Essex transforming charity sector through KTPs

Increasing numbers of charities are turning to the expertise on offer at the University of Essex to expand their services and improve performance. 

Essex is now working with 12 different charities in sectors such as healthcare, social care and the creative arts as part of Innovate UK’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme.

Academics from across the University’s three research faculties are sharing their knowledge with a range of organisations to improve practices and transform industries.

The growing number of charities working with Essex’s Business Engagement team comes as the University surpassed 50 active KTPs earlier this year, demonstrating its increasing impact both regionally and nationally.

Charities working with Essex through KTPs include the Chelsea Pensioners, We Are The Minories, and Girlguiding.

“As part of the continuing expansion of our KTP portfolio, we’re particularly proud of the trend of diversification across all three of Essex’s research faculties,” said Robert Schatten, KTP Manager at the University of Essex.

“A major part of this has been pursuing interdisciplinary projects, which we’ve found particular success with in the charity sector.

“We are very proud to have built a portfolio of 12 charity-sector partners, with more awaiting funding, and are delivering measurable financial and social impacts for our partners and their communities.

“Whether your organisation needs support with diversification and income strategy, programme design, impact evaluation and measurement, or organisational and cultural change, Essex has the academic and research power to influence your charity’s next chapter.”

Girlguiding is one of three charities which will work with Essex following the latest Innovate UK announcement around KTP funding.

The charity hopes the KTP, which will see it link up with Professor Neli Demireva, Director of the Centre for Migration Studies, Dr Sobia Ahmad Kaker, Deputy Director of the Centre for Criminology, and Dr Ana Matran Fernandez, Athena SWAN Ambassador and lecturer in Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, in a bid to reach girls from different ethnic backgrounds or those in disadvantaged areas.

The project will lead to the creation of a new toolkit that will show how guiding activities can improve confidence, happiness, and future opportunities for girls.

Girlguiding hopes the toolkit will empower girls struggling at school, while also demonstrating the positive impact of its work to funders.

Mid and North East Essex Mind is another new charity to combine with Essex under the KTP programme.

It will be working with Professor Susan McPherson, from the School of Health and Social Care, and Dr Danielle Tucker and Dr Noelia-Sarah Reynolds, of Essex Business School, to better understand how it can use data to improve its services.

The project will help Mind to learn how to use its data to track if people are getting better, understand community needs, and decide where to focus time and money.

By learning to use tools like Power BI, Mind hopes it can show its impact to funders and the community, while also training staff to use data in their daily work, making Mind’s support more effective.

Other organisations teaming up with Essex following Innovate UK’s latest funding announcement include Comfy Group, Storm Technologies and Victor Millwell Insurance Agency Limited.