Typical Areas of R&D Activity

• Mechanical design and analysis, new mechanisms, kinematics, tolerance stacks, fatigue life improvement and lightweighting.
• Electronics and embedded systems, PCB design, firmware, EMC mitigation, power integrity and reliability under operating extremes.
• Controls and automation, sensor fusion, closed-loop control, machine vision, motion control and safety-related systems.
• Materials and processes, advanced alloys and composites, coatings, joining methods, heat treatment and surface engineering.
• Prototyping and test, design of experiments, environmental and durability testing, correlation between model and test.
• Manufacturing engineering, process capability, yield improvement, cycle-time reduction, line balancing and in-line inspection.
• Additive and hybrid manufacturing, parameter optimisation, lattice structures, support strategy and post-processing routes.
• Energy and sustainability, electrification, thermal management, waste reduction, circular material flows and efficiency gains.

Common Challenges

Engineering programmes span multiple disciplines and suppliers, and qualifying activity is often embedded within delivery. Clear separation of routine production from experimental development is essential, as is evidence that solutions were not readily deducible.

• Defining uncertainty, demonstrating why prior art, standards and established methods did not resolve the problem.
• Attribution across teams, allocating qualifying effort for staff, EPWs and subcontractors within complex programmes.
• Evidence and traceability, linking requirements, design decisions, trials, failures and test data to R&D objectives.
• Territorial and contractual considerations, ensuring eligibility under the merged RDEC scheme and correct claimant.

How We Support You

• Partner-led discovery with design, test, quality and manufacturing leaders to surface non-trivial technical work.
• Preparation of clear technical narratives that evidence baseline, uncertainty, approach and outcomes, mapped to HMRC’s interpretation.
• Financial mapping across staffing, EPWs, subcontractors, software and eligible cloud activity, aligned to your cost structures.
• Review of subcontracting and territorial rules under the merged RDEC framework to protect claim integrity.
• Comprehensive enquiry defence included as standard, with proactive evidence packs to minimise disruption.
• Benchmarking of scope and value against sector peers and current reform trends to support best practice.