UTMIQ Research & Development

Applied research into how software gets built, automated and operated — folded back into the products we ship and the tools we open source.

A hub-and-spoke diagram: the UTMIQ Research Hub at the centre, connected to seven research areas — AI and robotics, IoT and connected devices, sustainable technology, developer tooling and CI/CD, cloud infrastructure, data privacy and security, and people using accessible technology.

Our approach

R&D at UTMIQ is a discipline, not a slide. Three things guide it.

Research that ships

We don't do research for its own sake. If it doesn't make our tools, our clients' systems, or our open source work better, we don't call it research.

Open by default

Where we can, we publish what we learn as open source and in writing, not as a marketing exercise.

Honest about where we are

This is a young programme inside a small company. We'd rather say that plainly than dress it up as more than it is.

Where we're looking

Seven themes, not four services in disguise. Some are already real work; others are directions we want to grow into.

AI & machine learning

Applied machine learning and intelligent systems — how AI can be trusted with real decisions, not just demos. This is the foundation UTMIQ Agent is built on, and the direction most of our other themes eventually connect to.

Good fit for engineers and researchers working on applied AI and ML.

IoT & connected systems

Sensors, edge devices and the software that ties physical operations to the systems that run a business.

Good fit for embedded, edge and IoT engineers.

Sustainable & efficient technology

Resource-efficient engineering: infrastructure sized to what a business actually needs, and automation that reduces waste rather than just headcount.

Good fit for engineers interested in efficient, sustainable systems.

Cloud & distributed systems

How a small team runs dependable, affordable infrastructure without a dedicated site reliability team.

Good fit for infrastructure and distributed-systems engineers.

Developer tooling & software engineering

The applied research behind UTMIQ Agent: how software gets built, reviewed and maintained, and how AI can help with that safely.

Good fit for engineers and researchers working on developer tooling.

Data privacy & security

How systems that handle business and customer data — including AI agents — can be built to respect and protect it by default, not as an afterthought.

Good fit for security engineers and privacy researchers.

Digital inclusion & accessible technology

Making useful technology reachable for people and organisations without a dedicated tech team — the same thinking behind our Community programme.

Good fit for educators and researchers in digital inclusion.

Research projects

What's active, and what's next.

Active

UTMIQ Agent

Our most developed research output so far: a provider-agnostic AI coding agent, released as open source under the MIT licence.

See UTMIQ Agent
Coming soon

Project to be announced

We're scoping our next research project. Details will be posted here once it starts.

Coming soon

Project to be announced

A second project is on our list. We'd rather announce it once it's actually underway than promise it now.

Publications

Papers, write-ups and benchmarks, once we have them to share.

No publications yet

We haven't published papers, technical write-ups or benchmarks yet. When we do, they'll be listed here — first drafts included.

Research is better with more eyes on it

We want to work with universities, independent researchers, engineers and students on the areas above. If you have a specific question or project in mind, we'd like to hear it.

What we're looking for

  • Real expertise in one of our focus areas
  • A specific question or project, not just an introduction
  • A willingness to publish what you find, good or bad

What you can expect from us

  • Direct access to our engineering team, not a liaison
  • Credit for your contribution, always
  • Honesty about whether a project is realistic for us right now

Join us as a collaborator

If you're an academic institution, an independent researcher, an engineer or a student and think there's something worth exploring together, get in touch. A short message about what you're interested in is enough.

  • Universities & research groups
  • Independent researchers
  • Engineers & data scientists
  • Students