Black Founders Programme
The Black Founders Programme is targeted at early stage and pre-seed, Black-founded companies creating innovative products and services for the...
Ahmed Kotb
Policy Delivery Lead
- Who we are
- About us
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Digital Catapult is a deep tech innovation organisation driving business value by accelerating the application of advanced technologies.
3,000
Companies supported since 2018
£555m
Investment raised by startups since 2018
20+
Advanced technology facilities nationwide
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- Our ambition
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Our ambition is to realise the practical application of deep tech through three interventions
Enabling UK deep tech companies to scale
Improving UK industrial supply chain resilience
Advancing UK development and use of data driven and open future networks
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- Our people
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We are an organisation made up of almost 300 innovators.
We pride ourselves on the skilled and talented people from varied backgrounds that make up our team – we harness the expertise, perspectives and connections of people of more than 40 nationalities, thereby bringing together a diversity of skills, experience and backgrounds.
David Bletso
Interim CEO of Digital Catapult
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- Our places
- About us
- Who we work with
- Startups and scaleups
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SONIC Labs Technology Access Programme
Five innovative organisations are participating on our SONIC Labs Technology Access Programme
Digital Supply Chain Programme: Made Smarter Innovation | Digital Supply Chain Hub
Creating a virtual hub, data observatory and network of industrial living labs to optimise information flows across manufacturing supply chains.
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- Government and Public sector
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Open RAN Innovation Programme & Lab | Project: SONIC Labs
SONIC (SmartRAN Open Network Interoperability Centre) Labs is a commercially-neutral, collaborative, environment for testing interoperability and integration of open, disaggregated...
Hydrogen Innovation Programme
Discover more about the the Hydrogen Innovation Initiative and the deployment of hydrogen technologies to address pressing energy and environmental...
Driving energy flexibility | Project: GridFlex
Digital Catapult and Energy Systems Catapult have partnered through the GridFlex Programme, funded by Innovate UK, to accelerate the practical application of deep tech...
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UK Digital Twin Centre
Delivered by Digital Catapult and funded by Belfast Region City Deal and Innovate UK, the UK Digital Twin Centre makes digital twins more accessible and meaningful in the UK. It actively enable industries and innovators to safely embrace, explore and realise their dynamic power.
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- Corporates and Industry
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Advanced Media Production: Foresighting skills for the future report
The Advanced Media Production: foresighting skills for the future report has been developed by Digital Catapult and Innovate UK's Workforce...
Green Hydrogen Certifier
This report looks at the Green Hydrogen Certifier - an end-to-end demonstration of a potential digital certification solution for hydrogen production...
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Annual Impact Report 2024
In the 2024 Annual Impact Report, Digital Catapult shares highlights from the past year, demonstrating how we lead the way, shaping and de-risking early adoption of deep tech solutions.
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- Academia
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UKTIN Publications and Insights
UKTIN Reports and White Papers provide insights for the future development of the telecoms industry.Advanced Media Production: Foresighting skills for the future report
The Advanced Media Production: foresighting skills for the future report has been developed by Digital Catapult and Innovate UK's Workforce...
Digital solutions for the energy sector
This report looks at challenges shared across the UK energy sector, as well as digital interventions that will enable the...
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Smart Nano Showcase Event
Join Digital Catapult's Technology Access Programme Showcase to discover how innovative organisations are applying cutting-edge technologies to solve real-world challenges. Hear directly from programme participants as they share project outcomes, key learnings, and the impact of their experimentation, while connecting with industry experts, innovators, and technology leaders.
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- Investors
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Black Founders Programme
The Black Founders Programme is targeted at early stage and pre-seed, Black-founded companies creating innovative products and services for the...
Creative Technology Programme | Project: MyWorld
MyWorld is a flagship programme for the UK’s creative technology sector. Led by the University of Bristol, it convenes the...
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SymphoMe: case study
Part of the Black Founders Programme, Digital Catapult supported SymphoMe to get investment ready and receive business expertise.
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- Startups and scaleups
- How we help
- Services, products and facilities
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Bespoke software & data systems
Developing proof-of-concept demonstrators to showcase the viability and benefit of deep tech solutions.
Designing, building and operating physical and digital facilities. Providing testbeds for deep tech discovery and experimentation.
Technology & innovation consultancy
Consultancy services helping organisations addresses market preparedness gaps, evaluate financial viability and navigate technology change management.
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Acceleration programmes for business
Creating acceleration programmes to support businesses.Helping them grow through mentorship, technology support, networking, and investment opportunities.
Bringing together and developing ecosystems of companies to explore, test and demonstrate how deep tech works in practice.
Driving meaningful collaboration and co-creation to equip the UK to be future ready
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- Technologies
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- 5GProviding advice and guidance on deep tech.
- Artificial intelligenceAccelerating the ethical and responsible adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
- Distributed systemsExploring, supporting and demonstrating digital technologies for coordinating multi-stakeholder…
- Future networksThe next generation of network technologies.
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- ImmersiveMaking the UK the best place in the world to create immersive content and applications.
- Internet of thingsAccelerating the adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) to make the connected world a commercial reality.
- Testbed facilitiesOperating physical and digital facilities, providing access for companies to explore deep tech.
- QuantumNew quantum devices such as quantum sensors, quantum clocks and quantum key distribution will impact…
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- Facilities
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- 5G Innovation ProgrammeDigital Catapult has launched this state-of-the-art 5G Immersive Lab in partnership with the North East Combined Authority.
- 5G TestbedsThese fully functional cellular technology facilities help to bring solutions out of R&D for testing as an early real-world deployment.
- Advanced Media Production StudiosThe UK’s first network of advanced media production studios built to enable research and innovation.
- Open Networks LabA collaborative environment for testing the interoperability and integration of open, disaggregated, and software-centric network solutions and multi-vendor architectures.
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- Opportunities
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Sign up to our newsletter
sign up for alerts and be the first to know when new open calls are announced. Don’t miss your chance to stay informed and get involved!
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Smart Nano Industrial Photonics Bootcamp
Build practical photonics capability through hands-on training in PIC design, simulation, and prototyping, with access to Smart Nano NI infrastructure and industry expertise.
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- Current interventions
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Driving energy flexibility | Project: GridFlex
Digital Catapult and Energy Systems Catapult have partnered through the GridFlex Programme, funded by Innovate UK, to accelerate the practical application of deep tech...Digital Supply Chain Programme: Made Smarter Innovation | Digital Supply Chain Hub
Creating a virtual hub, data observatory and network of industrial living labs to optimise information flows across manufacturing supply chains.Black Founders Programme
The Black Founders Programme is targeted at early stage and pre-seed, Black-founded companies creating innovative products and services for the...
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UK Digital Twin Centre
Delivered by Digital Catapult and funded by Belfast Region City Deal and Innovate UK, the UK Digital Twin Centre makes digital twins more accessible and meaningful in the UK. It actively enable industries and innovators to safely embrace, explore and realise their dynamic power.
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- Case studies
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Innovation, immersion and impact in Brighton
Looking back at a decade of partnership between Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival (BDBF) and Digital Catapult
Placemaking AI delivers data-driven insights to make visitor attractions more successful
Read more about how Placemaking AI took part in the High Growth AI Accelerator delivered by Digital Catapult for BridgeAI, an Innovate UK programme...
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Keeping traffic moving – Port of Dover success story
Learn how the Port of Dover gained insights into mitigating traffic congestion by simulating changes using a quantum computer.
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- Events
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Meet us at Commercialising Quantum Global 2026
Meet us in London from 16- 17 June for Commercialising Quantum 2026, Europe's largest quantum-focused event.
Digital Twin SME Network & Community Launch
Join Digital Catapult for the launch of the Digital Twin Community, a new network connecting organisations, researchers and innovators shaping...
Stronger Supply Chains: Practical resilience strategies for UK manufacturers
Explore what supply chain resilience really means for SME manufacturers, and how this can be achieved in practice.
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Smart Nano Showcase Event
Join Digital Catapult's Technology Access Programme Showcase to discover how innovative organisations are applying cutting-edge technologies to solve real-world challenges. Hear directly from programme participants as they share project outcomes, key learnings, and the impact of their experimentation, while connecting with industry experts, innovators, and technology leaders.
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- Services, products and facilities
- News & insights
- Blogs
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Demystifying Digital Twins: A Beginner’s Guide
Digital twins are more than virtual models. They are data-driven, interactive systems that connect physical assets with digital environments in...
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Climate Tech, Clean Tech, Envirotech & Green Tech: What’s the Difference?
Do you know your climate tech from cleantech, or envirotech from green tech? What’s the difference and why is it important?
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- Publications
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GridFlex Year Two Report: Accelerating Deep Tech in Energy Flexibility
Consumer-Led Flexibility (CLF) has the potential to lower energy bills, improve services, and accelerate the UK’s transition to a resilient,...The UK at the AI frontier: Challenges and opportunities
The UK at the AI frontier: challenges and opportunities report, produced by Digital Catapult in partnership with Innovate UK, sets...SONIC Labs: End of Programme Impact Report 2026
Digital Catapult and Ofcom's four-year open network testing programme concludes with the UK's most comprehensive independent evidence base on Open...
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Annual Impact Report 2025
The 2025 Annual Impact Report highlights our successes over the past year, demonstrating how Digital Catapult is accelerating the practical application of deep tech to equip the UK to be future ready, and showcasing our impact across our primary areas of intervention.
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- Press releases
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Digital Twin solutions deliver on promise of UK-wide industrial transformation
Digital Catapult, delivered through the UK Digital Twin Centre and supported by Innovate UK, has concluded its inaugural Digital Twin...
UK Digital Twin Centre convenes leading universities to accelerate digital twin innovation
UK Digital Twin Centre has announced a new academic R&D accelerator programme, bringing together The Alan Turing Institute and Cranfield...
Digital Catapult launches Advanced Connectivity Technology Access Programme to accelerate real-world innovation
Digital Catapult has launched the Smart Nano Advanced Connectivity Technology Access Programme, bringing together 10 companies to accelerate real-world applications...
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Data innovator Rubik Technologies awarded £75,000 grant by Techstart Ventures and Digital Catapult in Smart Nano NI challenge
Techstart Ventures, an early-stage technology investor, and Digital Catapult, the UK authority on advanced digital technology, have announced that Rubik Technologies has been awarded £75,000...
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- Blogs
- Search
- Contact