Research and development support for tech and smart cities

The UK's tech ecosystem offers innovative companies networking opportunities, practical research support and research funding.

Research and development (R&D) infrastructure and networks

Catapult Network

The Catapult Network has 9 innovation centres across 40 locations in the UK. In each centre, businesses, scientists, technical specialists and engineers work together on late-stage research and development. The Digital Catapult is the UK’s leading advanced digital technology innovation centre. It has centres in London, North East and Tees Valley, Northern Ireland and Brighton.

Other catapult centres which relate to tech and smart cities are the Satellite Applications Catapult, the Connected Places Catapult and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult.

Go to the Catapult Network website for more information.

Knowledge Transfer Network

Innovate UK’s Knowledge Transfer Network also supports innovative tech companies, providing sector expertise over the full range of tech subsectors. Find out more on the Knowledge Transfer Network website.

Research and development clusters in the UK

R&D clusters are closely linked (but not limited to) centres of activity for the industry. These include:

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Major activity centres round :

  • Oxford University
  • London and London universities, particularly University College London and King’s College
  • Cambridge and Cambridge University
  • Edinburgh
  • Leeds

Cyber

Centre of excellence include:

  • Belfast, a world-leading cyber hub 
  • Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. The town has a large cluster centred round the UK security and intelligence agency, GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters)
  • Manchester, a fast growing cluster, containing a GCHQ centre of excellence
  • Scotland, home to 8% of UK cyber companies
  • Wales, with several centres of academic excellence. Find out more on the websites of the National Cyber Security Academy and the Centre for Cyber Security Research

Fintech and data

Centres of excellence, specialising in fintech and related disciplines such as data analytics, are spread across the country. The websites of important centres are listed below:

Smart cities

Across the UK, different cities are researching and developing expertise in different smart city systems:

  • Smart energy - Aberdeen, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham
  • Smart buildings – Glasgow, Nottingham
  • Smart infrastructure - Brighton, Bristol, Birmingham, Cambridge, Bournemouth, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Peterborough
  • Smart governance - Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Peterborough
  • Smart mobility - Aberdeen, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Oxford
  • Smart health - Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham, Manchester, Oxford

Research resources

Konfer is an online tool which uses smart matching technology to connect UK universities and businesses.

UK Research and Innovation’s Gateway to Research website gives information on current and past UK research projects, including publications, outcomes and contacts.

Tax relief for innovative tech companies

The UK tax system provides strong backing for entrepreneurs and their investors.

The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) are UK government schemes that help you if you’re a younger, higher-risk businesses raising finance. They offer generous tax reliefs of between 30% to 50%.

Find out more about the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) on GOV.UK.

Next steps

Find out more about help for research and development in our guide to incentives, funding and support in the UK.

Get advice on setting up your research-focused tech business in the UK from UK experts – find their contact details on the Investment Support Directory.