Autonomy
The Autonomy Institute is a UK-based non-profit research organization founded in 2017 that builds data-driven tools and policy research on working-time reduction, basic income, climate, and democracy for governments, employers, and progressive organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Autonomy does
The Autonomy Institute is a UK-based not-for-profit research organization founded in 2017 and headquartered in London. It creates data-driven tools and policy analysis focused on working-time reduction, basic income, climate, democracy, and progressive economic transformation. Its core product set consists of proprietary data tools and indices: ADI (Annual Deprivation Index), ASPECTT (Multidimensional Occupations Database), UBI Database, Insecurity Index, Climate Disinformation Proximity Tracker, and Risks to British Business. The institute is best known for designing and running Britain's largest four-day working week pilot in 2022 (61 companies, ~2,900 employees), which produced widely cited outcomes (89% of participating companies continued the shorter week, 71% reported reduced burnout, 57% reduction in staff turnover, 65% fewer sick days).
The organization operates three thematic labs: Work Futures (shorter working weeks, feminist futures, new economy, EDI), Public Futures (climate, welfare, digital, urban, migration), and Insights and Solutions. Its newer Interlink project uses large language models, web scraping, and network mapping to track radical-right movements, while the Autonomy Data Unit (ADU) provides AI-powered augmentation and bespoke policy design services to organizations, governments, and civic actors. Autonomy also runs the Autonomy Consultancy, offering workplace transformation services including shorter working week implementation support.
The institute is funded through a mix of foundation grants (Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, Alex Ferry Foundation, UEL Centre for Social Change and Justice), commissioned research fees from government and academic clients (Scottish Government, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Boston College, University of Cambridge, University of Salford), and consultancy revenue. It distributes its work primarily through free website downloads, media coverage in major outlets (The Guardian, BBC, Washington Post, Financial Times), the Forum 2029 events series, and partnerships across European progressive policy networks.
Autonomy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Autonomy
- Legal name
- The Autonomy Institute
- Website
- https://autonomy.work
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Autonomy Institute is a UK-based non-profit research organization founded in 2017 that builds data-driven tools and policy research on working-time reduction, basic income, climate, and democracy for governments, employers, and progressive organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Autonomy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Policy Research and Consulting
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Political Organizations (813940)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- DEI, Equity & Inclusion Advisory (BPACAJAJ)
Keywords
Where Autonomy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Autonomy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Research Commissioning: The organization conducts commissioned research for governments, organizations, and civic actors. They serve as expert partner for government pilots (e.g., Scottish Government's four-day week trial) and produce reports for various clients.
- Consultancy Services: Autonomy Consultancy provides workplace transformation services including shorter working week implementation support for firms.
- Funding and Grants: The organization receives funding from foundations and supporters including Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, Alex Ferry Foundation, and Centre for Social Change and Justice, University of East London.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Autonomy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Autonomy Institute is a not-for-profit research organisation that produces data-driven policy research, proprietary databases and indices (ADI, ASPECTT, UBI Database, Insecurity Index), and commissioned studies focused on progressive economic transformation, with a particular emphasis on shorter working weeks, basic income, climate and democracy. It delivers these through research commissions for governments and civic actors, an intelligence project on the radical right (Interlink), consultancy services (Autonomy Data Unit, Workplace Transformations), and the Forum 2029 event series.
Product overview
The Autonomy Institute is a not-for-profit research organisation that creates data-driven tools and policy to build the future economy. Their offering consists of research tools (ADI, ASPECTT, UBI Database, Insecurity Index), intelligence projects (Interlink), and consultancy services (ADU, Forum 2029 events). The organisation's core focus is shorter working weeks, basic income research, and progressive policy analysis, delivered through a combination of databases, reports, events, and bespoke policy design services rather than a unified software product.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Autonomy Data Unit (ADU): Provides data-driven analysis and bespoke policy design for organisations, governments, and civic actors.
- Forum 2029
- Interlink
- Work Futures Lab
- Public Futures Lab
Products and services
- ADI (Annual Deprivation Index) A data-driven tool measuring annual deprivation indicators across populations, used by policy researchers and analysts for evidence-based deprivation tracking.
- ASPECTT (Multidimensional Occupations Database) A multidimensional database providing detailed portraits of all occupations in the UK labour market for unprecedented labour-market insights.
- UBI Database A database tracking universal basic income policies, pilots and research worldwide for policymakers and researchers.
- Interlink An intelligence and convening project dedicated to understanding and countering the radical right through network mapping, automated discourse analysis and campaign support.
- Risks to British Business A tool tracking risks and threats to British businesses for use by companies, journalists and policy analysts.
- Climate Disinformation Proximity Tracker A tool tracking climate disinformation networks and their proximity to political and corporate actors.
- Insecurity Index An index measuring economic and employment insecurity across the UK for policy researchers and commentators.
- Forum 2029 A series of events bringing together leading progressive voices to develop credible alternatives on housing, work, taxation and public services.
- Autonomy Data Unit (ADU) AI-powered augmentation services providing data-driven analysis and bespoke policy design for organisations, governments and civic actors.
- Autonomy Consultancy (Workplace Transformations) Workplace transformation services providing shorter working week implementation support and organisational change consultancy for firms.
- Four-Day Week Research Program Comprehensive research programme on shorter working weeks including pilot studies, impact analyses and policy recommendations for implementing four-day work weeks.
Quantifiable outcome
- 89% of companies continued four-day week after trial
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Autonomy
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Autonomy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Autonomy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Scottish GovernmentcoreThe Scottish Government appointed Autonomy as expert partner for the four-day working week public sector pilot, with 140 staff at South of Scotland Enterprise working a 32-hour week. Autonomy provides methodology, support, and evaluation for the pilot.
- Boston CollegecoreResearch collaboration with Boston College (Prof. Juliet Schor, Prof. Wen Fan) for the UK Four-Day Week Pilot follow-up study, providing survey data and qualitative research support
- Centre for Social Change and Justice, University of East LondonminorAcademic partner providing support for Forum 2029 event series
- University of CambridgecoreAcademic collaboration including Prof. Brendan Burchell, Niamh Bridson Hubbard, Jon White, and Dr. Daiga Kamarāde for four-day week research
- University of SalfordcoreAcademic collaboration including Dr. David Frayne for qualitative research on four-day week implementation
- Basic Income 4 FarmersminorCollaborative team including Joanna Poulton, Jake Richardson, Kathleen Pollitt with support from Dr. Dave Beck, Hamish Evans, Dot Tiwari for basic income research for farmers
- Valued Added Systems (Four4All)coreEU Horizon project bringing together nine partner organisations from seven countries to deliver the first large-scale, cross-national assessment of working time reduction
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Autonomy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- New Economics Foundation: UK-based progressive economic think tank producing research and policy work on economic transformation, well-being and alternatives to neoliberal economics — directly comparable to Autonomy's mission and policy-adjacent positioning.
- Resolution Foundation: UK think tank focused on living standards, work and wages. Its research on working time, low pay and labour-market policy substantially overlaps with Autonomy's Work Futures Lab and shorter working weeks agenda.
- 4 Day Week Global: Organisation coordinating international four-day week pilots and advocacy. Directly overlaps with Autonomy's flagship four-day week research and consultancy business, and competes for the same corporate and government clients.
- Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR): One of the UK's largest progressive think tanks covering economic, social and public policy. Comparable in audience (government, media, foundations) and policy-research output, though broader in scope than Autonomy.
- Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN): Global network conducting and cataloguing research on Universal Basic Income — directly mirroring Autonomy's UBI Database and basic-income research stream, with similar academic and civil-society audiences.
- Roosevelt Institute: US progressive economic think tank producing research on working time, basic income and democratic economy — comparable mission and outputs to Autonomy but operating primarily in the US policy ecosystem.
Emerging players
- NESTA: UK innovation foundation with significant research on the future of work, automation and labour markets. Adjacent rather than direct overlap with Autonomy, but competes for similar foundation and government attention on workforce topics.
- Smith Institute: UK think tank producing research on work, living standards and progressive economic policy. Smaller than IPPR or NEF but works on adjacent themes to Autonomy and competes for similar commissioned research and policy briefs.
Broad incumbents
- RAND Corporation: Large global policy research organisation producing rigorous empirical work across economic and social policy. Broader and far better resourced than Autonomy, but operates in overlapping government-advisory territory.
- Brookings Institution: Major US-based think tank with extensive work on economic policy, labour markets and inequality. Comparable in progressive-leaning policy research orientation but with vastly greater scale and institutional reach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Autonomy social profiles
Digital presenceAutonomy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Autonomy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Autonomy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
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Autonomy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Autonomy
What does Autonomy do?
The Autonomy Institute is a not-for-profit research organisation that produces data-driven policy research, proprietary databases and indices (ADI, ASPECTT, UBI Database, Insecurity Index), and commissioned studies focused on progressive economic transformation, with a particular emphasis on shorter working weeks, basic income, climate and democracy. It delivers these through research commissions for governments and civic actors, an intelligence project on the radical right (Interlink), consultancy services (Autonomy Data Unit, Workplace Transformations), and the Forum 2029 event series.
Is Autonomy a public or private company?
Autonomy is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Autonomy founded?
Autonomy was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Autonomy based?
Autonomy is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Autonomy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Research Commissioning is the primary driver. The others are consultancy Services and funding and Grants.
Who are Autonomy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are New Economics Foundation, Resolution Foundation, 4 Day Week Global, Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) and Roosevelt Institute. Emerging players are NESTA and Smith Institute. Broad incumbents are RAND Corporation and Brookings Institution.
Does Autonomy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Autonomy.
What industry is Autonomy in?
Autonomy's product category is Policy Research and Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADADAA, Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks, with a secondary code of BPACAJAJ, DEI, Equity & Inclusion Advisory. Its NAICS code is 54172 and its SIC code is 8700.