Global R&D Strategy | Finance Global R&D | 20 Countries, 1 Team

Global R&D Strategy and Finance Global R&D – Twenty Countries, One Team, One Strategy

FI Group UK delivers a unified global R&D strategy, combining R&D tax relief, grants, and non-dilutive funding under one coordinated team. We manage the financing of global R&D across jurisdictions, reduce complexity, mitigate audit risk, and capture every eligible incentive. This gives CFOs the clarity and scale they need to grow confidently.

We help you to build your global R&D strategy, working on our 25+ years of innovation funding experience.

Government R&D Budgets in 2025 — Comparison of Five Countries (in GBP Billions) — Comparison of 2025 government R&D budgets for five innovation economies in GBP. Understanding the scale of public investment helps CFOs plan cross-border R&D strategies and identify jurisdictions where FI Group’s one-team model can unlock the greatest funding potential.

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FI Group's Global Service Offering

Key Decision Criteria		International Firm	Mid-Tier Firm
Global R&D tax delivery (20+ countries)	✅ (offices in 20+ countries)	✅ (global network)	❌ (limited)
Integrated grant & tax credit strategy	✅ (grants & credits aligned globally)	❌ (often siloed)	❌
Innovation loan & financing expertise	✅ (includes innovation loans where available)	❌ (not core focus)	❌
Single global point of contact	✅ (one account manager globally)	❌ (multiple contacts)	❌
Technical/scientific expertise in claim drafting	✅ (engineers & scientists on team)	❌ (generalist staff)	❌
Local delivery with global oversight	✅ (global-local model ensures both)	❌ (fragmented by country)	❌
Audit defence & risk management included	✅ (full audit support at no extra cost)	❌ (extra fees for audits)	❌
Value for money & ROI transparency	✅ (focus on ROI & savings delivered)	❌ (high fees)	❌
Track record & client service quality	✅ (25+ yrs, 18k clients, £1.7B saved)	✅ (strong brand)	❌ (moderate)
Sector specialisms (software, life sciences, etc.)	✅ (sector-focused R&D experts in-house)	❌ (broad but not specialised)	❌

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FI Group's Global Service Offering

Key Decision Criteria		International Firm	Mid-Tier Firm
Global R&D tax delivery (20+ countries)	✅ (offices in 20+ countries)	✅ (global network)	❌ (limited)
Integrated grant & tax credit strategy	✅ (grants & credits aligned globally)	❌ (often siloed)	❌
Innovation loan & financing expertise	✅ (includes innovation loans where available)	❌ (not core focus)	❌
Single global point of contact	✅ (one account manager globally)	❌ (multiple contacts)	❌
Technical/scientific expertise in claim drafting	✅ (engineers & scientists on team)	❌ (generalist staff)	❌
Local delivery with global oversight	✅ (global-local model ensures both)	❌ (fragmented by country)	❌
Audit defence & risk management included	✅ (full audit support at no extra cost)	❌ (extra fees for audits)	❌
Value for money & ROI transparency	✅ (focus on ROI & savings delivered)	❌ (high fees)	❌
Track record & client service quality	✅ (25+ yrs, 18k clients, £1.7B saved)	✅ (strong brand)	❌ (moderate)
Sector specialisms (software, life sciences, etc.)	✅ (sector-focused R&D experts in-house)	❌ (broad but not specialised)	❌

Book A Meeting With Our Global Team

Understanding the CFO’s Pain Points in Global R&D Finance

CFOs who manage finance global R&D for UK-headquartered multinationals face a set of recurring and costly challenges. These challenges arise from operating across multiple continents, often with very different compliance, reporting, and funding landscapes.

How FI Group delivers a single global R&D financing operating model

Your need	FI Group approach
One point of contact for the CFO	Dedicated Global Account Lead coordinating every jurisdiction
Local compliance with global control	In‑country specialists, governed by one standard
Faster delivery and less rework	Centralised data requests, shared templates, clear SLAs
Lower audit risk	Evidence playbooks, peer review, pre‑submission quality gates
Visibility and confidence	Consolidated reporting, cash flow schedules, risk registers

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How FI Group delivers a single global R&D financing operating model

How FI Group delivers a single global R&D financing operating model

Your need	FI Group approach
One point of contact for the CFO	Dedicated Global Account Lead coordinating every jurisdiction
Local compliance with global control	In‑country specialists, governed by one standard
Faster delivery and less rework	Centralised data requests, shared templates, clear SLAs
Lower audit risk	Evidence playbooks, peer review, pre‑submission quality gates
Visibility and confidence	Consolidated reporting, cash flow schedules, risk registers

Book a 25-min intro call

Our Five-Stage Method for Global R&D Strategy and Funding

Our process is designed for CFOs who want to remove uncertainty, reduce wasted effort, and capture every available R&D incentive worldwide. Each stage blends global governance with local technical expertise so your innovation financing works as one.

Team expertise that makes the difference

We staff engagements with specialists who speak both the language of your engineers and the language of tax and grants.

Dr. Fawzi Abou‑Chahine, Funding Director. Designs cross border funding roadmaps, aligns grants and tax to commercial milestones, and prepares board level business cases.
Software and digital specialists. Consultants who scope complex software and data projects, translate agile delivery into defensible claims, and manage HMRC and IRS expectations.
Engineering and life sciences consultants. PhD and industry experts who extract the right technical narrative from your teams and evidence scientific and technological uncertainty.
Local country leads. Advisors embedded in the UK, United States, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Canada, Latin Americ, Singapore, and more, fluent in local processes and language.

Client service promise
We act as a single worldwide team. Your HQ sees the full picture, your local teams feel the local support.

“We turn complexity into clarity. Fast. One coordinated team ensures your R&D strategy and your funding strategy move together, country by country.”
Dr. Fawzi Abou‑Chahine, Funding Director, FI Group

Speak to a PhD Expert

Team expertise that makes the difference

Team expertise that makes the difference

We staff engagements with specialists who speak both the language of your engineers and the language of tax and grants.

Dr. Fawzi Abou‑Chahine, Funding Director. Designs cross border funding roadmaps, aligns grants and tax to commercial milestones, and prepares board level business cases.
Software and digital specialists. Consultants who scope complex software and data projects, translate agile delivery into defensible claims, and manage HMRC and IRS expectations.
Engineering and life sciences consultants. PhD and industry experts who extract the right technical narrative from your teams and evidence scientific and technological uncertainty.
Local country leads. Advisors embedded in the UK, United States, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Canada, Latin Americ, Singapore, and more, fluent in local processes and language.

Client service promise
We act as a single worldwide team. Your HQ sees the full picture, your local teams feel the local support.

“We turn complexity into clarity. Fast. One coordinated team ensures your R&D strategy and your funding strategy move together, country by country.”
Dr. Fawzi Abou‑Chahine, Funding Director, FI Group

Speak to a PhD Expert

International R&D Tax Incentives Guide 2025

What’s Included in the International R&D Tax Incentives Guide 2025

This expert-led guide delivers:

A full breakdown of R&D tax schemes across more than 20 jurisdictions
Clear, comparative tables of available benefits
Eligibility criteria for activities, expenditure, and legal structure
Claim procedures, submission windows, and compliance tips
Country-by-country insights into grant compatibility and IP treatment

It’s the definitive reference for CFOs, tax leads, and innovation officers managing global R&D portfolios.

Stay Ahead - Download Here

International R&D Tax Incentives Guide 2025

What’s Included in the International R&D Tax Incentives Guide 2025

This expert-led guide delivers:

A full breakdown of R&D tax schemes across more than 20 jurisdictions
Clear, comparative tables of available benefits
Eligibility criteria for activities, expenditure, and legal structure
Claim procedures, submission windows, and compliance tips
Country-by-country insights into grant compatibility and IP treatment

It’s the definitive reference for CFOs, tax leads, and innovation officers managing global R&D portfolios.

Stay Ahead - Download Here

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International Grants Guide 2025: Navigate Public Funding Opportunities Across Europe, North & South America, and Asia

The FI Group’s International Grants Guide 2025 is a comprehensive reference for businesses and institutions looking to leverage public funding opportunities worldwide. Covering over a dozen countries, the guide breaks down national and regional schemes that support R&D, innovation, energy efficiency, sustainability, and industrial transformation.

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International Grants Guide 2025: Navigate Public Funding Opportunities Across Europe, North & South America, and Asia

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FAQ

Global R&D Strategy

Navigating global R&D funding can be complex, especially when you are dealing with multiple tax authorities, varying grant rules, and different accounting treatments. We have gathered some of the most common questions CFOs and Heads of Tax ask when considering a global R&D strategy with FI Group. These answers will help you understand how our approach works in practice and the value it brings to your organisation.

Case Study: Engineering Group – UK Headquarters

A global engineering firm headquartered in the UK, operating in five countries including Germany, the US, Brazil, Singapore, and Portugal.

Challenge: Each subsidiary was using different advisors and inconsistent documentation standards, leading to claim delays, duplicated effort, and a 15% variance in claim quality.
FI Group Solution: We implemented standardised evidence packs, coordinated by a Global Account Lead in London. Local in-country teams extracted technical data directly from engineering leads, while maintaining a consistent claim methodology.
Outcome: Advisory costs reduced by 25%, claim turnaround time shortened by six weeks, and total recoveries increased by £2.8 million in the first year. The CFO gained a consolidated dashboard of global R&D activity, aiding both audit readiness and future planning.

Schedule a 25-mins Intro Meeting

Case Study: Engineering Group – UK Headquarters

Case Study: Engineering Group – UK Headquarters

A global engineering firm headquartered in the UK, operating in five countries including Germany, the US, Brazil, Singapore, and Portugal.

Challenge: Each subsidiary was using different advisors and inconsistent documentation standards, leading to claim delays, duplicated effort, and a 15% variance in claim quality.
FI Group Solution: We implemented standardised evidence packs, coordinated by a Global Account Lead in London. Local in-country teams extracted technical data directly from engineering leads, while maintaining a consistent claim methodology.
Outcome: Advisory costs reduced by 25%, claim turnaround time shortened by six weeks, and total recoveries increased by £2.8 million in the first year. The CFO gained a consolidated dashboard of global R&D activity, aiding both audit readiness and future planning.

Schedule a 25-mins Intro Meeting

Build a global R&D strategy that finances innovation at scale.

Dedicated UK grants team with specialist knowledge of Innovate UK and other funders
In-house PhD qualified technical and commercial experts with deep sector insight
25+ years of funding experience, with offices across the UK and globally
Comprehensive approach from strategic scoping to post-award compliance

We bring together tax, grant, and R&D expertise under one roof, ensuring your grant strategy complements other funding like R&D Tax Relief.

Book A Meeting

Build a global R&D strategy that finances innovation at scale.

Dedicated UK grants team with specialist knowledge of Innovate UK and other funders
In-house PhD qualified technical and commercial experts with deep sector insight
25+ years of funding experience, with offices across the UK and globally
Comprehensive approach from strategic scoping to post-award compliance

We bring together tax, grant, and R&D expertise under one roof, ensuring your grant strategy complements other funding like R&D Tax Relief.

Book A Meeting

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