Inside a Knowledge Transfer Partnership

Why It Matters

The KTP demonstrates how university‑industry alliances can fast‑track digital transformation and AI governance in professional services, delivering competitive advantage while shaping future research agendas.

Key Takeaways

• KTPs link universities, industry, and graduates for joint innovation.
• Project modernizes Beever & Struthers' audit via cloud and data tools.
• Academics provide fresh perspectives, accelerating technology adoption within firms.
• Collaboration reduces consulting fees, fostering rapid, responsive problem solving.
• New AI research on ChatGPT informs professional judgment in accounting.

Summary

The podcast spotlights a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between Alliance Manchester Business School and chartered accountants Beever & Struthers, marking the programme’s 50‑year anniversary. Funded by Innovate UK, the three‑way collaboration brings together university researchers, industry practitioners, and a recent graduate associate to tackle a specific business challenge.

The partnership focuses on digitising the firm’s external audit function through three workstreams: automating bank‑confirmation processes, streamlining client‑data exchange, and migrating legacy working‑papers software to a cloud‑based platform. Zaaid Ahmed, the KTP associate, splits his time between the university and the firm, translating academic research into practical solutions while gathering real‑world data for further study.

Both participants stress the value of fresh academic insight. Bec Hesketh notes that academics “bring an extra spin” on entrenched practices, while the firm’s rapid access to university expertise bypasses traditional consulting fees. A related AI project, funded to explore ChatGPT’s impact on professional judgment, garnered over 200 internal survey responses, feeding a report for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

The collaboration illustrates how KTPs accelerate technology adoption, reduce costs, and generate actionable research for both sectors. For firms, the partnership offers a low‑risk pathway to modernise legacy systems; for universities, it provides a living laboratory to test theories and influence industry standards.

Original Description

Hear more about a digital transformation project between the University of Manchester and accountancy firm Beever & Struthers.