Company lists · Data refreshed September 2026

Top 25 Universities with research programs based in the United Kingdom

RevenueBase identified 128 universities with research programs headquartered in the United Kingdom as of September 2026 and tracks 295,956 professional contacts across them, including 85,271 with verified work emails. London is the largest hub.

This list covers universities with research programs headquartered in the United Kingdom, matched on what each company actually does as described in its own words. Ranked by team size, largest first. Every row shows the company's own description, its RevenueBase Smart Search rating, and when it was last checked. Data refreshed September 22, 2026.

Published by RevenueBase, a B2B data infrastructure company. This list was built with RevenueBase Smart Search, the natural-language company search RevenueBase customers use to build their own targeted lists and unlock verified emails and direct dials at the companies on them. How these lists are built and judged.

How to read this list HQ checked on every row RevenueBase Smart Search rating on every row Refreshed Sep 22, 2026 86% judged on-target in blind review
128Companies
295,956Contacts tracked
85,271Verified emails
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The 25 largest universities with research programs based in the United Kingdom

Ranked by team size
Top 25 of 128 universities with research programs based in the United Kingdom, ranked by team size, largest first. Data refreshed Sep 22, 2026. RevenueBase Smart Search rates how each company's information relates to universities with research programs: strong evidence (its own description names it), partial (names part of it), indirect (matched on the rest of its profile rather than the description shown). Click a contact count to view that company's people.
#CompanyRevenueBase Smart SearchHeadquartersEmployeesContacts
1Indirect evidenceLondon, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 202610001+18,143 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“UCL (University College London) is London's leading multidisciplinary university, ranked 9th in the QS World University Rankings.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
2Indirect evidenceOxford, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 202610001+15,992 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Ranked number one in the world in the 2025 Times Higher Education World Rankings, we are at the forefront of the full range of academic disciplines, including medical sciences…”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
3Strong evidenceCambridge, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 202610001+14,775 contacts →

Strong evidence

“The University of Cambridge is one of the world's foremost research universities.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
4Partial evidenceLondon, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20265,001-10,00014,411 contacts →

Partial evidence

“Consistently rated in the top 10 universities in the world, Imperial College London is the only university in the UK to focus exclusively on science, medicine, engineering and…”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
5Partial evidenceManchester, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 202610001+14,153 contacts →

Partial evidence

“The University of Manchester is recognised globally for its pioneering research, outstanding teaching and learning, and commitment to social responsibility.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
6Partial evidenceLondon, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20265,001-10,00012,690 contacts →

Partial evidence

“King’s College London is amongst the top 35 universities in the world and 5th best in the UK (QS World University Rankings 2026), and one of England’s oldest and most prestigious…”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
7Indirect evidenceBirmingham, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20265,001-10,00010,745 contacts →

Indirect evidence

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
8Strong evidenceLeeds, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20265,001-10,00010,255 contacts →

Strong evidence

“Leeds is among the top ten universities for research power in the UK.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
9Partial evidenceGlasgow, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20265,001-10,0008,753 contacts →

Partial evidence

“Our mission is to undertake leading-edge, internationally-competitive research while offering a challenging student-centred learning environment.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
10Partial evidenceSheffield, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20265,001-10,0007,949 contacts →

Partial evidence

“We’re a Russell Group research university with a global reputation for excellence.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
11Indirect evidenceSouthampton, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20265,001-10,0007,907 contacts →

Indirect evidence

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
12Partial evidenceLiverpool, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20265,001-10,0007,702 contacts →

Partial evidence

“The University of Liverpool is one of the great centres of research, knowledge and innovation.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
13Strong evidenceExeter, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20265,001-10,0007,600 contacts →

Strong evidence

“The University of Exeter is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
14Indirect evidenceCardiff, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20265,001-10,0007,291 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Mae Prifysgol Caerdydd yn brifysgol uchelgeisiol ac arloesol a chanddi weledigaeth feiddgar a strategol, ac mae mewn prifddinas hardd a ffyniannus.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
15Partial evidenceCoventry, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20265,001-10,0006,835 contacts →

Partial evidence

“We’re a world-leading university with the highest academic and research standards.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
16Partial evidenceLondon, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20261,001-5,0006,834 contacts →

Partial evidence

“Queen Mary University of London is a world-leading research-intensive university with over students representing more than 170 nationalities.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
17Indirect evidenceNottingham, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20261,001-5,0005,629 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“We’re building the university of the future – a forward-looking institution that changes lives.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
18Indirect evidenceCoventry, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20261,001-5,0005,263 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Coventry University is a global, modern university with a mission of Creating Better Futures.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
19Partial evidenceBath, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20261,001-5,0004,912 contacts →

Partial evidence

“The University of Bath is a leading UK research university, dedicated to making a positive impact to the world we live in.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
20Indirect evidenceDurham, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20261,001-5,0004,774 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“A leading UK university.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
21Indirect evidenceBelfast, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20261,001-5,0004,678 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Queen's University Belfast has a record of academic achievement which stretches back more than 150 years.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
22Indirect evidenceLoughborough, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20261,001-5,0004,471 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Loughborough University is a fantastic place to work and study.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
23Indirect evidenceNorwich, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20261,001-5,0004,339 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“We are an internationally renowned university based in a campus that provides top quality academic, social and cultural facilities to over students across a diverse range of…”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
24Partial evidenceLancaster, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20261,001-5,0004,080 contacts →

Partial evidence

“Lancaster University is a leading higher education and research institution in north-west England and one of the largest employers in the area.”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026
25Indirect evidenceNorthern Ireland, United KingdomHQ checked Sep 22, 20261,001-5,0003,986 contacts →

Indirect evidence

“Recognised as University of the Year 2024!”

Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 22, 2026

Showing 25 of 128 universities with research programs based in the United Kingdom

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Universities with research programs based in the United Kingdom at a glance

As of Sep 22, 2026
28.8%Verified-email coverage
2312.2Average contacts per company
1,001-5,000Median size (employees)
10.9%Largest-city concentration · London
Sep 22, 2026Page data refreshed

Companies by employee count

1-10
10
11-50
11
51-200
16
201-500
10
501-1,000
14
1,001-5,000
46
5,001-10,000
16
10001+
5

Email recency for this list is measured worldwide rather than for United Kingdom, so it is reported there. Company counts and contact totals on this page are exact for United Kingdom, over 128 companies.

How this list was built

Company categories are rarely black and white. RevenueBase reads each company's own description of its business to decide whether it belongs among universities with research programs, so some rows will be adjacent to the category rather than pure plays. The description and RevenueBase Smart Search rating on every row are there so you can check each match yourself.

Source
The RevenueBase company graph: 60 million companies and 398.9 million professional contacts resolved from primary sources, queried with RevenueBase Smart Search, the natural-language company search available to every RevenueBase user.
What qualifies
Companies headquartered in the United Kingdom whose own description of what they do matches “universities with research programs”. Matching reads each company's description, not its industry code or its name.
RevenueBase Smart Search
RevenueBase Smart Search is how this list is assembled and how each row is rated. RevenueBase's data engine and AI assess a company's LinkedIn profile, information supplied directly by the company, its website and other publicly available information, then relate it to a category defined in a user's own words. Each row is rated strong evidence (its own description names universities with research programs), partial evidence (it names part of the category) or indirect evidence (the description shown names none of it and the match rests on the rest of the company's profile). The description supporting each rating is quoted on the row.
What we exclude
Companies whose own description does not clearly place them among universities with research programs, and records with no verified work email. Companies headquartered outside United Kingdom are excluded even when they keep an office there.
Match quality
In blind human judging of this matching method, 86% of matched companies were on target. Expect roughly 1 in 7 rows to be adjacent to the category rather than a pure play. Every row shows the company's own description and its RevenueBase Smart Search rating so you can judge each match yourself. Read the full methodology: how the lists are built, how the judging worked, and what the figure means.
Ranking
Team size, largest first: companies are ordered by the number of professionals RevenueBase tracks at each one. Employee ranges shown are reported bands, for context.
Verification
Every listed company carries at least one verified work email, 85,271 across the full list. Contacts re-verify on a rolling cadence, and each contact's own verification date is shown inside RevenueBase.
Refresh
This page's figures were pulled from the company graph on September 22, 2026. Lists refresh periodically as the graph is re-checked.
Corrections
Wrong category, wrong headquarters, or a company that has closed? Use “Report an issue” on any row. Reports go to the RevenueBase Data Team and feed back into the company graph.

Frequently asked

What is RevenueBase Smart Search?

RevenueBase Smart Search is how RevenueBase decides which companies belong on this list and how strongly each one fits. Its data engine and AI assess a company's LinkedIn profile, information supplied directly by the company, its website and other publicly available information, then relate it to the category the list is about. Each row is rated strong evidence when the company's own description names universities with research programs, partial evidence when it names part of the category, and indirect evidence when the description shown names none of it and the match rests on the rest of the company's profile.

How many universities with research programs are there based in the United Kingdom?

RevenueBase identified 128 universities with research programs headquartered in the United Kingdom as of September 2026, matched on each company's own description of what it does rather than its industry code.

What is the largest company on this list?

UCL, headquartered in London, tops this list with the largest team on record.

Which city has the most universities with research programs?

London leads with 14 headquartered companies, followed by Oxford (9) and Cambridge (6).

How do I get contact information for these companies?

A free RevenueBase account lets you run this exact search and work the top results, verified emails and direct dials included. Upgrading unlocks all 85,271 verified decision-maker contacts tracked across these 128 companies.

How current is this list?

The list refreshes periodically as the company graph is re-checked. This page's figures were pulled on September 22, 2026.

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About this data

RevenueBase is a B2B data infrastructure company. Its company graph covers 60 million companies and 398.9 million professional contacts, with emails verified on a rolling cadence rather than scraped once and left to decay. These company lists are generated directly from that graph with RevenueBase Smart Search, the same natural-language company search every RevenueBase user has: describe a market in plain words, get the companies that match, and add verified emails and direct dials for the people at them. It is the same data that powers RevenueBase's B2B data products, and a free account includes 500 credits to start. How these lists are built and judged.