Aerospace Growth Partnership

What Aerospace Growth Partnership does

The Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) is a strategic collaboration between the UK Government, represented by the Department for Business & Trade, and the UK aerospace industry, established in 2010 to secure the long-term future of the UK aerospace sector. It operates as a central coordination and governance body, not a commercial entity, removing barriers to growth, strengthening international competitiveness, increasing exports, and expanding high-value jobs. Its vision is to double the UK's share of the global aerospace market by 2035 and enable up to fourfold sector growth by 2050, while leading the transition to Net Zero aviation.

AGP delivers activity through three pillars — Innovation, Business Improvement, and People & Skills — via a portfolio of coordinated programmes. Innovation programmes include the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) backed by a £3.9 billion joint government-industry R&T commitment to 2026, the £125 million Future Flight Challenge, the £10 million NATEP SME technology programme, the Catapult Centres network, and the UK Aerospace Research Consortium (11 universities). Business improvement programmes include SC21 (880+ participating companies), Supply Chain Solutions (359 nominated, 198 active), and Sharing in Growth (£250 million transformation programme to 64 suppliers). Skills programmes include Aerospace Industrial Cadets (6,200+ graduates since 2012), Engineering Talent, and the Jon Dennison Bursary. AGP also coordinates three charters — Supply Chain Competitiveness, Women in Aviation & Aerospace (100+ signatories), and SME Finance.

Governance is provided by an AGP Board co-chaired by Sir Michael Ryan (Industry Chair, former Spirit AeroSystems Belfast) and a Department for Business & Trade Minister, supported by Working Groups focused on Manufacturing & Supply Chain (chaired by Warren Gee, Rolls-Royce) and People & Skills (chaired by John Watton, GKN Aerospace). Programme delivery is executed through partners including ADS Group, ATI, the Catapults, the Engineering Development Trust, and Regional Aerospace Alliances. Following a 2025 restructure, AGP was streamlined to remain aligned with the UK's evolving industrial strategy.

Name

Aerospace Growth Partnership

Legal name

Aerospace Growth Partnership

Website

https://theagp.aero

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) is a 2010-established UK Government–industry coordination body that delivers aerospace innovation, supply chain improvement, and skills programmes — including ATI, SC21, and Future Flight Challenge — serving the UK aerospace ecosystem of primes, suppliers, and universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Industry Partnership Coordination

NAICS

Management of Companies and Enterprises (55111), Space Research and Technology (927110)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

SME & Entrepreneurship Development (Trade-Linked) (BPADAMAE), Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

Keywords

• Aerospace industry partnership
• Sector coordination programmes
• Supply chain improvement
• Aerospace skills development
• Aerospace research strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) is a strategic coordination body between the UK Government and the UK aerospace industry, established in 2010. It does not sell commercial products or services; instead, it delivers and coordinates a portfolio of programmes, charters, and working groups covering aerospace innovation, supply chain competitiveness, and people and skills development. Its outputs include funded R&T initiatives, supply chain improvement frameworks, industry charters, and skills accreditation programmes accessible to primes, OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and SMEs in the UK aerospace ecosystem.

Product overview

The Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) is a strategic collaboration between the UK Government and aerospace industry, established in 2010 to secure the long-term future of UK aerospace. The AGP is not a product company but rather a coordination and governance body delivering programmes across three strategic pillars: Innovation, Competitive Business, and People and Skills. Core innovation programmes include the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme (NATEP), Future Flight Challenge, Catapult Centres, and UK Aerospace Research Consortium. Business improvement programmes include SC21 (Supply Chains for the 21st Century) and Sharing in Growth. Skills programmes include Engineering Talent, Jon Dennison Bursary, and Aerospace Industrial Cadets Programme. The AGP also coordinates the Supply Chain Solutions programme and oversees three charters: the UK Supply Chain Competitiveness Charter, Women in Aviation & Aerospace Charter, and SME Finance Charter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)

Quantifiable outcome

• £676 million of joint industry and government R&D investment facilitated through ATI Programme
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 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 core, major, emerging and supporting.

• UK Government (Department for Business & Trade)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe AGP is co-chaired by a Minister from the Department for Business & Trade. Government provides strategic leadership, aligns AGP activity with national industrial strategy, supports policy development, and enables delivery of key initiatives. This is the foundational partnership that established AGP in 2010.
• Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerATI began as the Technology Working Group under AGP in 2014. It sets UK aerospace technology strategy and manages £3.9 billion joint government-industry R&T investment commitment. Works with Government, industry, and UK Aerospace Eco-System to create R&T project portfolio.
• ADS GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADS delivers key AGP programmes including NATEP 3 (£10 million SME technology programme) and SC21 supply chain improvement programme. Provides business improvement initiatives and coordinates with Devolved Administrations.
• Catapult Network (High Value Manufacturing Catapult)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of technology innovation centres providing access to world-class facilities and expertise for aerospace R&D. Includes High Value Manufacturing Catapult with 7 centres. Supports businesses in transforming ideas into commercial products.
• Engineering Development Trust (EDT)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDT coordinates the Industrial Cadets initiative, including Aerospace Industrial Cadets Programme. Provides Headstart courses and STEM activities for young people, supporting aerospace talent pipeline development.
• UK Aerospace IndustrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresents the full range of UK aerospace stakeholders including manufacturers, suppliers, and trade associations. Industry partners participate through Board, Council, Working Groups, and programme delivery. Includes primes like Rolls-Royce, Airbus, GKN, Leonardo.
• UK Aerospace Research Consortium (UK ARC)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner11 leading UK aerospace universities providing centralized engagement point for UK university aerospace research capabilities. Includes Bristol, Cambridge, Cranfield, Imperial, Manchester, Nottingham, Queen's Belfast, Sheffield, Southampton, Strathclyde.
• Hydrogen Capability NetworkemergingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched April 2023, identifies recommendations to accelerate liquid hydrogen-powered flight development in UK, focusing on infrastructure, skills, research, and LH2 availability.
• Regional Aerospace AlliancesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional bodies across UK engaged in AGP skills and supply chain activities. Support localized stakeholder engagement and coordinate with Devolved Administrations.
• UKRI (UK Research and Innovation)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports aerospace R&T through Innovate UK funding, including Future Flight Challenge (£125m ISCF programme) and NATEP. Aligns with ATI technology strategy.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• SAE International: Global standards and industry-development organisation for aerospace and automotive engineering — adjacent to AGP through shared aerospace engineering and skills-development activities, though not a government-industry coordination body.
• UK Space Agency: UK government agency responsible for the civil space strategy and a co-stakeholder in the National Space Partnership — closely adjacent public-sector body that interacts with AGP through the wider UK aerospace/space ecosystem.
• ADS Group: UK trade association for aerospace, defence, security and space; while AGP and ADS are separate organisations, ADS is AGP's primary delivery partner for SC21 and NATEP and the most closely adjacent UK aerospace ecosystem organisation.
• RenewableUK (Wind Industry Council): UK trade and industry body for wind/renewable energy that coordinates industry-government activity through formal working groups — a thematic peer for AGP in terms of UK sector-level partnership operating model, though not aerospace.
• Automotive Council UK: UK government-industry partnership body for the automotive sector — operates an analogous industry-government convening, working-group and strategy-delivery model to AGP, providing a relevant cross-sector benchmark for AGP's structure.

Broad incumbents

• AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD): Pan-European aerospace and defence industry association representing national associations and primes at EU level — broader geographic remit than AGP but plays a directly comparable industry-policy coordination role.

Direct peers

• Groupement des Industries Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales (GIFAS): French aerospace industry association representing OEMs, suppliers and Tier-1/Tier-2 firms — the closest national-level equivalent to AGP's role of coordinating industry-government strategy for the UK aerospace sector.
• Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC): National association representing Canada's aerospace manufacturers and supply chain, coordinating with the Canadian government on industrial policy — comparable national-level aerospace convening body to AGP.
• Bundesverband der Deutschen Luft- und Raumfahrtindustrie (BDLI): German aerospace industry association coordinating between German aerospace manufacturers, suppliers and government — directly comparable to AGP's industry-government convening model for the UK.
• Aerospace Industries Association (AIA, US): US aerospace and defence industry trade association working with Congress, federal agencies and OEMs to shape US aerospace policy — analogous in structure and convening function to AGP.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theAGPUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aerospace-growth-partnership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Aerospace Growth Partnership