A Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a scheme to help businesses innovate and grow through a collaboration between a business, a university and a graduate. This year marks 50 years of KTP: that’s 50 years of driving innovation in over 14,000 projects.

In its classic iteration, KTP brings scientific or technical expertise into an organisation to create an innovative new product. That new product changes the way the industry functions and generates wealth for the business. The graduate flourishes; the academy has real-world impact; everyone benefits.

But KTPs also have the potential to transform UK tourism, heritage organisations, and visitor experiences. I have witnessed this first-hand.

As a newly minted history PhD, I took part in a KTP between Kingston University and Historic Royal Palaces, carrying out historical research into the court of Henry VIII. This research informed and guided a wider project to create a new visitor experience in the Tudor Palace at Hampton Court to mark the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII's accession to the throne. For the new re-interpretation, I acted as a historical advisor, wrote scripts for audio-visual exhibits, designed new Tudor-inspired warders' uniforms, developed a new audio guide, provided the research to allow Hampton Court to open Henry VIII's Council Chamber to the public for the first time, briefed front-of-house staff, and much else besides.

The aim was to create a quality visitor experience that would appeal to domestic families and drive an increase in visitor numbers of 50,000 (or 10%) that annum. After opening in April 2009, it attracted 115,287 extra visitors in the first six months alone: a year-on-year increase of 43%. Of those visitors, 62%  said their expectations were exceeded and 78%  were so satisfied by their experience that they wanted to recommend it to others. Which? voted it 'the top heritage day out in the south east' with 'interpretation that all heritage attractions should aim for'. It was long-listed for the Art Fund Prize. The new re-presentation was so well covered on TV and radio that it gave a huge boost to Historic Royal Palaces' profile that, in turn, drove higher visitor numbers.

In addition, the project was so impactful that Historic Royal Palaces underwent a significant cultural change, applying to become an Independent Research Organisation to keep academic research at the heart of its future programming. For me, it laid the foundation of my career in public history: academia, heritage, television, and writing.

KTPs needn't just be about innovation that is scientific or technical. In tourism, KTPs have the potential to transform the sector. This might be through historical or conservation research underpinning the work of major heritage organisations, expertise in designing and shaping visitor experiences, social science research and methods used to understand consumer behaviour, even by developing the public-facing social media and web presence that today is essential to commercial success. Every public-facing tourism business might benefit from a KTP helping it innovate for growth.

A Knowledge Transfer Partnership may not seem the obvious place to find a historian but, 15 years ago, it is where you would have found me. And it is because of that KTP that I am where I am today.

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