Chemical Manufacturing

BC&A Innovation

R&D Spotlight

The UK’s chemical manufacturing sector is a cornerstone of the economy, supplying critical materials and processes for industries ranging from pharmaceuticals and food production to construction, automotive, and energy. From developing new chemical formulations to improving large-scale production methods, chemical manufacturers frequently face scientific and technical challenges that could qualify for R&D tax relief.

Qualifying R&D in this sector involves attempting to achieve a scientific or technological advancement while overcoming technical uncertainties. This could be through developing new materials, improving manufacturing processes, or finding ways to meet tighter environmental or safety standards without compromising performance or cost.

Whether you’re working on small-batch formulations or scaling production to meet commercial demand, R&D tax relief is designed to support the kind of problem-solving and experimentation that chemical manufacturers carry out every day.

Here are some examples of qualifying activities in the UK chemical manufacturing industry:

Developing New Chemical Formulations or Materials

Researching and creating new chemical compositions, such as adhesives, coatings, resins, or polymers, to achieve enhanced properties like durability, flexibility, or resistance to heat, moisture, or chemicals.

Improving Production Efficiency and Yield

Experimenting with new production techniques or process improvements to increase output, reduce waste, or improve consistency at scale, particularly when scaling from laboratory to full production presents unknown challenges.

Reducing Environmental Impact

Developing cleaner production methods that reduce harmful emissions, lower energy usage, or minimise hazardous waste, especially when the work involves meeting new environmental regulations or improving sustainability.

Enhancing Product Performance

Improving the strength, lifespan, or performance of chemical products through changes to formulation, manufacturing methods, or treatment processes that require research, testing, and validation.

Solving Challenges in Material Compatibility or Stability

Overcoming technical problems related to the interaction of materials, shelf life stability, or degradation over time, especially when producing chemicals for demanding applications like aerospace, automotive, or healthcare.

Developing Safer Handling or Storage Solutions

Engineering safer ways to handle, transport, or store hazardous materials, such as developing stabilisers, packaging innovations, or treatment processes that reduce risk.

Meeting Changing Regulatory Requirements

Adapting formulations or processes to comply with evolving UK regulations, such as REACH, CLP, or UKCA marking, particularly when this requires scientific experimentation or re-engineering existing products.

If your chemical manufacturing business is engaged in activities like these, you could be eligible for R&D tax relief, helping you recover a portion of your research and development costs and reinvest in future innovation.

Our Process

What to expect when working with
BC&A Innovation

1. Discovery Call

Book your FREE 15 minute discovery call today to discuss your R&D activity and we'll guide you on best next steps and estimated claim value.

2. Information gathering

Our technical experts and industry specialists will work with you to uncover all areas of work activity eligible under the R&D scheme, ensuring we have everything we need to support a robust, defensible and maximised claim.

3. Create R&D Tax Claim

Our technical experts will write your claim and supporting documents with a clear assessment of your eligible activity and costs, ensuring compliance with the scheme's governance throughout.

4. Approval & Submission

We'll share, for your approval, the claim draft and supporting documentation. We'll explain in detail how we have arrived at our assessment of your claimable activity, costs and claim value. When you're happy, your claim can be submitted as part of your standard end-of-year processes.

5. Liaising with HMRC

Should HMRC require any further information or have queries regarding your claim, we'll liaise with them to ensure speedy payment without any reduction in claim value.

6. Payment

Once your payment is received, we'll send it across the same working day and advise you on processes that can be put in place to make future claims even more hassle-free. Don't worry about claims going forward, we'll be in regular contact to remind you what is needed and when.

About BC&A Innovation

We've helped hundreds of businesses like yours secure millions in Research & Development tax relief

Our team recognises the importance of R&D in advancing UK businesses, big and small, and we understand the time burden, resources and complexities of claiming tax relief for that R&D. These constraints often leave companies failing to get the tax relief they’re entitled to or underclaiming significantly due to unclear, often confusing guidelines about what constitutes R&D. As experts in R&D tax relief, we’re here to unblur the lines and create robust, defensible and maximised claims on your behalf.

We’re experienced tax professionals, accountants and technical experts with a deep understanding of the R&D tax relief regulations. We’ve worked in many of the industries we now serve and are ideally placed to understand your business’ R&D Activities. As part of HMRC’s panel on R&D, we stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the guidance, to provide our clients with the most accurate and up-to-date advice.

At BC&A Innovation we take the burden of claim generation away from the business so you can do what you do best, while we do what we do best. We pride ourselves on our integrity, professionalism and commitment to our clients.

Not sure if you qualify for R&D tax relief? Book a FREE discovery call today.

Many of the businesses we work with were unsure if they qualified for R&D tax relief at first. A few had even been told by other agencies that they could not claim. Yet, with our help they were able to correctly identify eligible R&D projects and claim back vital funds.

As experts in HMRC’s definitions of Research & Development, we’ll be able to tell you if you should make a claim or not. We’re success fee based, which means it isn’t in our interest or yours to take forward claims that won’t pass HMRC’s stringent checks. If we say it’s worth doing, you can take that to the bank.

Ready for a discovery call? Think of it as a no-obligation chat where we can discuss the work you’ve undertaken and identify tax-saving opportunities. Our expert consultants are keen to speak with you.