UKATC
- Company typePublic
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersSwindon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
UKATC firmographics
Firmographics- 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
UKATC industry classification
Industry- 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
Where UKATC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Swindon
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
UKATC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- 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
UKATC product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use UKATC
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
UKATC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature3 records
UKATC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)coreCo-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)coreCo-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)coreCo-funder for international collaborative research initiatives including wildfire resilience programme.
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)coreCo-funder for international research collaborations in health and environmental sciences.
- Department for Business and TradecoreGovernment department co-funding DRIVE35 innovation programme for zero emission vehicle technologies with up to £150 million funding.
- The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC)corePartner in DRIVE35 Scale Up Fund for zero emission vehicle technologies, supporting UK's transition to net zero automotive industry.
- Swiss InnosuissecoreSwiss 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)coreJoint 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)coreUS 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)coreBrazilian research foundation partner for lead agency agreements enabling UK-Brazil collaborative research with researchers from São Paulo state.
- Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR) LuxembourgcoreLuxembourg research funder partner enabling collaborative UK-Luxembourg research proposals under MoU between UKRI and FNR.
- AstraZenecacoreIndustry partner collaborating with University of Cambridge and UKRI-funded functional genomics screening laboratory for CRISPR screening projects.
- University of CambridgecoreAcademic partner in functional genomics screening laboratory collaboration for complex human in vitro models and CRISPR screening.
- Government departments and devolved governmentscorePartners in Knowledge Transfer Partnerships helping businesses collaborate with academic organisations.
- Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)coreGovernment department funding robotics adoption central convening body initiative with up to £2 million.
Scale indicators4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
UKATC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad 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
UKATC social profiles
Digital presenceUKATC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
UKATC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
UKATC subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries9 records
UKATC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
UKATC 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 UKATC
What does UKATC do?
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.
Is UKATC a public or private company?
UKATC is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was UKATC founded?
UKATC was founded in 2018. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is UKATC based?
UKATC is headquartered in Swindon, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does UKATC make money?
One revenue line is on record: public Research Funding.
Who are UKATC's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are L3Harris Technologies, Airbus Defence and Space, European Space Agency (ESA), Honeywell Aerospace, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Thales Alenia Space. Direct peers are Ball Aerospace, European Southern Observatory (ESO), National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and STFC RAL Space.
Does UKATC have an API?
No public API is recorded for UKATC.
What industry is UKATC in?
UKATC's product category is Astronomical Instrumentation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABACAD, Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR), with a secondary code of IMABACAK, Spacecraft Integration, Assembly & Test (IAT). Its NAICS code is 336419 and its SIC code is 3827.