UKATC

Name

UKATC

Legal name

UK Research and Innovation

Website

https://ukri.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Astronomical Instrumentation

NAICS

Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Space Research and Technology (92711)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spacecraft Integration, Assembly & Test (IAT) (IMABACAK), International Science, Technology & Space Cooperation Organizations (BPADAAAK)

Keywords

• Astronomical instrumentation
• Telescope engineering
• Scientific instrument design
• Observatory technology
• Space research hardware

Headquarters

HQ city

Swindon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: UKRI distributes approximately £8 billion annually of government funding to support research and innovation across the UK. This is allocated through competitive grant processes managed by nine constituent bodies (seven research councils, Innovate UK, and Research England). Funding covers full economic costs of research projects with UKRI typically funding 80% of eligible costs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

UKATC designs, creates, develops, tests and manages major instrumentation projects in support of UK and international astronomy. The centre delivers bespoke astronomical instruments (such as optical/mechanical/detector subsystems for telescopes and observatories) as long-cycle engineering projects for research clients. Activities span ground-based and space-based observatory instrumentation, working with UK and overseas partners including universities, national observatories, and space agencies.

Product overview

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) operates as a unified funding body comprising nine councils: AHRC, BBSRC, ESRC, EPSRC, Innovate UK, MRC, NERC, Research England, and STFC. The primary product offering is the UKRI Funding Service, a digital platform that provides a single front door for all research council funding opportunities. UKRI invests approximately £8 billion annually into research and innovation across fields ranging from biodiversity conservation to quantum computing, from space telescopes to innovative healthcare. The organization facilitates grant applications, fellowship programmes, collaborative research opportunities, and technology development funding through its constituent councils.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Major Astronomical Instrumentation Projects End-to-end delivery of bespoke astronomical instrumentation projects for UK and international astronomy, covering design, creation, development, testing and management. The service is provided to research organisations, universities, observatories and space agencies needing high-precision, mission-grade instruments.

Quantifiable outcome

• £8 billion invested annually into research and innovation across the UK

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funder for international research collaborations including wildfire resilience research. NSF participates in UKRI lead agency agreements enabling joint review of collaborative proposals.
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funder for wildfire resilience research together with SSHRC, CIHR. Supports bilateral research partnerships between UK and Canadian researchers.
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funder for international collaborative research initiatives including wildfire resilience programme.
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funder for international research collaborations in health and environmental sciences.
• Department for Business and TradecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment department co-funding DRIVE35 innovation programme for zero emission vehicle technologies with up to £150 million funding.
• The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in DRIVE35 Scale Up Fund for zero emission vehicle technologies, supporting UK's transition to net zero automotive industry.
• Swiss InnosuissecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss innovation agency partner for UK-Switzerland CR&D programme supporting innovative projects with Swiss implementation partners.
• Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint funder of UK-Japan Civil Nuclear Research Programme 2026 focused on decommissioning of Fukushima and Sellafield.
• National Science Foundation, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences Directorate (NSF-SBE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS counterpart for lead agency agreement enabling UK-US collaborative research proposals to undergo single review process. MoU in effect until 2028.
• State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian research foundation partner for lead agency agreements enabling UK-Brazil collaborative research with researchers from São Paulo state.
• Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR) LuxembourgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuxembourg research funder partner enabling collaborative UK-Luxembourg research proposals under MoU between UKRI and FNR.
• AstraZenecacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner collaborating with University of Cambridge and UKRI-funded functional genomics screening laboratory for CRISPR screening projects.
• University of CambridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in functional genomics screening laboratory collaboration for complex human in vitro models and CRISPR screening.
• Government departments and devolved governmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in Knowledge Transfer Partnerships helping businesses collaborate with academic organisations.
• Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment department funding robotics adoption central convening body initiative with up to £2 million.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• L3Harris Technologies: L3Harris supplies advanced space payloads and instruments, including components for astronomy and Earth observation missions. It is comparable to UKATC in technical capability domain but operates as a broad defence and space incumbent.
• Airbus Defence and Space: Airbus Defence and Space builds satellite platforms and science instruments for ESA and other agencies. It is comparable to UKATC in the space astronomy instrumentation supply chain but operates at much larger scale and as a commercial prime.
• European Space Agency (ESA): ESA is the intergovernmental European space agency that procures and operates space astronomy missions. UKATC supplies ESA-relevant astronomy instruments, making ESA both a customer and a structural peer in the European space astronomy ecosystem.
• Honeywell Aerospace: Honeywell Aerospace produces precision instruments and control systems used in space and aviation platforms. It is comparable to UKATC in the manufacture of high-precision instrumentation for demanding aerospace environments, though as a much larger diversified incumbent.
• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: NASA Goddard develops space-based astronomy instruments and missions. It is comparable to UKATC as a government-funded centre of excellence for astronomy instrumentation, but operates at significantly larger scale and across a broader mission portfolio.
• Thales Alenia Space: Thales Alenia Space manufactures satellites and space instruments for European and global customers. It overlaps with UKATC in space instrument design and manufacture, but at significantly greater scale and across a broader mission set.

Direct peers

• Ball Aerospace: Ball Aerospace (now part of BAE Systems) designs and builds space-based scientific instruments including astronomy payloads. It is a direct private-sector peer to UKATC in the development and delivery of space astronomy instrumentation.
• European Southern Observatory (ESO): ESO is an intergovernmental astronomy organisation that designs and operates ground-based astronomy facilities. ESO is highly comparable to UKATC in mission and customer base (UK and international astronomy communities) and is one of the primary customers/collaborators UKATC supplies instrumentation to.
• National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ): NAOJ is Japan's national centre for astronomical observation and instrument development. It is highly comparable to UKATC as a government-funded national astronomy technology centre that delivers instruments for both domestic and international observatories.
• STFC RAL Space: RAL Space is the space research and technology facility of STFC, the same UKRI council under which UKATC operates. Both are UK government-funded centres delivering space and astronomy instrumentation, making RAL Space the most direct internal peer for capability comparison.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ukriforresearchers
• Facebookfacebook.com/106113729420030
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uk-astronomy-technology-centre
• Instagraminstagram.com/weareukri
• Xx.com/ukatc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries9 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 UKATC