Institute for Strategy, Resilience & Security @ UCL

What Institute for Strategy, Resilience & Security @ UCL does

The Institute for Strategy, Resilience & Security (ISRS) is a London-based research and advisory institute hosted at University College London, founded in 2008 by the Rt. Hon. Lord Reid of Cardowan. It operates as The Institute for Security and Resilience Studies Limited, a private company registered in England and Wales (Company No. 06842634), while functioning as an academic-linked not-for-profit advisory body with 1-10 employees.

ISRS delivers consulting services organised around three practice areas: Research & Analysis, Design & Assessment, and Strategic Alignment, targeting government and industrial clients on strategy, resilience, and security challenges. The institute is differentiated by a network of Senior Advisors drawn from former senior UK and US government officeholders — including a former US Secretary of Homeland Security and a former UK Chief of Defence Staff — alongside access to over 850 UCL professors. Output includes white papers (Trustable Software, Digital Resilience, Cyber Doctrine, UK Life Sciences), the Cyber Insider Risk Maturity Matrix, and structured Net Assessment events convened in conjunction with partners such as Public First.

Revenue is generated through paid consulting commissions, project sponsorships, and partnership-led publications with firms including Codethink Ltd and Shearwater Group plc. Distribution is direct to enterprise and government clients via bespoke engagements, supported by white papers, the ISRS website, and social channels on Facebook and Twitter/X. No external investment, pricing details, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Institute for Strategy, Resilience & Security @ UCL

Legal name

The Institute for Security and Resilience Studies Limited

Website

https://isrs.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ISRS is a London-based research and advisory institute at University College London that delivers consulting on strategy, resilience, and security to governments and industries, drawing on a senior advisor network of former ministers and over 850 UCL professors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London, London

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. Research and Consulting Projects: ISRS undertakes paid consulting and research projects for clients in government and industry, focusing on strategic challenges, resilience assessment, and security analysis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ISRS provides research, analysis, design, and strategic advisory services to governments and industries on issues of strategy, resilience, and security. The institute brings together a network of senior practitioners, policymakers, and academics to deliver consulting projects, publish white papers, and convene structured assessment events that help organizations address accelerating change, hyper-connectivity, and existential threats.

Product overview

ISRS operates as a research and advisory institute offering a portfolio of consulting services (Research & Analysis, Design & Assessment, Strategic Alignment) complemented by a publishing programme of white papers and reports. The institute produces publications addressing strategic resilience, cybersecurity, AI ethics, digital transformation, and economic policy, often in partnership with technology companies like Codethink and Shearwater Group plc. Key publications include the 'Towards Trustable Software' white paper proposing audit frameworks for software trust, the 'Digital Resilience' white paper addressing organizational resilience in digital environments, and economic assessment reports such as the 'Circular 331: Job Creation Impact' study. The institute also convenes Net Assessment events for strategic planning in uncertain conditions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research & Analysis Services In-depth research and analytical assessment on strategic challenges related to resilience, security, and risk management for governments and industries.
• Design & Assessment Services Strategic design and assessment services helping organizations develop and evaluate adaptive strategies for resilience and security in rapidly changing environments.
• Strategic Alignment Services Advisory services aligning organizational strategy with resilience and security objectives in the context of hyper-connectivity and unpredictable global change.
• Net Assessment Events Structured assessment events using Net Assessment techniques to evaluate organizational challenges and opportunities in periods of uncertainty, such as Brexit negotiations.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Codethink LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISRS partnered with Codethink Ltd to produce the white paper 'Towards Trustable Software - A Systematic Approach To Establishing Trust In Software' published in October 2017. The collaboration addressed systemic risks posed by untrustable software and proposed the concept of a trustable software engineering process.
• Shearwater Group plccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISRS partnered with Shearwater Group plc (LON:SWG) to publish the white paper 'Digital Resilience - Understanding The Challenges of Resilience in Digital Environments' in August 2018. The paper addresses how organizations can achieve digital resilience in an increasingly digitally dependent environment.
• UK Lebanon Tech Hub (UKLTH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISRS was commissioned by UKLTH in November 2017 to assess the job creation impact of Lebanon's Circular 331 programme. UKLTH is a private-sector joint initiative by Banque du Liban (Lebanon's Central Bank) and the UK government through the British Embassy in Beirut.
• Public FirstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerISRS ran a Net Assessment Event in conjunction with Public First to consider challenges facing the UK government during Brexit negotiations. The event brought together former special advisers, civil servants, political campaigners, journalists and businesspeople.
• University College London (UCL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISRS is based at University College London (UCL) and has access to the broad academic base of UCL with over 850 professors. UCL provides the academic hub for the institute's research and analysis activities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Royal United Services Institute (RUSI): UK defence and security think tank providing independent analysis on national security and resilience topics, directly comparable to ISRS's research and policy focus.
• Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): UK-based independent policy institute producing analysis on international affairs and strategic issues, with a similar advisory and research model serving governments and corporates.
• International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): London-based strategic studies institute with overlapping focus on security, defence and strategic analysis, serving similar government and enterprise audiences.
• RAND Corporation: Global policy think tank producing independent research and analysis on strategic, security and policy issues for governments and the public, with a comparable advisory and publication model.
• Eurasia Group: Geopolitical risk advisory firm providing analysis on political risk, policy and security issues to corporate and government clients, comparable in mission to ISRS's strategic advisory work.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): US-based bipartisan policy research organisation focused on defence, security and international affairs, with a similar mix of policy research, publications and senior advisory engagement.
• The Chertoff Group: Security and risk advisory firm founded by former US DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, who is also a Senior Advisor at ISRS, with closely overlapping expertise and clientele.
• Control Risks: Global risk consultancy specialising in security, political and integrity risk advisory for multinational clients, competing in adjacent segments of the same strategic risk advisory market.
• Brookings Institution: US-based public policy think tank conducting in-depth research on strategic and policy issues, with a comparable publication-and-advisory model targeting government and enterprise audiences.

Emerging players

• Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP): UK academic-policy bridge organisation connecting researchers with senior policymakers — a niche but directly comparable academic-anchored model to ISRS's UCL-based structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ISRS_UCL
• Facebookfacebook.com/isrs.ucl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isrs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Institute for Strategy, Resilience & Security @ UCL