UK infrastructure for deep tech scale-ups

Project summary

The availability of high-quality scale-up infrastructure is crucial for fostering the innovation and growth of deep tech small and medium-sized enterprises. The infrastructure requirements needed to scale these companies are felt more acutely in deep tech sectors where R&D timelines are longer and capital investment more significant.  A recurring challenge across several deep tech areas is bridging the gap between research and commercialisation, where promising innovations struggle to transition due to, among others, limited access to critical scale-up infrastructure such as pilot production lines and large-scale manufacturing facilities. Pressing demand for high-quality scale-up infrastructure is an increasingly articulated problem from deep tech industries such as quantum and engineering biology.

The project aims to explore the challenges facing deep tech companies scaling in the UK and to identify solutions and policy interventions to facilitate improvement of the UK’s scale-up infrastructure offer. Actionable areas of opportunity will be identified as part of this work, offering practical recommendations and highlighting real-world case studies of infrastructure provision that demonstrate best practice.

The project is governed by a Royal Academy of Engineering Working Group made up of experts and Fellows, and chaired by Dr Simon Thomas FREng, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Paragraf Ltd.

The main evidence gathering phase (Phase 1) for this project is underway and we welcome relevant stakeholders at deep tech companies and infrastructure providers to please get in touch if you would like to contribute. Initial insights with findings from Phase 1 evidence gathering, desk research and stakeholder engagement will be shared in Summer 2025. Phase 2 of the project will follow-up with more targeted stakeholder engagement, case study development and testing of policy recommendations. A final comprehensive report and policy brief will then be published early-2026. published in Summer 2025. Phase 2 of the project will follow-up with more targeted stakeholder engagement, case study development and testing of policy recommendations. A final comprehensive report and policy brief will then be published early-2026.

Definitions and scope

Deep tech companies in this project are defined as businesses that focus on developing cutting-edge and complex technologies requiring significant R&D, capital and time investment. The definition in this project builds-on that provided in the State of UK Deep Tech 2024 report and takes a cross-sectoral approach within deep tech.

Scale-up companies in this project will be defined as businesses that have transitioned beyond the initial proof of concept phase and early Technology Readiness Levels and those that are in the process of scaling their operations with new infrastructure requirements.

Infrastructure in this project is defined as the facilities required to support different scale-up stages, including piloting, testing, demonstration, integration, and packaging. This encompasses infrastructure across universities, RTOs and industry, such as cleanrooms, wet labs, pilot lines, manufacturing facilities, specialist infrastructure, and, where relevant, digital infrastructure and supply infrastructure such as power, water and gas.