-hosted deployment.
dgm is an independent integration partner, not a grant-writing service, with zero integrations so far. The MKTP application runs through your academic partner and Innovate UK. To scope the AI project at the centre of an MKTP, book a consultation with dgm. General information; confirm current terms with UKRI.