Geoptic Infrastructure Investigations Limited (“Geoptic”) has been awarded a King’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category — considered the highest official honours for UK businesses. This prestigious recognition celebrates Geoptic’s pioneering use of cosmic ray muon imaging to assess and assure the condition of the UK’s infrastructure, offering a novel and powerful approach to solving complex subsurface challenges.
The award recognises Geoptic’s groundbreaking work in applying muography—a technology that harnesses naturally occurring cosmic particles called muons—to generate high-resolution internal images of critical infrastructure. This innovation allows engineers and planners to “see through” solid structures like railway embankments, tunnels, and bridge foundations, enabling non-invasive assessment of structural integrity and the early detection of potential risks.
Pioneering Research, Real-World Impact
Founded in 2020, Geoptic is a spin-out from Durham University, the University of Sheffield, and St Mary’s University, Twickenham. The company was established following groundbreaking research by its academic founders, who were the first to demonstrate the practical potential of muon imaging for evaluating the condition of railway infrastructure—a sector where access, complexity, and safety concerns make conventional methods difficult or intrusive.
Since its inception, Geoptic has grown into a leading force in the commercialisation of muon imaging, working in partnership with a range of government agencies, infrastructure owners, and international collaborators. These partnerships have helped bring cutting-edge research out of the lab and into the field, where it is now being used to safeguard critical infrastructure assets around the world.
Transforming Infrastructure Insight Across Sectors
Geoptic’s proprietary muon imaging systems are deployed across a broad range of sectors including:
- Transport – for monitoring railways, tunnels, embankments, and bridges
- Energy – including nuclear facilities, pipelines, and buried utilities
- Defence – for non-invasive inspections and security assessments
- Civil Engineering – especially where excavation is either impossible or undesirable
This technology offers a non-destructive, passive, and environmentally safe method of imaging dense materials, voids, and anomalies below the surface. With rising demands on aging infrastructure, Geoptic’s solutions provide a critical tool for engineers and policymakers aiming to extend asset life, reduce risk, and plan with confidence.
A National Honour for Innovation
“Receiving a King’s Award for Enterprise is a tremendous honour and recognises the hard work and ingenuity of our entire team,” said Dr Chris Steer, Managing Director of Geoptic. “Innovation and its real-world impact are at the core of everything we do, and this award highlights our success in translating academic science into meaningful solutions that make the UK’s infrastructure safer, more resilient, and future-ready.”
About the King’s Awards for Enterprise
Previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, the programme was renamed in 2023 by His Majesty King Charles III to continue the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, who championed innovation and excellence in British business. Now in its 59th year, the King’s Awards remain the most prestigious business awards in the United Kingdom, recognising outstanding achievement in Innovation, International Trade, Sustainable Development, and Promoting Opportunity.
As a recipient, Geoptic joins a select group of UK companies recognised for their exceptional contribution to science, technology, and society. The company will be formally presented with the award at a royal reception later this year, and is now entitled to display the King’s Awards emblem for the next five years—a mark of excellence, innovation, and national trust.