The University Essex has been named number one in the South East of England for helping businesses to innovate and grow through the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme.

Innovate UK says that more companies and organisations are working with the university than any other institution in the region, including London.

KTPs help businesses to innovate by connecting them with the UK’s wealth of academic resources. Partnerships involve a business seeking expertise, a university and a high-performing graduate, known as the associate, who is based full-time at the company.

Projects last between 12 and 36 months and are part-funded by a grant from Innovate UK.

During special celebration event, held at Wivenhoe House on the university’s Colchester campus, Essex graduate Dr Anasol Peña-Rios, who based at BT’s global research and development centre at Adastral Park, near Ipswich, was named Best KTP Associate.

London-based Signal Media, one of the SME businesses working with the university, was honoured as KTP Partnership of the year.

And an award for Best KTP Academic went to Dr John Woods from the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering for his work on multiple projects across a number of fields including agritech with Suffolk-based Dicam Technology, the Internet of Things with Essex-based Raytel Security and multiple collaborations focused on drone technology.

Rob Walker, KTP manager at the University of Essex, said: “We are a business-facing, research intensive university with strategic aims to continue to develop long lasting collaborations with industry. These are mutually beneficial, and the structure and funding of a KTP offers a lower risk approach for businesses looking to innovate and scale up.

“We are determined to take our KTP work even further in the coming year via new partnerships with companies which share our vision of driving growth through innovation.”