Cambridge Consultants
Cambridge R&D consultancy that takes on first-of-a-kind medical technology, now part of Capgemini
Founded 1960 | Cambridge, UK (part of Capgemini) | 900+ employees
industrial-designmechanicalelectronicsfirmwarediagnosticsdrug-deliveryregulatory
What is Cambridge Consultants?
Cambridge Consultants has done contract research and product development from Cambridge, UK, since 1960. It became part of Capgemini through the 2020 acquisition of Altran and now sits within Capgemini Invent, with a headcount of about 900 to 1,000. Medical and life sciences is one of its main sectors, and its public work includes the optics behind Ellume's FDA-authorized COVID-19 home test. Projects tend to involve new sensing, surgical robotics, drug delivery or diagnostics technology rather than incremental redesigns.
Cambridge Consultants works primarily with clients in Diagnostics & lab devices, Surgical & robotics, Drug delivery, Digital health sectors. Its primary differentiator is: Physicists, chemists and engineers working in one building on problems no off-the-shelf design can solve.
Cambridge Consultants tech stack and services
Optics & photonicsRFEmbedded C/C++Machine learningISO 13485 QMSMicrofluidics
| Service area |
|---|
| Industrial Design & Human Factors |
| Mechanical Engineering |
| Electronics & PCB Design |
| Firmware & Embedded Software |
| Diagnostics & Lab Instruments |
| Drug Delivery Devices |
| Regulatory & QMS Support |
Cambridge Consultants pricing
Short answer: Cambridge Consultants uses a time and materials, phased fixed project pricing approach. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed; a discovery call is required.
| Engagement model | Typical range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Consulting | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
| Fixed project | From not disclosed | Well-defined scope |
| Time & materials | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
Cambridge Consultants does not publish a public rate card. Contact them directly via their website to get project-specific pricing.
Cambridge Consultants pros and cons
| Advantages | Things to consider |
|---|---|
| +Rare breadth of science and engineering disciplines for early, risky technology work | -Owned by Capgemini since 2020, so pricing and processes follow a large-group model |
| +Public medtech credits such as the Ellume home-test optics | -Among the most expensive options on this list; small startups often find the minimum budget too high |
| +Backing of Capgemini gives access to digital and manufacturing partners for later phases | -Best at invention and early development; routine sustaining engineering is not where it adds most value |
| +Strong at feasibility studies that tell you whether an idea can work before you fund a full program |
Cambridge Consultants vs alternatives
How Cambridge Consultants compares to the other top Medical Device Development companies.
| Company | Best for | Key difference | Rating | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemberg Solutions | Connected and smart medical devices, one engineering team. | Owns PCB design, firmware, embedded Linux, IoT backend and edge AI under one roof, so device and cloud are designed together | 4.8 | Full comparison |
| StarFish Medical | Startups needing design plus pilot manufacturing. | Medtech-only practice that can build clinical and early commercial units in its own certified clean room | 4.6 | Full comparison |
| Sunrise Labs | Electromechanical devices, fluidics and infusion. | Three decades of work on pumps, fluidics and motion-heavy medical systems where mechanics and firmware are tightly coupled | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| Velentium | Implantables and FDA cybersecurity submissions. | Combines active-implantable engineering with a dedicated device cybersecurity team that prepares FDA premarket security documentation | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| TTP | Pharma device programs, inhalers and injectors. | Employee ownership plus long-running drug delivery and surgical device work for large pharma and medtech clients | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| Zühlke | European medtech firms modernizing device software. | A device engineering practice and a large digital practice under one owner, useful when a device program is really a platform program | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| MedAcuity | Device makers with hardware but no software team. | US-based, ISO 13485 certified team that does nothing but regulated device software | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Key Tech | IVD instruments with consumables. | Designs the diagnostic instrument and its cartridge together, with human factors in the same studio | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Team Consulting | Inhalers, injectors and human-factors-heavy devices. | Three decades of medical-only industrial design and human factors, especially for drug delivery | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Minnetronix Medical | Electronic devices from design into US production. | Develops and then manufactures electronic medical devices in the same Minnesota medtech cluster | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Planet Innovation | Diagnostics companies in Asia-Pacific and the US. | Diagnostics roots plus product and commercialization experience in Australia and the US | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Orthogonal | SaMD and device companion apps. | Agile delivery adapted to FDA-regulated software, focused on the app and cloud side of connected devices | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| S3 Connected Health | Pharma companies adding connectivity to drug delivery. | Combines embedded wireless engineering with patient-facing apps and data platforms for pharma programs | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Veranex | Device design plus clinical trials and reimbursement. | One contract can cover engineering, clinical studies, regulatory strategy and reimbursement | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Sagentia Innovation | Surgical robotics and combination products. | Medical development backed by a listed science group that also runs a regulatory consultancy | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Bluefruit Software | UK device makers outsourcing firmware and testing. | Small, employee-owned embedded team with medical devices as its largest market and a strong testing culture | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Promenade Software | Small device makers needing software and security. | Pairs contract device software with its own medical cybersecurity tooling and information-sharing service | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Integrated Computer Solutions (ICS) | Touchscreen user interfaces on medical devices. | Qt and embedded UI depth applied to regulated device software, including on QNX | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Delve | User research and industrial design for medtech. | Design research and industrial design depth from two long-established US studios | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Kaleidoscope Innovation | Enterprises already working with Infosys. | US medical design studio with access to Infosys engineering and digital capacity | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Product Creation Studio | Pacific Northwest startups and lab instruments. | Small ISO 13485 studio that can follow its own quality system or the client's | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Simbex | Sensor wearables and biomechanics research. | Biomechanics and sensor research background applied to wearable health devices | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Softeq | Connected devices needing hardware plus apps. | Hardware, firmware, mobile and cloud teams in one company, with ISO 13485 in place | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| ScienceSoft | SaMD and device software on a budget. | Large, ISO 13485 certified software team with healthcare analytics and testing services | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Tata Elxsi | Large medtech firms offshoring sustaining engineering. | Offshore scale for verification, documentation and sustaining work on existing device portfolios | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Phillips-Medisize | Drug delivery devices needing high-volume production. | Design, molding and assembly of drug delivery devices under one global quality system | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Jabil Healthcare | Global production capacity for cleared devices. | Global scale, supply chain and FDA-registered production for established medical device brands | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Flex Health Solutions | Design transfer into global contract manufacturing. | Dedicated NPI center and design sites that feed directly into Flex's medical manufacturing network | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Plexus | Complex capital equipment needing build and sustaining. | Engineering, NPI and sustaining services for low-to-mid volume, high-complexity medical equipment | 3.8 | Full comparison |
Cambridge Consultants FAQ
What is Cambridge Consultants?
Cambridge R&D consultancy that takes on first-of-a-kind medical technology, now part of Capgemini
How much does Cambridge Consultants charge?
Cambridge Consultants uses time and materials, phased fixed project pricing. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. A discovery call is required to get project-specific quotes.
What tech stack does Cambridge Consultants use?
Cambridge Consultants works with Optics & photonics, RF, Embedded C/C++, Machine learning, ISO 13485 QMS, Microfluidics. Primary industries served include Diagnostics & lab devices, Surgical & robotics, Drug delivery, Digital health.
Is Cambridge Consultants right for enterprise?
Novel technology with high technical risk. 900+ team size. Key consideration: Owned by Capgemini since 2020, so pricing and processes follow a large-group model.
What are the best Cambridge Consultants alternatives?
The best alternatives to Cambridge Consultants depend on your use case. Top options are:
- Lemberg Solutions: owns pcb design, firmware, embedded linux, iot backend and edge ai under one roof, so device and cloud are designed together
- StarFish Medical: medtech-only practice that can build clinical and early commercial units in its own certified clean room
- Sunrise Labs: three decades of work on pumps, fluidics and motion-heavy medical systems where mechanics and firmware are tightly coupled
Compare Cambridge Consultants with other Medical Device Development companies
Cambridge Consultants vs Lemberg Solutions Cambridge Consultants vs StarFish Medical Cambridge Consultants vs Sunrise Labs Cambridge Consultants vs Velentium Cambridge Consultants vs TTP Cambridge Consultants vs Zühlke Cambridge Consultants vs MedAcuity Cambridge Consultants vs Key Tech Cambridge Consultants vs Team Consulting Cambridge Consultants vs Minnetronix Medical Cambridge Consultants vs Planet Innovation Cambridge Consultants vs Orthogonal Cambridge Consultants vs S3 Connected Health Cambridge Consultants vs Veranex Cambridge Consultants vs Sagentia Innovation Cambridge Consultants vs Bluefruit Software Cambridge Consultants vs Promenade Software Cambridge Consultants vs Integrated Computer Solutions (ICS) Cambridge Consultants vs Delve Cambridge Consultants vs Kaleidoscope Innovation Cambridge Consultants vs Product Creation Studio Cambridge Consultants vs Simbex Cambridge Consultants vs Softeq Cambridge Consultants vs ScienceSoft Cambridge Consultants vs Tata Elxsi Cambridge Consultants vs Phillips-Medisize Cambridge Consultants vs Jabil Healthcare Cambridge Consultants vs Flex Health Solutions Cambridge Consultants vs Plexus
Verify all details directly with Cambridge Consultants before making a decision.