Essex's Business Engagement team crowned best in UK

The University of Essex’s Business Engagement team have been crowned the best in the UK at the illustrious Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Awards.

Essex won the Best Knowledge Base KTP Support Team prize during a special ceremony hosted by Innovate UK in Manchester.

The award recognised Essex’s high-quality support for project partners and celebrated the proactivity of the support team in expanding the University’s KTP portfolio.

The University of Essex is working on more than 55 active KTPs and has the largest portfolio in the UK.

Projects include creating AI solutions for identifying skin cancer, improving crop yields through agricultural partnerships and transforming the futures of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the country.

Essex Vice-Chancellor, Professor Frances Bowen, said: “This award is recognition of the outstanding hard work and dedication shown by our Business Engagement team to make the University of Essex a real leader in KTPs.

“Their work is crucial to Essex’s mission to drive change, lead innovation and support economic growth both regionally and around the UK.

“I want to congratulate the team, and thank them for the fantastic work they do to support our academics and KTP partners.”

The judges highlighted the “teamwork in practice” demonstrated by Essex, and hailed its “innovative and committed” team for reaching its ambitious target of working on more than 50 active KTPs.

Rob Schatten, KTP Manager at Essex, said: “We’re immensely proud to be named Best KTP Support Team by Innovate UK.

“This award reflects the dedication of our team - Eglė Keršanskaitė, Ivonne-Paula Muñiz, Sharon Carter, Helen Cadwallader and myself, and the strategic leadership of Holly Leonard and Robert Walker.

“Our success is also thanks to the incredible support from colleagues across the Business Engagement team, Research and Enterprise Office, and over 85 engaged academics across all three faculties.

“With 28 successful applications since June 2024, we’re proud to be driving impactful innovation and delivering exceptional support to our partners.”

Innovate UK’s KTP programme connects academics and experts with businesses, charities and organisations to help drive growth and identify new and innovative ways of working.

Essex’s Deputy Director of Enterprise, Robert Walker, said: “We actively prioritise KTPs for the ecosystem they help build - connecting innovative businesses with academic expertise.

“Our researchers are eager to apply their knowledge to industry challenges, and we remain committed to this strategic approach for years to come.

“Over the next 12 months, we’re focused on accelerating growth in sectors aligned with the UK’s Industrial Strategy, and we encourage businesses to get in touch with us to explore ideas in these areas."