Cambridge Consultants Ltd
Encyclopedia
Cambridge Consultants is an international technology development and consultancy company, providing outsourced Research and Development
to clients - from start-ups to blue-chip multinationals - who need to develop innovative, technologically novel, breakthrough products. The company also provides business consulting services in the areas of innovation management, market strategy and technical due diligence
.
As of mid-2008, the company employs about 300 engineers, scientists, mathematicians, consultants, analysts and support staff in both Cambridge
, UK and Cambridge
, USA. In addition to their client work, staff at Cambridge Consultants are free to develop their own intellectual property
, either for licensing to clients or as the basis for a spin-out business.
at disposal of the problems of British industry", Cambridge Consultants was one of the UK's first technology transfer
businesses. Their early work laid the foundations for what is now known as the Cambridge Phenomenon or Silicon Fen
. Indeed, many of the high-tech companies in and around the city of Cambridge can trace their roots back to Cambridge Consultants.
Inspired by the service and business model of CCL several engineering and innovation companies like Technology partnership (www.ttp.com), Verhaert Masters in Innovation (www.verhaert.com), Sentec Limited (www.sentec.co.uk) and Sagentia (www.sagentia.com) came to life.
Initially, the company was privately run. However, in January 1972, it became part of Arthur D. Little, the large American management consultancy, gaining professional management support and access to international markets. Cambridge Consultants remained part of Arthur D. Little until 2001. In 2002 the management team at Cambridge Consultants acquired the company, backed by Altran
, Europe’s largest technology consultancy.
Despite the early difficulties witnessed by many technology companies at the turn of the millennium, Cambridge Consultants has continued to grow since 2000, and now has a reputation as one of the world’s most innovative product development companies.
The company's Medical Technology Division develops products and technology for drug delivery (respiratory, transdermal, injection, etc), diagnostics (both lab-based and point-of-care devices), and surgical and interventional device manufacturers. The company is also working to develop a new generation of wireless medical products.
The Wireless Division develops chips through to complete products and is active in the majority of wireless technologies available today, including satellite and WiMAX
to ZigBee
, UWB
and NFC
. Cambridge Consultants is responsible for many 'world-firsts' in wireless communication, including:
The Products & Systems division within Cambridge Consultants develops CleanTech, industrial and consumer products, transport technologies, and ASIC
s and FPGAs. Many ASIC projects use Cambridge Consultants' XAP processor
core. The Division also developed the Prism 200, an advanced handheld through-wall radar and the open standard Universal Metering Interface
for smart metering.
The Consulting Division at Cambridge Consultants advises companies on market strategy, transaction support and innovation management, especially where complex technology is involved. The Division's consultants and analysts carry out technical and commercial due diligence for clients around the world, and provide Expert Reports for companies listing on the UK stock market. Using a range of bespoke consulting tools, the teams also assist organisations to better manage ideas, and to prepare more effectively for future market scenarios.
, namely Domino, Xaar, Prelude Trust, CSR plc
and Vivid (sold to Vectura Group
). Other successful spin-offs include Alphamosaic
and Inca, who have subsequently been acquired by Broadcom
for US$123 million and Dainippon Screen for €43.8 million, respectively. Both sales were achieved within five years of the companies being formed.
In a new approach to venturing, Cambridge Consultants established a joint £10-million joint venture fund with the technology venture capitalist Esprit Capital Partners. The fund will be used to invest exclusively in Cambridge Consultants’ own spin-outs.http://www.cambridgeconsultants.com/news_pr178.shtml
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
to clients - from start-ups to blue-chip multinationals - who need to develop innovative, technologically novel, breakthrough products. The company also provides business consulting services in the areas of innovation management, market strategy and technical due diligence
Due diligence
"Due diligence" is a term used for a number of concepts involving either an investigation of a business or person prior to signing a contract, or an act with a certain standard of care. It can be a legal obligation, but the term will more commonly apply to voluntary investigations...
.
As of mid-2008, the company employs about 300 engineers, scientists, mathematicians, consultants, analysts and support staff in both Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, UK and Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, USA. In addition to their client work, staff at Cambridge Consultants are free to develop their own intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
, either for licensing to clients or as the basis for a spin-out business.
History
Founded in 1960 by two Cambridge graduates – Tim Eiloart and David Southward – to "put the brains of Cambridge UniversityUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
at disposal of the problems of British industry", Cambridge Consultants was one of the UK's first technology transfer
Technology transfer
Technology Transfer, also called Transfer of Technology and Technology Commercialisation, is the process of skill transferring, knowledge, technologies, methods of manufacturing, samples of manufacturing and facilities among governments or universities and other institutions to ensure that...
businesses. Their early work laid the foundations for what is now known as the Cambridge Phenomenon or Silicon Fen
Silicon Fen
Silicon Fen is the name given to the region around Cambridge, England, which is home to a large cluster of high-tech businesses focusing on software, electronics, and biotechnology...
. Indeed, many of the high-tech companies in and around the city of Cambridge can trace their roots back to Cambridge Consultants.
Inspired by the service and business model of CCL several engineering and innovation companies like Technology partnership (www.ttp.com), Verhaert Masters in Innovation (www.verhaert.com), Sentec Limited (www.sentec.co.uk) and Sagentia (www.sagentia.com) came to life.
Initially, the company was privately run. However, in January 1972, it became part of Arthur D. Little, the large American management consultancy, gaining professional management support and access to international markets. Cambridge Consultants remained part of Arthur D. Little until 2001. In 2002 the management team at Cambridge Consultants acquired the company, backed by Altran
Altran
Altran Technologies, SA is a European consulting firm founded in 1982 in France. Altran, self dubbed the European leader in high technology and innovation consultancy, operates primarily in technology and innovation consultancy, accounting for nearly half of its turnover...
, Europe’s largest technology consultancy.
Despite the early difficulties witnessed by many technology companies at the turn of the millennium, Cambridge Consultants has continued to grow since 2000, and now has a reputation as one of the world’s most innovative product development companies.
Current business
Cambridge Consultants' work spans a range of different industry sectors, and its structure is designed to mirror these:The company's Medical Technology Division develops products and technology for drug delivery (respiratory, transdermal, injection, etc), diagnostics (both lab-based and point-of-care devices), and surgical and interventional device manufacturers. The company is also working to develop a new generation of wireless medical products.
The Wireless Division develops chips through to complete products and is active in the majority of wireless technologies available today, including satellite and WiMAX
WiMAX
WiMAX is a communication technology for wirelessly delivering high-speed Internet service to large geographical areas. The 2005 WiMAX revision provided bit rates up to 40 Mbit/s with the 2011 update up to 1 Gbit/s for fixed stations...
to ZigBee
ZigBee
ZigBee is a specification for a suite of high level communication protocols using small, low-power digital radios based on an IEEE 802 standard for personal area networks. Applications include wireless light switches, electrical meters with in-home-displays, and other consumer and industrial...
, UWB
UWB
UWB may refer to:* Ultra-wideband, a very wide band radio technologyIn education:* University of West Bohemia, Czech Republic* University of Washington, Bothell, United States...
and NFC
NFC
NFC may refer to:* Nagacorp FC, a Cambodian sporting club* National Finance Center, a division of the United States Department of Agriculture* National Football Conference, a constituent conference of the National Football League...
. Cambridge Consultants is responsible for many 'world-firsts' in wireless communication, including:
- The first single-chip BluetoothBluetoothBluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
device, which was spun out to create Cambridge Silicon Radio, now the market leader in Bluetooth chips - The digital radio used to manage the majority of the US airspace
- The world's first GSM videophone for OrangeOrange SAOrange is the brand used by France Télécom for its mobile network operator and Internet service provider subsidiaries. It is the fifth largest telecom operator in the world, with 210 million customers . The brand was created in 1994 for Hutchison Telecom's UK mobile phone network, which was...
- The world's first digital wireless patient monitoring system operating in the WMTS medical frequency bandWireless Medical Telemetry ServiceWireless Medical Telemetry Service is a wireless service specifically defined in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission for transmission of data related to a patient's health . It was created in 2000 because of interference issues due to establishment of digital television...
, which the company developed for its client PhilipsPhilipsKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
Medical Systems
The Products & Systems division within Cambridge Consultants develops CleanTech, industrial and consumer products, transport technologies, and ASIC
ASIC
ASIC may refer to:* Application-specific integrated circuit, an integrated circuit developed for a particular use, as opposed to a customised general-purpose device.* ASIC programming language, a dialect of BASIC...
s and FPGAs. Many ASIC projects use Cambridge Consultants' XAP processor
XAP processor
The XAP processor is a RISC processor architecture developed by Cambridge Consultants Ltd since 1994. XAP processors are a family of 16-bit and 32-bit cores, all of which are intended for use in an application-specific integrated circuit or ASIC chip design...
core. The Division also developed the Prism 200, an advanced handheld through-wall radar and the open standard Universal Metering Interface
Universal Metering Interface
UMI is a set of 3 free open specifications for smart metering and smart home products. The UMI specifications define; a module interface based on SPI, an optical communications interface based on EN62056-21 and a security interface based on ECC-256 and AES-128...
for smart metering.
The Consulting Division at Cambridge Consultants advises companies on market strategy, transaction support and innovation management, especially where complex technology is involved. The Division's consultants and analysts carry out technical and commercial due diligence for clients around the world, and provide Expert Reports for companies listing on the UK stock market. Using a range of bespoke consulting tools, the teams also assist organisations to better manage ideas, and to prepare more effectively for future market scenarios.
Spin-outs
Cambridge Consultants has created over twenty new ventures in the past twenty-five years, several of which have gone on to achieve listing on the London Stock ExchangeLondon Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
, namely Domino, Xaar, Prelude Trust, CSR plc
CSR plc
CSR , or Cambridge Silicon Radio, is a company based in Cambridge, England. CSR is a fabless semiconductor company whose main product lines include connectivity, audio and location chips. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...
and Vivid (sold to Vectura Group
Vectura Group
Vectura Group plc is a leading British-based pharmaceuticals business. It is based in Chippenham and is a former constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
). Other successful spin-offs include Alphamosaic
Alphamosaic
Alphamosaic Ltd was a UK semiconductor company specialising in low power mobile multimedia processors, based on their VideoCore architecture. Alphamosaic was spun out of its parent company, Cambridge Consultants Ltd, by Robert Swann and Steve Barlow in 2000....
and Inca, who have subsequently been acquired by Broadcom
Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation is a fabless semiconductor company in the wireless and broadband communication business. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California, USA. Broadcom was founded by a professor-student pair Henry Samueli and Henry T. Nicholas III from the University of California, Los...
for US$123 million and Dainippon Screen for €43.8 million, respectively. Both sales were achieved within five years of the companies being formed.
In a new approach to venturing, Cambridge Consultants established a joint £10-million joint venture fund with the technology venture capitalist Esprit Capital Partners. The fund will be used to invest exclusively in Cambridge Consultants’ own spin-outs.http://www.cambridgeconsultants.com/news_pr178.shtml
Further reading
- Dale, Rodney (1979) From Ram Yard to Milton Hilton: A History of Cambridge Consultants Ltd, 1960-1979, 36 pp. Cambridge: Cambridge Consultants Ltd
- Dale, Rodney (2010) From Ram Yard to Milton Hilton: Cambridge Consultants - the early years, 120 pp. Haddenham, Cambridgeshire: Fern House Publishing, ISBN 978-1-902702-24-7
External links
- Cambridge Consultants – Official website
- Cambridge Network – Cambridge Consultants is a founder member of the Cambridge Network and regularly posts news and jobs here