ASTP is the premier, non-profit, pan-European association for professionals involved in knowledge transfer between universities and industry. ASTP has spent the last 25 years since it was founded in 2000 enhancing the impact of public research on society and the economy with training, advocacy and capacity-building for this profession and the European innovation ecosystem. Comprises 1800 members from circa 50 countries plus a formal network of 33 national associations of TT/KT, representing around 8000 professionals. The ASTP community is driven by its members who provide practical content for the design and delivery of all the training, professional development and network events.

Its headquarters, based in Leiden, the Netherlands, is staffed with a professional team of 10 person supporting all the activities of the association. Secondment opportunities open access to directly participate in the planning, consultation with members and direct access to all the active communities across the membership such as the Special Interest Groups as well as networking events, training and policy driven activities concerning upskilling and recognition of the professional KT (knowledge transfer) sector.

The aim of secondment experiences at ASTP is to expose secondees to opportunities to increase their understanding of a range of different aspects of the knowledge transfer processes and skills required. 

The practical experiences will include a combination of the following, with the opportunity to focus on areas of particular interest to the secondees reflecting the sectors they work in (such life sciences or ICT etc.) and also the particular roles and responsibilities they have (such as managing IP or seeking licensing partners or driving spin-off creation). 

The activities will be structured to reflect not only the different areas of activity but also the different levels of experience and competence which the secondees have at the start. The opportunity structures will  include the following elements:

1. Training : acquisition of (enhanced) skills in KT- direct involvement in any direct trainings offered by ASTP during the period of the secondment; a range of both in-person or online training and networking activities take place each month throughout the year so decisions taken depending upon which months the secondee spends in Leiden (see Professional Development).
2. Strategic Identification of added Training themes: opportunity to identify additional training spheres where new training content could be developed or piloted; this could include working closely with one or more of the Special Interest Groups supported by ASTP. See Special Interest Groups (SIGs);
3. Pilot new soft skills training: opportunity to pilot new soft skills training packages relevant for KT professionals;
4. Visit local Dutch-based Knowledge Transfer offices: opportunity to visit local KT staff and exchange experiences with established KT offices in local university environments such as Leiden, Amsterdam, Delft or Rotterdam;
5. Mentoring Program: Opportunity to contribute to the design/development of KT(O) leadership competence building with mentoring structures, leadership competence skill packages identified and policy-writing.
6. KT Policy : Opportunity to engage in policy development including identifying and working on key themes for the sector being addressed at national or European level such as career recognition, career development structures in public sector institutions, metrics and key performance indicators for KT/KTOs or other topics.

For each of these areas of activity there is additional information available.

Applicants are invited to indicate which sectors they are interested in, which levels of existing experience they have in KT and which range of activities they are most interested to pursue while on secondment at ASTP.