Securing valuable R&D Tax credits in the Rope Access Sector

Posted 1 November 2021

CBTax have been working with several clients that specialise in Rope Access services to claim valuable R&D Tax credits. Check out below the process for one of our clients in the sector that secured a considerable cash injection that further supported the business with future innovative projects.

CBTax undertook a collaborative effort with a client to submit a successful R&D claim for a business within the rope access sector. The business is at the forefront of their industry and is renowned for seeking advancements and improvements to their existing products and services. The business operates across the UK and in a range of locations, leading to a variety of weather conditions. This led to the business identified an area of innovate of enabling their team to perform their services in adverse weather conditions, be it rain, snow or sleet.

Traditionally, the team and industry would be required to wait until the adverse weather conditions had passed to continue their work. The team theorised designing and manufacturing a product which could act as a shelter and would protect both the member of staff and effected area from the weather, enabling the team to operate in adverse conditions.

The team went to the drawing board to establish the criteria and features they required for a product to enable the team to provide their services. The team determined, the shelter must be portable, waterproof and adjustable. Over a period of several months the team undertook an iterative design and development cycle, consisting of testing a variety of materials and designs for the proposed shelter. The team assessed a wide range of designs, materials and scenarios to ensure the product achieved their criteria and would provide a viable solution. After several design iterations and analysis of the combination of materials and products, the team developed a prototype to conduct a field test on a project.

As the team had previously never developed a product of a similar nature, the team were uncertain, regarding the feasibilities and practicalities of manufacturing a product of this nature. The team have currently developed prototypes, which have been tested in an array of scenario, however further development is required and R&D will continue in the future until the team concludes their development cycle and finalises their design and product.

The CBTax team undertook a technical discussion with the business and established the uncertainties and activities within the project. The team qualified the activities of the project and determined R&D criteria was met, leading to the formulation of the claim for the business.

If your business is interested in learning more regarding R&D Tax Credits or wish to have a general discussion regarding projects your business has undertaken, please contact CBTax.