What SEPnet does

SEPnet (South East Physics Network) is a consortium of nine universities in South East England — University of Hertfordshire, University of Portsmouth, Queen Mary University of London, Royal Holloway University of London, University of Southampton, University of Sussex, University of Kent, The Open University, and University of Surrey — collaborating on physics research, postgraduate training, employer engagement, and schools outreach. The entity has no independent corporate status; staff are employed by member universities and coordinated through a SEPnet Collaboration Agreement.

The network operates four core programmes. GRADnet is the consortium's collaborative graduate school and is described as the largest physics PhD training programme in England, delivering advanced physics schools, professional skills workshops (delivered in partnership with Skillfluence Ltd), and student-led conferences. The Summer Placement Scheme provides over 80 paid eight-week industry placements annually to 2nd/3rd-year undergraduates and PhD students across a 1,700-strong student pool. The Outreach and Public Engagement Programme delivers Connect Physics workshops for Key Stage 3 students and the Shattering Stereotypes gender-equality initiative in partnership with the Institute of Physics. The SME-DTN (Small to Medium Enterprise Doctoral Training Network) funds collaborative PhDs between universities and industry, backed by the Research England Development Fund. DISCnet adds a data-intensive science research theme that applies machine learning to particle physics and astrophysics data.

SEPnet's revenue model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Primary funding has come from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) — £12.5m in 2008 and £2.75m in 2013 — with Phase III (2018–2023) and Phase IV (launched August 2023) extending the cycle in five-year increments. Programs are free to students and schools; employers pay students at national living wage but do not pay SEPnet fees. The go-to-market motion is community-led: the network recruits member universities, engages employers (QinetiQ, NPL, Telespazio, Environment Agency, MeVitae, EoSphere, Centronic, In2Science, Fat Fish Digital) for placement hosting and graduate recruitment, and coordinates outreach through dedicated Outreach Officers at each partner university. Strategic partners include STFC, EPSRC, the Ogden Trust, WRIPA, and the Employer Advisory Panel, with the biennial Interact Symposium serving as a flagship public engagement event co-organised with STFC, IOP, RAS, and the Ogden Trust.

Name

SEPnet

Legal name

SEPnet

Website

https://sepnet.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SEPnet is a non-corporate consortium of nine South East England universities that delivers collaborative physics postgraduate training (GRADnet), employer-linked summer placements, and schools outreach, funded primarily by HEFCE/Research England grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Physics Network

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Consortia & Network Exchange Programs (EDAIABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research & Lab-Based Short-Term Programs (Undergraduate/Graduate) (EDAIAIAF), Research Collaboration & Joint Labs (International Partnerships) (EDAIABAC)

Keywords

• Physics education network
• Graduate physics training
• University consortium programmes
• Employer engagement placements
• Schools outreach physics

Headquarters

HQ city

Southampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: SEPnet receives significant funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Funding history includes a £12.5m grant in 2008 and a £2.75m grant in 2013 to support innovative research, graduate training, and outreach programmes. Additional funding received from Research England Development Fund for the SME-DTN doctoral training network.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SEPnet is a consortium of nine universities in South East England that coordinates collaborative physics programmes: GRADnet postgraduate training (the largest physics PhD training programme in England), a Summer Placement Scheme arranging over 80 paid eight-week industry placements per year, and an Outreach and Public Engagement programme for schools. The network is funded primarily through government grants and delivers all core programmes free of charge to participating postgraduate researchers, undergraduates, employers, and schools.

Product overview

SEPnet is a network of nine universities in the South East of England working together to enhance excellence in physics. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs: GRADnet provides the largest physics postgraduate training school in England with advanced physics schools, professional skills workshops, and student-led conferences; the Summer Placement Scheme facilitates over 80 eight-week paid industry placements annually for undergraduates and PhD students; the Outreach and Public Engagement Programme delivers Connect Physics workshops for KS3 students and Shattering Stereotypes gender equality initiatives; and SME-DTN enables collaborative doctoral research between universities and small/medium enterprises. The Employer Engagement Network connects partner universities with industry, supporting Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and graduate recruitment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GRADnet: The collaborative graduate school of SEPnet, comprising nine physics departments in the south east of England. It brings together research strengths from across all nine universities to create the largest Physics postgraduate school in England, offering advanced physics training and professional skills training for PhD and early career researcher stages.
• SME-DTN
• Connect Physics
• Shattering Stereotypes

Products and services

• GRADnet SEPnet's collaborative graduate school comprising nine physics departments in the South East of England, offering advanced physics training and professional development for PhD, MSc by Research students, and early career researchers through workshops, schools, and student-led conferences. Described as the largest Physics postgraduate school in England.
• Summer Placement Scheme An eight-week paid placement programme for 2nd and 3rd year physics and maths undergraduates and PhD students, providing industry experience in data analysis, mathematical modelling, programming, product design, testing, and science communication. Coordinates over 80 placements annually with employers across the South East.
• SME-DTN (Small to Medium Enterprise Doctoral Training Network) A collaborative PhD scheme bringing together PhD researchers, academics, and industrial scientists to focus on research projects directly applicable to industrial challenges. Funded by the Research England Development Fund.
• Outreach and Public Engagement Programme Coordinated outreach programme for schools and colleges providing curriculum resources and integrated activities, including Connect Physics workshops for Key Stage 3 students and Shattering Stereotypes gender equality initiatives, delivered through Outreach Officers embedded at each partner university.
• Employer Engagement Network Network providing employers with access to physics students and graduates from partner universities, including sponsorship schemes, placement support, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, and access to world-class research facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80 summer placements organised annually for physics and maths students
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• National Physical Laboratory (NPL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on GRADnet Summer Schools and NPL Postgraduate Institute for Measurement Science (PGI). Hosts workshops and provides access to world-class research facilities for SEPnet PhD students.
• STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks with STFC on knowledge transfer and research collaboration. Co-organises Interact public engagement symposium.
• Ogden TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for outreach and public engagement programmes. Supports SEPnet's schools outreach initiatives including Connect Physics and Shattering Stereotypes projects.
• STEMNETmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and outreach activities.
• Institute of Physics (IOP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for outreach programmes and professional development. Co-organises Interact symposium and supports physics education initiatives.
• WRIPA (White Rose Industrial Physics Academy)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint workshops with WRIPA on physics teaching, assessment, and employability. Collaboration on improving graduate outcomes and diversity in physics.
• QinetiQminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEmployer partner using SEPnet Summer Internship Scheme for graduate recruitment and identifying new talent.
• Knowledge Transfer PartnershipsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFacilitates knowledge transfer partnerships and knowledge exchange opportunities between academia and industry for SEPnet students and employers.
• NExT InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNExT Institute nurtures strong collective programme of particle physics research and training, including LHC experiments, Higgs & Supersymmetry research, accelerator physics, phenomenology, and Lattice QCD.
• DISCnetmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerData-Intensive Science collaboration. Particle physics and astrophysics at forefront of modern computer analysis techniques including machine learning applied to data-rich research problems.
• Skillfluence LtdminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDelivers professional skills training workshops for GRADnet students including networking skills, virtual networking, and translating PhD skills to industry.
• Employer Advisory PanelmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsultative panel comprising companies that recruit physicists into a range of roles, helping shape SEPnet's employer engagement activities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Midlands Innovation: Consortium of seven Midlands universities (Aston, Birmingham, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham, Keele, Warwick) collaborating on research excellence; directly comparable to SEPnet's university-network model for shared capability, although it spans multiple disciplines rather than being physics-specific.
• NExT Institute: A particle physics research and training consortium nurturing LHC, Higgs, Supersymmetry, accelerator physics and Lattice QCD across UK universities; named SEPnet partner operating a closely comparable collaborative consortium model.
• DISCnet (Data-Intensive Science): A consortium/CDT applying machine learning and modern data-intensive methods to particle physics and astrophysics; explicitly named as a SEPnet partner with essentially the same consortium-network model applied to a specific physics-research theme.

Others

• Research England: Successor to HEFCE within UKRI; SEPnet's primary direct funder for Phase III (2018-2023), Phase IV (from August 2023) and the SME-DTN Doctoral Training Network.
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC): Major UK research council supporting physical sciences research and doctoral training; key SEPnet funder for GRADnet training programmes and a structural force in UK physics-research funding.
• Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC): UK research council funding physics facilities and research; SEPnet's named knowledge transfer partner and co-organiser of the Interact public engagement symposium, shaping the wider UK physics ecosystem in which SEPnet operates.
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): Umbrella body overseeing SEPnet's primary funders (HEFCE legacy, Research England, STFC, EPSRC); its spending-review settlements and strategic priorities shape the entire funding environment SEPnet depends on.
• Ogden Trust: UK charity funding physics education and outreach; named SEPnet partner supporting Connect Physics and Shattering Stereotypes outreach programmes, with overlapping mission in physics pipeline development.

Broad incumbents

• Institute of Physics (IOP): National professional body for physics in the UK and Ireland; broadly comparable scope (physics education, research support, public engagement) but operates at national scale via membership and advocacy rather than as a regional consortium network.

Regional players

• White Rose Industrial Physics Academy (WRIPA): WRIPA is a physics-specific consortium of the University of Leeds, University of Sheffield and University of York; it operates the same regional physics training plus employer engagement model as SEPnet but in the Yorkshire/Humber region rather than South East England, making it the closest direct analogue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SEPhysics
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SouthEastPhysics
• Facebookfacebook.com/PhysicsSkills
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sepnet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 SEPnet