UK Research Office

Name

UK Research Office

Legal name

UK Research Office

Website

https://ukro.ac.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Funding Advisory Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

International Student Funding & Mobility Grants Administration (EDADAHAL)

Keywords

• Research funding advisory
• Horizon Europe support
• National Contact Point
• EU research grants
• Research strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government-funded advisory services: UKRO is a government-funded organization operating as part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The organization provides free services to the UK research community with no revenue generation from customers. Funding is derived from UK government allocation through UKRI.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UKRO provides free National Contact Point advisory services to UK higher education institutions, researchers, and businesses seeking to participate in the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. It delivers expert guidance on the European Research Council, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Widening Participation, COST, and the New European Bauhaus, complemented by factsheets, policy news, funding opportunity listings, email alerts, and webinars.

Product overview

UKRO is a UKRI team providing free advisory services to support UK involvement in EU research and innovation programmes, primarily Horizon Europe. The service portfolio includes National Contact Point (NCP) services for ERC, MSCA, Widening Participation, New European Bauhaus, and COST; comprehensive factsheets and guidance documents covering legal, financial, and procedural aspects; a news and policy updates service; email alert subscriptions; webinars and events; and a funding opportunities portal with links to the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. UKRO no longer charges subscription fees, and all content is publicly accessible without login requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Contact Point (NCP) Advisory Services Official UK National Contact Point advisory service for Horizon Europe Pillar 1 schemes and COST, providing free guidance to UK universities, researchers, and businesses on European Research Council, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Widening Participation, and COST programmes. NCP email contacts ([email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]) route enquiries to subject-matter experts.
• Factsheets and Guidance Documents Comprehensive downloadable PDF factsheets covering legal and financial aspects of Horizon Europe, building consortia, applying for funding, ERC, MSCA, Widening Participation, COST, and the New European Bauhaus, provided free to the UK research community.
• Funding Opportunities Portal Online portal listing current and past Horizon Europe and related EU funding calls, with direct links to the EU Funding and Tenders Portal for application submission. Accessible without account on ukro.ac.uk.
• Email Alert Subscription Free opt-in email alert service delivering daily or weekly updates on news, funding opportunities, and events across European research and innovation, supporting continued awareness of Horizon Europe developments.
• Webinars and Events Programme Programme of live National Contact Point information webinars on Horizon Europe funding schemes and application guidance, with recordings of past sessions available for the UK research community.
• Legal and Financial Q&A Service Frequently updated answers addressing legal and financial aspects of Horizon Europe projects (including lump sum funding), provided as a reference resource for UK applicants and grant managers.
• EU-UK Relationship Advisory Information and policy-intelligence service covering UK association to Horizon Europe and Copernicus, providing factsheets and answers to common questions for UK and international audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• UK association to Horizon Europe effective from 1 January 2024 enables full participation including leading consortia
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKRO is a UKRI team operating as part of UK Research and Innovation. UKRO delivers National Contact Point services on behalf of UK Government within the UKRI structure.
• UK GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKRO works with partners across UK government to support UK's involvement in Horizon Europe. Delivers NCP services on behalf of UK Government.
• European Commission / EU InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKRO maintains presence in Brussels to engage with EU institutions, monitor EU R&I policy developments, and support UK-EU collaboration in research and innovation.
• UKRI Councils and Innovate UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKRO shares intelligence on EU R&I developments with UKRI Councils and Innovate UK to support coordinated UK engagement in Horizon Europe.
• Research EnglandsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKRO collaborates with Research England as part of stakeholder engagement to share EU policy intelligence.
• The AcademiessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKRO shares EU R&I intelligence with UK academic academies to support research community engagement.
• Universities UK International (UUKi)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKRO engages with UUKi to disseminate information and coordinate support for UK universities' EU funding activities.
• Devolved Authority PartnerssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKRO shares intelligence with Devolved Authority partners on EU research and innovation policy developments affecting their jurisdictions.
• Innovate UK (for Pillars 2 and 3 NCP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovate UK hosts NCPs for Pillars 2 and 3 of Horizon Europe. UKRO coordinates with Innovate UK for comprehensive UK NCP coverage across all programme pillars.
• Innovate UK Business ConnectsecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTailored support for businesses is available through NCPs and the Innovate UK hub for Horizon Europe. UKRO refers business users to this channel.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• ANR: The French National Research Agency is France's primary funder of research projects and provides EU research funding advisory as part of its broader mandate. Comparable to UKRO in its national-level research funding role, though with a larger and more direct funding allocation function.
• UKRI: UK Research and Innovation is UKRO's parent organization and the UK's national research funding body with a much broader mandate spanning all UK research councils and innovation programs. UKRO operates as a specialized UKRI team, so UKRI serves as both parent and broader incumbent with overlapping scope on UK research policy and funding strategy.
• NWO: The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research is the Dutch national research council with a broader funding and policy mandate than UKRO. Comparable as a national research organization that also advises Dutch researchers on EU funding opportunities, though with a wider portfolio of national funding programs.

Direct peers

• Universities UK International (UUKi): UUKi is the international arm of UK universities that coordinates UK HEI engagement with EU research and education programmes. It is both a UKRO partner and a functional peer in supporting UK universities' EU engagement, with overlapping stakeholders and complementary advisory services.
• APRE: APRE (Agenzia per la Promozione della Ricerca Europea) is Italy's National Contact Point for EU research funding. It provides analogous services to UKRO—advisory on ERC, MSCA, cluster funding, and training—with comparable structure and mandate. Directly comparable as a country-level NCP serving a major EU research community.
• KoWi: KoWi is Germany's EU research funding advisory office, serving as the National Contact Point for German researchers and institutions. Like UKRO, it provides free advisory services on Horizon Europe funding schemes, maintains Brussels presence, and operates as part of a national research framework. The most directly comparable peer given identical mandate and operating model in another major EU-associated country.
• Innovate UK: Innovate UK is the UK's innovation agency and hosts the National Contact Points for Horizon Europe Pillars 2 and 3 (the parts UKRO does not cover). It is both a partner and a functional peer to UKRO, providing complementary advisory services for UK businesses and research institutions on EU innovation funding—together forming the complete UK NCP system.

Others

• European Research Council (ERC): The ERC is the EU body that funds frontier research through ERC grants—the same grants UKRO advises UK researchers on. It functions more as a client/partner than a peer, as the ERC sets policy that UKRO interprets for UK applicants, but it is a key part of UKRO's operating ecosystem.
• Research England: Research England is a UKRI council that funds and supports English HEIs for research and knowledge exchange. It is a UKRO partner for stakeholder engagement and shares EU R&I policy intelligence, making it a strategic ecosystem partner rather than a direct peer.
• CORDIS: CORDIS is the EU's primary public repository for information on EU-funded research projects. UKRO references CORDIS as a data source for UK researchers. It functions as a related information service in the same ecosystem, though with a different scope (project publication vs. funding advisory).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uk-research-office-ukro-
• Xx.com/_UKRO_

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UK Research Office