Introduction to RTTP

We have streamlined the routes to RTTP. This will give a new opportunity for knowledge transfer professionals to work towards RTTP whatever their level of experience.

We also offer a new form of RTTP – The RTTP Candidate Pathway. The key benefit of the Candidate Pathway is that candidates are required to develop a career aspiration plan and to identify relevant training or mentoring that they need to achieve this. All KT/KE/TT professionals who have already undertaken their respective Association’s accredited courses will be invited to enrol.

To help you select the most appropriate RTTP registration for you (RTTP or Candidate RTTP), this page provides you with a summary and gives detailed instructions and tips for successful applications for each one.

Please review the Requirements for RTTP Registration and for Candidate RTTP. After selecting a route, fill out and submit the application form and supporting documentation as outlined below.

Application fee is US$300, which must be paid before your application is reviewed. Your application fee entitles you to submit one original and one amended application if your initial application is felt to require revision.

See our FAQs for further details.

RTTP Registration

RTTP is the International Standard for the Professional Competence & Experience of KT/KE/TT practitioners working in universities, industry and government labs based on a track record of real world-achievement. There are over 400 members worldwide who have all been recognised by their peers.

To earn RTTP status you must demonstrate that you possess the core competencies needed to work effectively in the profession and that you have an established track record.

All successful RTTP candidates must be able to describe their skills and achievements relevant to each of these five competencies. These core competencies have been developed in collaboration with existing national frameworks in several key countries. The core competencies assessed by RTTP are:

• Strategy & Business Insight – strategic thinking; market-led, entrepreneurial approach; business and commercial skills.
• Entrepreneurial Leadership – securing funding; leading negotiations; developing new ventures.
• Effective Engagement – Communication, collaboration and influencing
• Legal and Technical Knowhow – having the key legal, technical and domain related knowledge required to effectively transfer knowledge
• Governance and Project Management – developing major initiatives to support KE/TT; managing knowledge and information flow; and developing and managing systems and processes for knowledge exchange

Detailed Description Of Core RTTP Competencies

Strategy & Business Insight – strategic thinking; market-led, entrepreneurial approach; business and commercial skills.

Relevant skills/ experiences include:

• Identifying/ sourcing opportunities/ initiatives.
• Translating market knowledge into commercial opportunities.
• Assessing risks, undertaking due diligence.
• Formulating the vision, setting direction, and securing buy-in.
• Developing the strategy and design of projects/ initiatives.
• Defining the market and business strategy and/ or the marketing cycle.
• Matching skills, experience, capacity, and resources to opportunities.

Entrepreneurial Leadership – active engagement in securing funding; leading negotiations; developing new ventures.

Relevant skills/ experiences include:

• Aligning funding opportunities with strategic aims and priorities.
• Identifying and securing new funding to support KE/TT projects and/ or initiatives.
• Leading, structuring and realising complex negotiation, reconciling different perspectives to achieve resolution eg conflicts with lawyers, accountants.
• Overcoming institutional issues or partner barriers through flexible, creative solution finding.
• Supporting new business formation, structures, legal frameworks, shareholder agreements and accessing investment funding.
• Developing and managing community-based or charitable projects.
• Nurturing new ventures/ projects until financial independence.

Effective Engagement – Communication, collaboration and influencing skills

Relevant skills/ experiences include:

• Building new networks for University/ business collaboration.
• Researching and creative planning to identify potential partners.
• Applying the marketing mix to relevant markets/ segments.
• Finding partners, investors and collaborators.
• Informing and persuading potential partners.
• Managing effective relationships with stakeholders with different cultures or
  backgrounds eg contracts, milestones, deliverables, managing disputes, resolving problems.

Legal and technical knowhow – understanding the key legal, technical and domain-related issues required to effectively transfer knowledge

Relevant skills/ experiences include:

• Assessing the attributes and commercial potential of IP.
• Developing an IP exploitation strategy to meet commercial needs.
• Applying different licensing and business models.
• Protecting, packaging, and enforcing any IP needed for the project.
• Drafting, negotiating reviewing relevant IP licences and agreements.
• Understanding and demonstrating expertise in commercial law and finance frameworks.
• Interpreting, advising on and managing risk.
• Complying with relevant external terms and regulations including national/ international legislation and jurisdictions.

Governance and Project Management – managing projects, knowledge and information flow; developing and managing systems and processes for knowledge exchange

Relevant skills/ experiences include:

• Establishing governance frameworks for multi-stakeholder projects.
• Developing, setting up and managing complex projects eg contracts, budgets, milestones, deliverables, decisions, handling information, and reporting on outcomes and successes.
• Developing, setting up and managing customer experience/ delivering or facilitating outputs.
• Developing, setting up and managing systems (including ICT systems) to handle knowledge from its creation or capture through to the completion of the objectives and ensuring that information flows efficiently to achieve KE/TT objectives.

What skills/experience do you need to achieve RTTP?

KE/TT Experience

You must be able to demonstrate that you have been in a relevant role for at least three years.

To be eligible to apply for the full RTTP designation you must submit a CV showing you have been in the KE/TT profession or in a role using similar skills for at least 3 years in a country represented by a member of the Alliance of Technology Transfer Professionals (ATTP).

KE/TT KEY SKILLS

You must be able to demonstrate that you have gained the key skills required to be effective and to perform your role independently

This is demonstrated by:

EITHER: 60 RTTP CE points achieved in accredited KE/TT training programmes, meeting development needs set out in a Candidate’s Career Aspiration Plan (with at least 45 points received in relevant face to face training – ie not via conferences or webinars)
OR

At least two of the following:

• A list of professional qualifications attained or relevant courses attended that have assisted you to achieve the RTTP core competencies.  The name of the training/ awarding body or bodies should be provided with enough detail about the course/ qualification for the Panel to determine the relevance and level of the qualification. If you have undertaken RTTP accredited courses but have obtained fewer than 60 RTTP CE points you may also include these in this list. RTTP accredited conferences may not be included.
• A list of ‘deals or projects’ undertaken of appropriate size, quantity and quality in proportion to your length of service/ experience.
• A description of leadership roles in KE/TT including size and scope of teams/ initiatives you have managed.

(These routes require more complex assessment and evidence and therefore may take longer to process)

KE/TT ACHIEVEMENT

You must be able to demonstrate that you have applied your knowledge and skills to drive and complete KE/TT projects independently

This is achieved through a 1000 word Achievement Overview which is endorsed by your manager and your partner/ customer and submitted for assessment by your peers. The Achievement Overview can describe one or more of the following:

• A complex and significant collaboration/ strategic partnership, which would not have happened without your input, and which met the intended goals of the parties.
• A complex and significant commercial deal which would not have happened without your input (e.g., licensing; substantial consultancy/ contract research arrangement(s); the creation of a spin-out company which you actively led through its pre-investment phase and that subsequently raised external funding, made an impact in its market or generated value for its shareholders.
• A significant knowledge transfer initiative which would not have happened without your
  input and that resulted in new capacity, structures, funding, incentives, or other developments that enabled demonstrable knowledge transfer/ knowledge exchange outcomes.

The knowledge exchange/technology transfer/knowledge transfer achievement overview

To achieve RTTP status, candidates must be able to demonstrate that they have applied their knowledge and skills to independently drive and complete knowledge transfer projects between the research base and business and community organizations i.e. between a research organization/ university and an independent private sector organization, government agency or other community body.

This is achieved by submitting an Achievement Overview.

This is an approx 1000 word (English language) written statement describing a significant, complex outcome between the research base and business/ community organizations which would not have happened without your input. The Achievement Overview describes how you managed the project/ initiative from beginning to end. The contributions you made and the outcome that occurred.

This statement must be endorsed by your manager and your customer(s)/ partner(s).

The essential point in the Achievement Overview is to identify the value that you personally added through the project – clearly differentiating activity from outcome. Therefore the case needs to have matured sufficiently to demonstrate whether value has indeed been added by the candidate.

The Achievement Overview is assessed by a Review Panel comprised of highly experienced Knowledge and Technology Transfer professionals with first-hand experience in a wide diversity of cases and experience managing a variety of functions. They are seeking evidence that the applicant has been able to apply their skills and experiences to a sufficiently challenging case and that they can demonstrate that they have met the RTTP core competencies.

Types of Project/ Contribution

The Achievement Overview can describe either:

• A complex and significant collaboration/ strategic partnership, which would not have happened without your input and which met the intended goals of the parties.
• A complex and significant commercial deal which would not have happened without your input (e.g. licensing; substantial consultancy/ contract research arrangement(s); the creation of a spin-out company which you actively led through its pre-investment phase and that subsequently raised external funding, made an impact in its market or generated value for its shareholders.
• A significant knowledge transfer initiative which would not have happened without your
  input and that resulted in new capacity, structures, funding, incentives or other developments that enabled demonstrable knowledge transfer/ knowledge exchange outcomes.

Items to Include:

The Achievement Overview should include the background on the project and the ‘impact’ you had on the outcome. As part of the submission we also require supporting information from your direct supervisor and your partner to confirm what you describe.

The overview should be in sufficient detail for the Panel to accurately assess your achievement and your role in managing the project and the extent to which you have demonstrated the Core Competencies required for RTTP.

A good Achievement Overview demonstrates that you have applied the core competencies for RTTP in the sourcing, development and successful delivery of the project/ initiative. These are:

Strategy & Business Insight – strategic thinking; market-led, entrepreneurial approach; business and commercial skills.

Relevant skills/ experiences include:

• Identifying/ sourcing opportunities/ initiatives.
• Translating market knowledge into commercial opportunities.
• Assessing risks, undertaking due diligence.
• Formulating the vision, setting direction, and securing buy-in.
• Developing the strategy and design of projects/ initiatives.
• Defining the market and business strategy and/ or the marketing cycle.
• Matching skills, experience, capacity, and resources to opportunities.

Entrepreneurial Leadership – active engagement in securing funding; leading negotiations; developing new ventures.

Relevant skills/ experiences include:

• Aligning funding opportunities with strategic aims and priorities.
• Identifying and securing new funding to support KE/TT projects and/ or initiatives.
• Leading, structuring and realising complex negotiation, reconciling different perspectives to achieve resolution eg conflicts with lawyers, accountants.
• Overcoming institutional issues or partner barriers through flexible, creative solution finding.
• Supporting new business formation, structures, legal frameworks, shareholder agreements and accessing investment funding.
• Developing and managing community-based or charitable projects.
• Nurturing new ventures/ projects until financial independence.

Effective Engagement – Communication, collaboration and influencing skills

Relevant skills/ experiences include:

• Building new networks for university/ business collaboration.
• Researching and creative planning to identify potential partners.
• Applying the marketing mix to relevant markets/ segments.
• Finding partners, investors, and collaborators.
• Informing and persuading potential partners.
• Managing effective relationships with stakeholders with different cultures or backgrounds eg contracts, milestones, deliverables, managing disputes, resolving problems.

Legal and technical knowhow – understanding the key legal, technical, and domain-related issues required to effectively transfer knowledge

Relevant skills/ experiences include:

• Assessing the attributes and commercial potential of IP
• Developing an IP exploitation strategy to meet commercial needs
• Applying different licensing and business models
• Protecting, packaging, and enforcing any IP needed for the project.
• Drafting, negotiating reviewing relevant IP licenses and agreements
• Understanding and demonstrating expertise in commercial law and finance frameworks
• Interpreting, advising on and managing risk
• Complying with relevant external terms and regulations including national/ international legislation and jurisdictions.

Governance and Project Management – managing projects, knowledge and information flow; developing and managing systems and processes for knowledge exchange

Relevant skills/ experiences include:

• Establishing governance frameworks for multi-stakeholder projects
• Developing, setting up and managing complex projects eg contracts, budgets, milestones, deliverables, decisions, handling information, and reporting on outcomes and successes.
• Developing, setting up and managing customer experience/ delivering or facilitating outputs
• Developing, setting up and managing systems (including ICT systems) to handle knowledge from its creation or capture through to the completion of the objectives and ensuring that information flows efficiently to achieve KE/TT objectives

The Impact of Your contribution

The Review Panel comprises highly experienced Knowledge and Technology Transfer professionals with first-hand experience in a wide diversity of cases and experience managing a variety of functions. They are seeking evidence that the applicant has been able to apply their skills and experiences to a sufficiently challenging case and that this demonstrates that they have met the RTTP core competencies.

We must be able to understand what the outcome was – ie the result of your efforts – for example new products, new investment, new people engaged, income/ profits, impacts on society.

We are looking for external validation of the success of a project. The only real way to prove that is through engagement, commitment, or investment of resources by an external partner; investment by a venture fund or other external commercial funder; generation of new customers and revenues or a documented change in society. Therefore we require the Achievement Overview to be endorsed by the third party.

Investment in the project by your organisation, or by initiatives established within and/or managed by your organisation eg. forming a company using internal funds via an incubator or Proof of Concept fund wholly controlled by your organisation, does not in itself provide sufficient external validation.

Common reasons resubmission of an Achievement Overview is requested:

• The applicant’s role in the case was unclear – we couldn’t tell what they were specifically responsible for and which parts of the activity they had led
• The account does not reflect the complexity of the case – it is listed as a series of events that follow each other almost mechanistically with no sense of the initiating, proactive and leading role that the applicant played in resolving complex issues that arose along the way leading to outcomes that had demonstrable impact/investment.
• The applicant chose to describe a number of cases – giving very little detail of each
• The case described lacked sufficient complexity or impact
• The Achievement Overview was not written in English (The candidate will not be penalised for less than perfect English, provided that the Achievement Overview can be understood).

Confidentiality

ATTP Review Panellists are bound by confidentiality; however, we generally do not need to
know the confidential elements of a deal. Should the ATTP panel desire to publish information about your case, we will seek permission formally before doing so.