76% Micro
19% Small
3% Mid
1% Large
1% Mega
INSIGHTS - APRIL 2025
UK Scientific Research Industry
UK Scientific Research Industry Information
The social sciences research and development industry involves experimental and theoretical work with the aim of acquiring new insights, producing new materials, products, processes, systems and services.
Active Businesses
12,195
Annual Sales
£54bn +
Employees
169,334
Economic Contribution
£24bn
Tags
Location of Scientific Research Companies
Scientific Research Companies by Size
Largest Scientific Research Companies
Turnover
Astrazeneca Plc
£41.7bn
Dyson Technology Limited
£5.1bn
Iqvia Ltd.
£2.8bn
Scientific Research Companies by Age
32% Young
27% Established
24% Startup
17% Mature
0% New
Oldest Scientific Research Companies
Established
Fastest Growing Scientific Research Companies
39% Declining
20% Rapid
17% Healthy
13% High
11% Low
Fastest Growing Scientific Research Companies
3yr CAGR
Lifearc
165%
Scientific Research Industry Competitive Environment - New Entrants vs Leavers
Scientific Research Industry Valuation
EBITDA Multiple
Scientific Research Industry Valuation
Turnover Multiple
Scientific Research Industry Valuation
Net Asset Multiple
Note - from March 2020 multiples are calculated monthly, prior to this they were calculated on an annual basis.
UK Scientific research and development Industry Insights
There are 12,195 active Businesses in the UK with combined annual sales of £54 billion .
The Industry employs around 169,334 people and contributes £24 billion to the economy.
The most popular location for Scientific Research companies is London with 3,449 and the fewest are located in Northern Ireland with 154.
The largest Scientific Research company is Astrazeneca Plc with a turnover of £41.7bn. 76% of the industry is comprised of Micro companies with only 3% Mid companies.
17% of the Scientific Research Industry is made up of 17% Mature but the majority are Young businesses (32%) the oldest company is Philological Society.(the) founded in 1879.
Scientific Research industry has a number of high growth companies (13%), the fastest growing company is Lifearc with a 3 year growth rate of 165%. Other fast growing companies include Adaptimmune Limited (152%), Adaptimmune Therapeutics Plc (148%) and Polestar Automotive Uk Limited (121%).
The UK Scientific Research Industry’s valuation has been improving over the past 3 years with a current EBITDA multiple of 11.98x, Turnover multiple of 2.54x and a Net Asset multiple of 2.42x.
