Leeds Beckett University KTPs Earn Top Innovate UK Rating

Leeds Beckett University earns Outstanding from Innovate UK for two Knowledge Transfer Partnerships with Yorkshire companies Sniffers Pet Care and King’s Award winner Ardent

Two Knowledge Transfer Partnership projects led by Leeds Beckett University have achieved the highest possible rating of Outstanding from Innovate UK, a grading fewer than 20% of KTPs nationally achieve. The partnerships with Yorkshire companies Sniffers Pet Care and Ardent delivered significant commercial results, including launching a new pet treat brand into Sainsbury’s and Morrisons and directly increasing export numbers at manufacturer Ardent.

Why This Matters For Leeds

Two Outstanding ratings from a single university is a strong result, and both projects delivered measurable commercial impact. Ardent won a King’s Award for International Trade in the 2026 round, and this KTP directly contributed to the export growth that earned that award. Dr Catherine Ashworth, who led the Ardent KTP, also leads the Specialised Covers partnership we reported last week. For Leeds businesses considering university collaboration, these results show what the model can deliver.

What the Leeds Beckett University KTPs Delivered

The Sniffers Pet Care partnership launched a new natural pet treat brand called NAW into mainstream retailers including Sainsbury’s and Morrisons. The project built a base of brand advocates with a returning customer rate above 60% and introduced a new trade website that drove a 31% increase in orders. The KTP was led by Dr David Andrews and Helen Hepworth in Leeds Business School. The Ardent partnership introduced a new international marketing strategy and embedded a corporate culture of data-led decision making and marketing intelligence. This directly led to increased export numbers, the appointment of new Business Development Managers for international markets, and new potential markets being explored through frameworks the project embedded.

“We are thrilled with the Outstanding gradings which reflect our strong commitment to our regional business community as an Anchor institution. Fewer than 20% of projects across the UK achieve this. The KTP with Ardent has been a fantastic example of how such projects can pivot and support a business as it evolves throughout the project timeline.”

— Jo Griffiths, Head of KTP, Leeds Beckett University

From KTP to King’s Award

The Ardent result is worth highlighting because it connects directly to another Leeds Today story. Ardent, a North Yorkshire supplier of fire suppression and safety systems, won a King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade in the 2026 round. The international marketing strategy and export growth that earned that award were developed through this LBU KTP partnership. A second KTP funding application has now been submitted between the university and Ardent to further streamline operations and data management. Dr Catherine Ashworth, who led the Ardent project, is also leading a new two-year KTP with Shipley-based Specialised Covers that Leeds Today reported last week.