North East AI & Data Economy R&D Companies Directory

Wordnerds is a SaaS platform that uses natural language processing and large language models to help large organisations analyse customer feedback at scale. Their unique 'context themes' allow users to train AI models on meaning rather than keywords, enabling actionable insights across sectors such as retail, transport and housing. The company has evolved from developing benchmark metrics for user-led NLP training to building integrated insight-to-impact frameworks for customer-led change management.

assist-Mi is a micro enterprise based in North East England that develops accessibility solutions for disabled people, focusing on transport and retail sectors. Their work combines user profile data, mobile payments, and location-based services to improve customer experience for disabled drivers and rail travellers. They lead all their projects, collaborating with technology integrators, retailers, and disability advocacy groups.

Anglestack is a micro/small enterprise that develops machine learning and natural language processing solutions for building safety compliance and climate risk analytics. Their work, spanning fire safety diagnostics, climate geospatial risk tools, and the Golden Thread building safety management system, consistently applies AI to automate regulatory compliance and risk assessment in the built environment and financial sectors.

V-Lab develops AI-powered virtual reality training solutions for health and safety in offshore construction and indoor climate control systems. Their work evolved from a thermal comfort controller to AI-based VR training platforms for the construction and offshore wind sectors.

Beam XR is a technology company developing a software development kit (SDK) that enables seamless video streaming from standalone virtual and augmented reality headsets without lag or performance degradation. Their technology targets the growing XR industry, including gaming and corporate training, by providing an easy-to-integrate tool for developers. The company's work has centred on enhancing this SDK with event-based data streaming, AI-generated feedback, and integration with major streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube.

Tricore Technical Services Limited is a micro/small enterprise that develops artificial intelligence and virtual reality solutions for health and safety training in the offshore construction and wind energy sectors. The company has participated in three collaborative projects, progressing from a feasibility study to an advanced VR training platform, with a focus on enhancing safety outcomes in hazardous environments.

Smart Grid Controls is a micro/small enterprise based in North East England specialising in smart grid solutions for renewable energy integration and distributed energy systems. Their work has evolved from feasibility studies on mobile energy storage sharing in Sub-Saharan Africa to developing secure data transmission methods via power converter modulation for peer-to-peer energy trading. They collaborate heavily with academic partners and focus on enabling a fair energy transition.

Prismtech is a small company specialising in IoT middleware and connectivity solutions. They participated in the CityVerve project, a large-scale IoT demonstrator in Greater Manchester, and engaged in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership to develop advanced middleware for complex multivariate IoT connectivity. Their work focuses on enabling interoperability across diverse IoT platforms for smart city services.

CyberNorth is a North East-based cybersecurity skills and outreach organisation dedicated to addressing the underrepresentation of women and girls in the cyber sector and supporting early-stage cyber startups. Through a series of Innovate UK funded projects, they have developed an innovation centre for pre-startup businesses, a mobile cybersecurity lab, and targeted programmes to equip influencers and young women with cybersecurity knowledge and training.

D-Ready is a micro/small company developing an AI-driven IoT system for aquaculture to reduce egg mortality in fish farming. Their technology integrates real-time video analytics, machine learning, and sensors to automate egg grading and monitor embryonic development, aiming to improve hatchling survival rates and operational efficiency.

KOMBINEER, operating as JointEffort.io, develops an AI-powered platform that connects organisations to facilitate collaboration and partner discovery. Their technology aims to improve productivity within industrial clusters, such as transport and logistics, by integrating advanced analytics and AI tools. Working with academic and industry partners, they focus on enabling data-driven decision-making and cluster development.

Tao Tech is a micro/small enterprise specialising in optical communications technology, particularly micro-LED based transceiver modules for high-altitude pseudo satellites (HAPS). Their work exploits micro-LED arrays and single photon detectors to develop compact, low-power communication systems suited to the stringent size, weight, and power constraints of HAPS platforms. They collaborate with research institutions and industry partners to advance the commercialisation of these devices.

SportFin develops a digital platform for community sport and cultural organisations to automate data collection and visualisation for social impact reporting. The company evolved from building digital infrastructure for impact bonds to exploring generative AI to automate report writing, aiming to help these organisations access funding and demonstrate their social value.

Sunniside Studios operates a studio space in North East England for film, photography, and 3D scanning, converting scans into assets for film production, computer game development, and AR/VR experiences. The company has evolved from establishing a creative hub to commercialising a proprietary bullet time camera rig for immersive visual effects in the creative industries.

Roxid is a micro/small enterprise developing AI-driven tools for heritage management. Their projects focus on creating efficient, sustainable conservation practices by integrating data and preventing duplication. They have evolved from a demonstration model in 2024 to a scalable platform interface in 2025.

Persona Design is a micro/small company based in the North East of England. Their one Innovate UK grant explored the feasibility of using AI to generate dynamic, communicable user personas, moving beyond static documents to create a shareable repository of audience data for design strategy alignment.

Red Stamp Productions is a film and television production company based in South Shields, North East. It began by providing training for young people to enter the film and TV industry, and later launched a state-of-the-art post-production facility to serve local filmmakers. The company incorporates AI-driven workflows to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

E3Design designs and manufactures specialist carriers for emergency and security services, addressing the need for low-volume, customised tool transport solutions. The company has also contributed to humanitarian R&D, collaborating on a sustainable heating solution for refugee camps with a focus on repairability. Their work has evolved from product design for niche markets to sustainability-driven product optimisation.

Edwards Architecture is an architectural practice specialising in designing homes for older adults, particularly in rural areas, using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and PassivHaus energy efficiency standards. Their work evolves from initial MMC feasibility studies to developing design approaches for repurposing existing structures like garage blocks into age-friendly, PassivHaus-compliant homes.

AD Animation is a small animation and VFX studio based in the North East of England. They create high-quality animation content for online streaming and are developing a real-time virtual production process to integrate CG characters with live actors on set. Their work aims to produce educational content, such as a fire safety series featuring their own IP 'Tim and Bash'.