At Gryff Mason, we help our clients and partners navigate and optimise the UK’s innovation landscape.
Whether breaking new ground or reinforcing the foundations of their business, we work to secure businesses the research and development funding they need. No shortcuts. No noise. Just thoughtful, seamless delivery built on experience and results.
Innovation is the engine behind stronger economies and real-world solutions across health, defence, housing, energy, and more. Around the world, governments are backing R&D with serious investment. However, at home in the UK, we’re still not living up to our full potential. Business-led R&D spend sits at just 1.96% of GDP, well behind nations like Germany and South Korea, where it’s over 3%.
To close this gap, UK business has three powerful levers to draw on: R&D Tax Credits, Innovation Grants, and the Patent Box.
At Gryff Mason, we help our clients and partners access these with intention, to drive long-term growth and meaningful innovation.
As of 2022, 33 of the 38 OECD member countries offer R&D tax relief or similar innovation incentives, a sharp rise from just 19 in 2000. This marks a clear shift as governments increasingly recognise that targeted support is critical to staying competitive.
To track how countries invest in innovation, the OECD uses a measure called R&D intensity which reflects the percentage of GDP spent on research and development (GERD). Here the UK currently sits at 2.77 percent, behind G7 peers such as the United States (3.45 percent), Japan (3.27 percent), and Germany (3.13 percent).
The bigger gap lies in business-led R&D (BERD), where UK companies invest just 1.96 percent of GDP in R&D, trailing nations like South Korea and Germany, which exceed 3 percent.
At Gryff Mason, we believe the UK’s R&D incentives for businesses are not being used to their full potential. When applied as part of a broader strategy, these incentives can do more than ease financial pressure. They give organisations the confidence and capacity to pursue ambitious work and take meaningful risks.
Our name reflects the heart of what we do.
Gryff, from Gryffin, symbolises strength and the protection of value.
Mason, the master craftsman, giving form to ambition.
We built Gryff Mason because qualities like discretion, collaboration, compliance, long-term thinking, and the intelligent use of technology are too often treated like extras - we’ve made them our foundation.
As a founding team, we’ve spent time in this space, having collectively achieved:
We work with businesses across eligible sectors and disciplines that are solving real technical challenges in how things are made, moved, built, connected, or delivered. Our role is to help secure the financial support they qualify for by deliberately pushing boundaries, through expertly prepared claims across the UK’s three key research and development levers:
Every claim we prepare brings together deep expertise, intelligent use of technology, and our commitment to collaboration, discretion, compliance, and long-term thinking.
R&D Tax Credits have, since 2000, become a key mechanism within the UK’s legislative framework to support business-led innovation. Today, more than 30 OECD countries operate similar systems, each designed to encourage investment in technical and scientific progress.
In the tax year 2022 to 2023, UK businesses submitted approximately 65,690 R&D tax credit claims. This included 55,325 claims under the SME scheme and 10,365 under the RDEC scheme. This represents a 21% decrease from the previous year, likely influenced by increased compliance measures and administrative changes.
The UK currently operates five variations of R&D tax relief. These apply differently to SMEs and large companies, shaped by changes in legislation and policy, with each version having its own eligibility criteria, rates, and technical requirements.
The Patent Box regime offers a substantially reduced rate of corporation tax on profits attributed to qualifying intellectual property. It is designed to incentivise companies to commercialise and retain IP in the UK and to reward the long-term investment required to bring innovation to market.
In the tax year 2022 to 2023, approximately 1,600 companies elected into the Patent Box regime, a slight decrease from the previous year. Despite this, the total value of relief claimed increased to £1.469 billion, primarily driven by large companies, which accounted for 94% of this figure.
Used well, it can significantly enhance the value of protected work. But aligning technical, financial, and legal aspects takes care and coordination.
Grant Funding plays a critical role in advancing early stage ideas and accelerating high impact innovation. From feasibility studies to scaling prototypes, the right grant at the right time can unlock significant momentum.
In the fiscal year 2023 to 2024, the UK government allocated £153 billion in grants, marking a 2% decrease from the previous year. While this figure encompasses various sectors, a significant portion supports innovation through competitive, policy driven, and time sensitive schemes.
In the UK, grant schemes are often competitive, targeted, and time sensitive, with eligibility shaped by policy priorities and technical merit.
Navigating incentives can be complex, with shifting regulations, detailed documentation, and high stakes for getting it right. That’s why compliance sits at the core of everything we do - to protect a business’s financial position, strengthen credibility, and preserve eligibility.
Whether new to these schemes or looking for a better experience, we are here to listen, support, and help keep things on track.
When public money is involved, expectations are justifiably higher, and so is the scrutiny. As oversight has increased across all types of incentives, so has the need for submissions that are clear, accurate, and capable of withstanding review long after they are filed.
In R&D Tax Credits, HMRC now puts the combined error and fraud rate at 7.8 percent, down from 16.7 percent just a few years ago (For SME claims, it once reached as high as 25.8 percent). Over the same period, while claim volumes dropped from 90,000 to 61,000, compliance coverage increased by 47 percent - supported by HMRC’s increased headcount as well as smarter, data-led systems and processes.
Patent Box claims are also under growing scrutiny. While HMRC does not publish detailed statistics, new compliance guidelines issued in late 2024 set out clearer expectations around eligibility, qualifying income, and the Nexus Fraction calculation.
Grant Funding adds its own unique layer of complexity, typically with more immediate demands. These include technical reporting, delivery milestones, and maintaining day-one audit readiness.
The cost of mistakes on claims is more than just a hefty and unexpected bill. There is the time and effort it takes to respond, the risk of penalties, reputational damage, and the chance of missing out on genuine relief - both now and in future years. In today’s dynamic business environment, getting it right has never mattered more.
We've supported a number of clients who found themselves tied into agreements with more transactional providers lacking the technical expertise, end-to-end support, and performance guarantees required, which is particularly important in compliance-heavy areas where quality and accountability matter most.
If your provider hasn’t delivered the service you were promised, or what could reasonably be expected, you may have grounds to challenge or exit the agreement. Here are a few steps you can consider:
We’re happy to review your position and give you a clear, honest view of what’s possible, even if that just means pointing you in the right direction.
If you are undergoing an enquiry on a prior R&D Tax claim, it’s important to take a calm and considered approach to avoid further complications. Enquiries can sometimes feel unnecessarily drawn out, which may be challenging, but staying proactive and composed is essential.
You generally have a few options:
We recommend reviewing your specific case with a qualified advisor to determine the best approach for your unique position.
Yes, we partner with select organisations and individuals, from accountants and professional services firms to industry associations and thought leaders. All our partnerships are tailored to ensure that they align with the respective values and the specific needs of each relationship.
At Gryff Mason, we take your privacy seriously. Any personal information you share with us is strictly confidential and used only to provide you with the best service. We won’t share your details with anyone who referred you or any third parties without your consent. You can feel secure knowing that our commitment to transparency and trust extends to every part of our relationship.
Ready to discover how Gryff Mason can help your business unlock its full potential?
Schedule a consultation today via the form below or reach out directly - we’d love to hear from you.
hello@gryffmason.com
+44 7401 921089
