InnoFund expert
Richard Hine
Senior R&D Technical Consultant
Combining a First Class Honours degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering with 8 years of dedicated R&D tax credit practice, Richard possesses an exceptional understanding of industrial automation, energy systems, and HMRC claim compliance.
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Expertise
Combining a First Class Honours degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering with 8 years of dedicated R&D tax credit practice, Richard possesses an exceptional understanding of industrial automation, energy systems, and HMRC claim compliance. His ability to identify genuine technological advancement across heavy engineering, plastics, and food processing ensures that clients' claims are technically sound, maximised, and fully audit-ready.
Previously at TBAT Innovation Limited, Richard managed end-to-end R&D tax credit claims from initial client discovery through to financial preparation, technical claim reporting, and final submission to HMRC. Operating as a crucial bridge between a client's internal technical teams and their accountants, he ensures the submission of robust, highly defensible innovation funding claims for both SMEs and large enterprises. He is also highly experienced in managing HMRC enquiries, actively responding to and leading defense meetings with HMRC case workers.
Qualifications & accreditation
Professional & academic qualifications
- BEng Hons First Class - Manufacturing Systems Engineering (Liverpool Sir John Moore University)
- BTEC HND & ONC - Production Engineering
- EITB Engineering Apprenticeship - British Coal (Mining Equipment Industry)
- Systems and Compliance Trained - AML Complaince trained, MS Office, AutoCAD, SAP, and CRM systems (Salesforce, Siebel)
Career & experience
Richard has 8 years of specialist expertise in UK R&D tax credit claims.
Before specialising in innovation funding, Richard built an extensive career solving complex engineering challenges across the UK. During a ten-year tenure at GE Power / Alstom Power, he managed multi-million-pound sales and service contracts across the UK power plant industry, covering steam turbines, gas turbines, wind turbines, biomass power plants (EPC), and waste-to-energy boilers. His major project management experience includes serving as a Contract Project Engineer on a £50m major food factory upgrade for Integrated Food Projects at 2 Sisters in Scunthorpe, where he monitored project budgets, managed site contractors, and oversaw equipment installation.
Richard's deep technical literacy is grounded in practical engineering. He began his career with a four-year engineering apprenticeship in the mining equipment industry before advancing into CAD layout design, factory surveys, and automation systems for companies such as Summit Systems, Wrightfield Ltd, and Scanvaegt Ltd. This hands-on industrial background allows him to rapidly dissect complex technological advancements and accurately translate technical workflows into compliant R&D tax narratives.
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