Catapult

Name

Catapult

Legal name

High Value Manufacturing Catapult

Website

https://catapult.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation and R&D Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Telecommunications & Network Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAH), Network, Infrastructure & Data Center Integration (BPAEAAAK), Supply Chain Strategy & Network Design (BPAHAHAA)

Keywords

• R&D facilities access
• Innovation support
• Technology commercialisation
• SME growth support
• Collaborative research

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. R&D Services and Facilities Access: The Catapult Network provides access to world-class R&D infrastructure, expertise and capabilities through service provision tailored to business needs. Work with Catapults is catalysed by commercial contracts, grant collaborations, partnerships, or accelerator programmes.
2. Collaborative R&D Projects: Catapults bring businesses, academia, service providers, regulators, end-users and other key players together to address common challenges in innovation through collaborative projects and contract research.
3. SME Support Services: Catapults provide tailored support to help address systemic barriers, de-risk innovation, access finance and scale-up for SMEs. They offer advice on business and workforce development, commercialisation and becoming investment ready.
4. Accelerator and Incubator Programmes: Many Catapults run Growth Accelerator and Incubator Programmes to scale up businesses and help identify routes to finance as well as paths to international export of professional and technical services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Innovate UK Catapult Network operates nine world-leading technology and innovation centres providing access to cutting-edge R&D facilities, world-class technical expertise, and unique infrastructure spanning sectors including offshore renewable energy, cell and gene therapy, manufacturing, digital technologies, compound semiconductors, medicines discovery, satellite applications, connected places, and energy systems. The network supports UK businesses from concept through to marketplace adoption via commercial contracts, grant collaborations, partnerships, and accelerator programmes, delivering research, engineering, testing, validation, and supply chain growth services.

Product overview

The Innovate UK Catapult Network is a network of nine world-leading technology and innovation centres providing cutting-edge R&D facilities and technical expertise to support UK business innovation. The network consists of nine specialized Catapults: Offshore Renewable Energy, Medicines Discovery, Digital, Cell and Gene Therapy, Compound Semiconductor Applications, Connected Places, Energy Systems, High Value Manufacturing, and Satellite Applications. Each Catapult operates independently with its own product and service portfolio spanning research, engineering, testing, validation, and supply chain support across their respective technology domains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 18,785 industry collaborations and 11,916 SMEs supported (2013-2022)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Tata Steel UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026ORE Catapult leading a research consortium including Tata Steel UK to develop sustainable wind turbine tower design using UK-produced thin strip, coil based, low emission steel from electric arc furnaces. Project won £174,000 SMART Flexible Innovation Support from Welsh Government.
• RWEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Consortium partner for sustainable wind turbine tower design research, targeting meaningful reductions in lifecycle costs and carbon emissions while strengthening UK competitiveness in the sector.
• Bute EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Consortium partner driving Welsh innovation in circular economy for wind turbine towers, exploring end-of-life turbine recycling into new turbine tower production.
• Hutchinson EngineeringsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Consortium partner contributing engineering expertise to sustainable wind turbine tower design project.
• LedwoodsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Consortium partner for sustainable wind turbine tower design and manufacturing research.
• Innovate UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatapults are a critical element of Innovate UK's portfolio of products and services, where the application of research is accelerated and new technologies are further developed, scaled up and realised. Innovate UK Catapult Network is a key government innovation initiative.
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatapults work closely with researchers and with UK Research and Innovation to build better connected, collaborative ecosystems. UKRI's Strength in Places Fund invested £25m into CSconnected cluster.
• University of SheffieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading a cluster of 7 national universities in the Innovation Launchpad Network+, secured funding from EPSRC to facilitate engagement between academia and the nine Catapults across Net Zero, Healthcare and Wellbeing, and Resilience themes.
• Rentschler BiopharmacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to enable establishment of new ATMP development and manufacturing capabilities in the UK, benefiting UK and international demand and strengthening the ecosystem and international supply chain.
• INmune BiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to scale up CORDStrom manufacturing for commercial readiness, advancing cell therapy development.
• CSconnected Consortium (13 partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSconnected consortium turned South Wales into a world-leading centre of excellence in compound semiconductor technologies. Received £25m UKRI Strength in Places Fund investment. Contributed £277m GVA per annum to Welsh economy with 14% employment growth.
• Durham UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with ORE Catapult's blade experts to develop bi-axial testing method reducing duration and costs of blade testing while making it more representative of real-world operating conditions.
• JDR CablescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to bring pioneering 66kV cable technology to market, providing electrical testing throughout development, qualification and testing programmes. Resulted in £130m UK manufacturing investment.
• Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult - Canadian Innovation PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSA Catapult signed MoU with Canadian innovation partners to boost bilateral collaboration in compound semiconductor technologies.
• Industrial Technology Research Institute of Taiwan (ITRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership aimed at boosting bilateral collaboration, confirming Taiwan as a key international partner for UK's semiconductor industry.
• Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked with DCMS on preparing £250m investment case in telecom diversification, announced November 2020. Led India-UK Future Telecom Programme supporting UK-India Free Trade Agreement ambition.
• Satellite Applications Catapult - UK-Taiwan CollaborationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating to enhance global space ecosystem, with Taiwanese Space Ecosystem Map strengthening UK-Taiwan collaboration.
• TUS-ORE Catapult Research Centre (TORC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading renewable energy technology R&D centre enabling UK businesses to access what is predicted to become the world's largest offshore wind market in China.
• Cities Climate Investment Commission (3Ci)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld-first alliance across UK's major cities to secure long-term finance for achieving net zero, addressing £300bn+ market opportunity for Net Zero transition financing.
• Medicines Discovery Catapult - PACE PortfoliocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPACE provides funding and support for portfolio of early-stage projects addressing global threat of AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance).
• Medicines Discovery Catapult - Psychiatry ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner£4m international collaboration between seven global pharmaceutical companies and two leading medical research charities, focusing on unmet therapeutic needs in mental health conditions.
• Welsh GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided £174,000 SMART Flexible Innovation Support for sustainable wind turbine tower research project.

Scale indicators26 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fraunhofer Society: Germany's flagship applied R&D network of 76 institutes providing contract research, technology transfer, and innovation services to industry. The closest international analogue to Catapult's nine-centre, government-backed, multi-sector R&D intermediary model.
• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): Dutch applied research organisation operating across energy, built environment, industry, and health — providing R&D facilities, contract research, and technology transfer to Dutch and European firms. Comparable to Catapult in mission, structure, and government funding model.
• CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation): Australia's national science agency operating applied research and translational programmes across multiple sector domains. Comparable to Catapult as a multi-sector, government-funded R&D intermediary enabling industry commercialisation of research outputs.
• National Research Council of Canada (NRC): Canada's primary federal R&D organisation with research centres spanning aerospace, biotechnology, clean energy, and digital. Comparable mission of operating physical research infrastructure on behalf of domestic industry, recently deepening ties with CSA Catapult.
• Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI): Taiwan's applied research and development organisation driving semiconductor, ICT, and emerging-tech commercialisation. Direct collaboration partner with CSA Catapult and Satellite Applications Catapult — comparable in its multi-technology applied R&D network model.
• RISE Research Institutes of Sweden: Sweden's national research and innovation operator running applied research units across multiple technology domains. Comparable multi-centre, government-mandated applied R&D and innovation platform serving Swedish industrial competitiveness.

Broad incumbents

• Battelle Memorial Institute: Large US non-profit applied science and technology organisation managing national laboratories and R&D infrastructure. Comparable to Catapult as a major non-profit operator of shared research assets on behalf of industry and government stakeholders.
• German Aerospace Center (DLR): Germany's national aeronautics and space research centre managing major R&D facilities and test infrastructure. Comparable to Satellite Applications Catapult and ORE Catapult in operating large-scale physical test and demonstration assets used by industry.
• National Physical Laboratory (NPL): UK's national metrology institute operating world-class testing facilities and providing measurement R&D across industries. Adjacent UK government-backed R&D organisation with similar 'trusted neutral' positioning for industry innovation.

Others

• Innovate UK Business Connect: The non-accredited arm of Innovate UK providing innovation brokerage, knowledge transfer network services, and SME support. Closely interlinked with Catapult as part of the same UKRI/Innovate UK portfolio but focused on connectivity rather than physical R&D infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/catapult_uk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catapult-centres-uk

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments6 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Catapult