Have you ever heard of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (also referred to as a KTP)? No, me neither until I began working on one! Despite running since 1975, KTPs continue to fly under the radar, but fear not – I am here to tell you all about what a KTP involves, and more specifically what I’m working on as a KTP Associate here at COUCH Health.
What is a KTP?:
As described by UKRI, KTP’s involve a group working collaboratively to produce this innovative output. This group consists of three key partners: the KTP Associate, the academics and the business; each bringing their own expertise to the hypothetical table to develop an output that is beneficial for all.
Currently, I am a KTP Associate working with Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and COUCH Health. In steering this ship towards success, I am responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of the project. This includes a multitude of tasks including, but not limited to, leading monthly update meetings, conducting reviews, and developing myself as a project manager; I get to use every part of my brain – and I love it! But now introductions are out of the way you’re probably thinking, “Bethany, what possibly could a KTP between COUCH and MMU focus on?” – health research equity, of course!
Figure 1. A schematic diagram showing the three key partners that work collaboratively on a KTP.
Promoting Health Research Equity Through a KTP:
In the first instalment of “The A–Z of Health Research Equity”, Dr Heidi Green highlights that health research typically includes individuals from small subsets of our society – specifically those who are highly educated or financially secure. Let’s be honest, these subgroups are not representative of the real-world population – they lack diversity in the differing experiences we have as humans. In a world where equality is promoted, how can this be possible? Equality has been used to create research that treats all participants the same, but the truth is, researchers have been focusing on the wrong “E” word.
What we really need is equity!
In creating equitable research, researchers need to recognise individuals as what they are: INDIVIDUAL. We each bring our own beautiful lived experiences when participating in research encapsulating our culture, upbringing, traumas, healthcare experiences – the list goes on! By promoting equality, we fail to appreciate how these lived experiences impact our decisions in engaging with research. Instead, we need to meet individuals where they are at and promote equity to create a collaborative pathway that suits the individuals’ needs, rather than the needs of society.
COUCH Health are no strangers to emphasising the importance of health equity in research, championing for creating environments that allow all humans to be heard and seen no matter who they are. This will continue through my KTP project. By working with those that are often excluded from health research, we will learn what the key barriers to trusting health research are. We will then forge a path together, identifying what we as researchers can do to facilitate and build trust. For now, that is about as much as I can say for this project as our approach will be shaped by patient lived experiences, truly encompassing an approach that we all should utilise to promote health research equity.
