ABGI UK

What ABGI UK does

ABGI UK is a professional services firm headquartered in Edinburgh that advises UK companies on accessing innovation funding, tax relief, and intellectual property incentives. The company, established in 2008, operates as the UK arm of France-based SNEF Group's global innovation consulting network (founded 1990 in Lyon), employing 64 staff in the UK as part of a 520-expert global bench. Its service portfolio spans seven interconnected practice areas: Innovation Tax Relief (R&D Tax Credits, Patent Box, R&D Allowances, Claim Audit, Enquiry Defence, Video Games Tax Relief), Grant Advisory (European grants including EIC Accelerator, Innovate UK, regional grants), Intellectual Property Services (patent searching, filing alerts, landscaping, audits, drafting and filing), Business Funding (R&D cash advances via lender panel, finance referrals via Clear Business Finance), Land and Buildings Tax Reliefs (Capital Allowances, Land Remediation Relief), ESG Services (CSRD reporting, CSR strategy, low-carbon strategy), and International Services covering innovation incentives in 25 countries alongside transfer pricing and tax optimisation.

The firm's underlying delivery model is consultative rather than technology-driven: technical analysts, scientists, and engineers work as embedded members of client teams to identify qualifying R&D activities, prepare HMRC-compliant claims, defend enquiries, and structure grant applications. There is no proprietary software platform underpinning the service; the moat resides in codified regulatory expertise, accumulated cross-vertical claim experience (1,000+ clients globally, £1.7bn of incentives managed annually), and 35 years of HMRC and international tax authority relationships. ABGI UK generated £8.5M in UK turnover and helped clients recover £100M in tax benefits in the most recent reported year.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees across the seven practice areas, supplemented by referral-based affiliate income from a curated panel of R&D cash advance lenders and from the Clear Business Finance partnership for asset finance, loans, and invoice finance. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and enterprise-relationship driven, with initial engagement typically opened through free innovation-funding consultations that convert into multi-year advisory mandates. Marketing relies on sector-specific content (15 industry pages, white papers, expert insights) and GTM partnerships with sector bodies including ADS Group, Innovate Finance, Make UK, NIHR, and BAMA to generate qualified inbound demand across manufacturing, software/IT, life sciences, engineering, fintech, aerospace/defence, and creative industries.

Name

ABGI UK

Legal name

ABGI UK

Website

https://abgi-uk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ABGI UK is an Edinburgh-based professional services firm advising UK companies on R&D tax relief, grants, Patent Box, IP protection, ESG, and international innovation incentives, serving 1,000+ clients globally as the UK arm of SNEF Group's 520-expert network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Funding Advisory

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Advisory (BPAHAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

ESG Governance, Sustainability Reporting & Assurance Advisory (BPAHAFAJ)

Keywords

• R&D tax credits advisory
• Grant funding consultancy
• Innovation funding consulting
• Patent Box advisory
• IP services consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. R&D Tax Relief Advisory: Professional services fees for identifying, preparing, and defending R&D tax credit claims for UK companies. Services include technical narrative preparation, cost documentation, and HMRC correspondence support.
2. Grant Advisory Services: Advisory fees for grant identification, application preparation, partner coordination, and post-award support for UK and European innovation grants including Horizon Europe, EIC Accelerator, and Innovate UK grants.
3. Intellectual Property Services: Services covering patent searching, filing alerts, landscaping, audits, drafting, and filing. Revenue generated through professional service fees for IP strategy and protection.
4. Patent Box Advisory: Advisory services for Patent Box eligibility assessment, profit streaming calculations, and corporation tax optimization for qualifying IP income.
5. ESG and Sustainability Services: CSR strategy development, CSRD reporting, low-carbon strategy, and sustainable innovation strategy advisory services.
6. R&D Cash Advances: Introduction fees or referral arrangements with a selected panel of lenders providing short-term funding against expected R&D tax credit refunds. ABGI facilitates connections but does not directly provide financing.
7. Business Finance Referrals: Partnership with Clear Business Finance to introduce clients to business finance products including asset finance, loans, and invoice finance. ABGI earns referral fees for introductions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ABGI UK is a professional services firm that helps UK companies identify, prepare, and defend claims for R&D tax credits, Patent Box relief, innovation grants, capital allowances, and related innovation funding schemes. The firm combines scientists, engineers, and tax professionals to deliver technical narrative preparation, HMRC enquiry defence, grant application support, IP strategy and patent services, and ESG/sustainability advisory across multiple industry sectors.

Product overview

ABGI UK is a professional services firm dedicated to helping UK companies accelerate, fund, protect, and manage their innovation strategies. The offering is structured as a comprehensive consultancy platform spanning six interconnected service areas: (1) Innovation Tax Relief Services including R&D Tax Credits, Patent Box, R&D Allowances, R&D Claim Audit, Enquiry Defence, and Video Games Tax Relief; (2) Grant Advisory covering European Grants (EIC Accelerator, EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition, EIC STEP Scale Up, Women TechEU), Innovate UK Grants (Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Innovation Loans, Collaborative R&D), and Regional Grants; (3) Intellectual Property Services encompassing Patent Searching, Patent Filing Alerts, Patent Landscaping, Patent Audit, and Patent Drafting and Filing; (4) Business Funding including R&D Cash Advances and Business Finance (asset finance, loans, invoice finance, development finance); (5) Land and Buildings Tax Reliefs comprising Capital Allowances and Land Remediation Relief; (6) ESG Services including CSR Strategy, CSRD & Sustainability Reporting, Low Carbon Strategy, and Sustainable Innovation Strategy; and (7) International Services offering Global Innovation Incentives (covering 25 countries), International Transfer Pricing, and International Tax Optimisation. The portfolio also includes a Grant Funding Map interactive tool. With a 35-year heritage and 520 experts managing £1.7bn of global tax incentives annually, the firm serves industries including Aerospace & Defence, Automotive, Life Sciences, FinTech, Software & IT, Manufacturing, and Engineering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• R&D Tax Credits Service helping UK businesses claim Research & Development Tax Relief under the Merged R&D Scheme, ERIS, SME, and RDEC schemes to recover value from innovation activity. Delivered to companies undertaking qualifying R&D across multiple sectors.
• Patent Box Service enabling qualifying businesses to pay reduced 10% corporation tax on profits from patented inventions, claimed over the life of the patent up to 20 years.
• R&D Allowances Service providing immediate tax relief through 100% write-off of capital items for R&D in their year of purchase, including plant, machinery, computers and buildings.
• R&D Claim Audit Expert review service examining existing R&D tax relief claims to identify risks, gaps, and missed opportunities before HMRC scrutiny.
• Enquiry Defence End-to-end support service for responding to HMRC enquiries, including technical explanations, evidence compilation, and claim defence.
• Video Games Tax Relief Service helping UK video game studios assess eligibility, structure claims, and prepare documentation for Video Games Tax Relief (VGTR) and R&D tax credits.
• Grant Advisory Comprehensive grant funding consultancy supporting companies in strategy development, partner identification, proposal writing, submission, and post-award support.
• European Grants Support service for European funding including EIC Accelerator (up to €2.5m for UK SMEs), EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition, EIC Pre-Accelerator, EIC STEP Scale Up, and Women TechEU grants.
• Innovate UK Grants Advisory service for UK Innovate UK funding including sector-specific calls, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs), Innovation Loans (£100k-£2m), and collaborative R&D opportunities.
• Regional Grants Guidance service for regional funding from Scottish Enterprise, Business Wales, Invest Northern Ireland, and local/combined authority schemes.
• Intellectual Property Services Full suite of IP services including patent searching, filing alerts, landscaping, audits, and drafting and filing support to protect and maximise innovation.
• Patent Searching Systematic patent database querying service covering UKIPO, EPO, and WIPO to determine invention novelty, protectability, and support Freedom to Operate assessments.
• Patent Filing Alerts Continuous monitoring service delivering notifications when new patent applications are filed matching specified criteria such as keywords, technology fields, inventors, or competitors.
• Patent Landscaping Analytical service mapping and visualising patent data to identify technology trends, competitive benchmarks, and market opportunities within specific fields.
• Patent Audit Comprehensive assessment of company patent portfolios including legal standing, commercial relevance, risk mitigation, and strategic alignment review.

Quantifiable outcome

• £100M in tax benefits recovered for clients last year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered parent company, minor and core.

• SNEF Groupparent companyStrategic or Co-development PartnerABGI UK is part of the SNEF Group, a French engineering and digital technology company. SNEF Group provides end-to-end support throughout the entire lifecycle of client facilities and installations, built around technical skills in energy, mechanics, and digital technology including AI, cybersecurity, Industry 4.0, and Mixed Reality.
• Payments Innovation ForumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association partnership providing access to payment and fintech sector networks. Listed as a partner on the ABGI UK website.
• B4B PaymentsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPayment services partner providing access to business payment networks and fintech sector connections.
• NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment health research body partnership providing access to healthtech and life sciences sector networks for R&D tax relief services.
• ADS GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrade association for aerospace, defence and security companies. Partnership provides access to AD&S sector for innovation funding services.
• BAMAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBritish Aerosol Manufacturers Association partnership providing access to aerosol and packaging manufacturing sector for innovation funding advisory.
• Make UKminorGTM or Marketing PartnerManufacturing industry association partnership including Make UK Defence. Provides access to UK manufacturing sector for R&D tax relief and grant services.
• Innovate FinanceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFintech industry association partnership providing access to financial technology sector networks for innovation funding services.
• R&D Cash Advance Lenders PanelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorABGI maintains a selected panel of lenders who provide short-term funding against expected R&D tax credit refunds. The firm introduces clients to appropriate lenders who undertake due diligence and make funding offers directly to clients.
• Clear Business FinancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Clear Business Finance for business finance products. ABGI introduces clients who are then connected with Clear Business Finance which compares over 60 UK lenders for competitive terms on asset finance, business loans, and invoice finance.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RIFT Tax: R&D tax credit specialist focused on UK SMEs and entrepreneurs with a tech-enabled claim preparation model. Direct competitor to ABGI UK's core R&D tax credits service line.
• ForrestBrown: UK R&D tax credit specialist with strong technical analyst bench and enquiry defence capabilities. Closely comparable to ABGI UK in customer profile (UK SMEs and mid-market across sectors) and service offering.
• Catax: UK-headquartered specialist R&D tax credit and innovation funding advisory firm serving SMEs and mid-market companies. Direct competitor to ABGI UK with similar claim-preparation, grant advisory, and Patent Box services.
• Ayming: International innovation funding and tax incentive consultancy operating across multiple European markets. Closely comparable to ABGI's group-level innovation funding advisory model and cross-border service offering.

Broad incumbents

• Crowe UK: Top-10 UK accounting and advisory firm with a dedicated R&D tax credits practice. Competes with ABGI UK on R&D tax advisory for mid-market and SME clients, though as part of a broader audit and advisory portfolio.
• BDO UK: Major UK accounting and advisory firm offering R&D tax relief, Patent Box, and grant advisory services to mid-market clients. Competes with ABGI UK especially in manufacturing and engineering verticals.
• Grant Thornton UK: Large UK accounting and advisory firm with established R&D tax incentives and grant advisory practices. Overlaps with ABGI UK on enterprise R&D claims, Patent Box, and innovation funding advisory.
• RSM UK: Mid-tier accounting and advisory firm with R&D tax credit and innovation funding services for UK SMEs and mid-market. Comparable to ABGI UK across multiple service lines and customer segments.

Emerging players

• EmpowerRD: UK R&D tax credit specialist focused on technology and engineering SMEs. Comparable to ABGI UK's R&D tax credits service line with similar customer profile and smaller scale.
• Zetland Advisory: UK innovation funding and R&D tax advisory boutique serving SMEs. Comparable to ABGI UK in core service offering, though smaller in scale and headcount.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JumpstartRandD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jumpstart-scotland-ltd-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about ABGI UK