Farrat is proud to announce the successful completion of its latest Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the University of Salford, which has been awarded a ‘very good’ rating by Innovate UK, the UK’s national innovation agency.
The foundations of the KTP were established through Farrat’s initial sponsorship of a PhD project investigating the thermal behaviour of structural steel connection details. Specifically, the research explored how these connections perform where they penetrate a building’s thermal envelope – an area often overlooked despite its importance to overall energy efficiency. The PhD focused on validating theoretical thermal models against real-world construction. This work highlighted a critical performance gap between how connections are designed and how they are actually built and perform in practice. Building on these findings, Farrat partnered with a team from the University of Salford’s award-winning Energy House facility to translate academic research into practical applications through a formal KTP.
What is a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)?
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) are the UK Government’s flagship programme for collaborative research and development. They bring together three key partners:
- A business
- An academic institution
- A highly qualified researcher (the KTP Associate)
This creates a dynamic “knowledge triangle”, enabling organisations to access specialist academic expertise while embedding new skills and innovation within the business. KTPs are supported by Innovate UK, which provides substantial funding, with the remaining investment made by the industrial partner. Each project includes:
- A dedicated full-time KTP Associate
- Academic supervision from subject matter experts
- Access to advanced university research facilities and technologies
This structure ensures that cutting-edge research is translated into tangible commercial outcomes.
What were the visions for the KTP?
The partnership successfully translated the research into practical tools and a specialist consultancy offering to support wider adoption of thermal breaks and improve building energy performance.
The vision for the KTP was threefold:
- To translate the PhD research into practical, real-world applications
- To establish Farrat’s capability to offer specialist global consultancy support for complex structural connection detailing
- To push the boundaries of what is achievable in structural penetrations, where thermal performance has historically been overlooked or led to compromised or over-designed solutions
The KTP has now been awarded ‘Very Good’ status by Innovate UK, recognising the quality and impact of the collaboration. As part of the project, Farrat gained specialist academic support, access to cutting-edge research facilities, and a full-time KTP Associate.
For more information into Knowledge Transfer Partnerships please contact [email protected]