RAPITA SYSTEMS LIMITED

Their core work

Rapita Systems is a UK-based specialist SME that builds software tools and methods for verifying and certifying safety-critical embedded software — the kind of code that must not fail in aircraft, cars, or industrial control systems. Their core work centres on timing analysis: measuring and guaranteeing how long software takes to execute on complex hardware, which is a certification requirement in aviation (DO-178C) and automotive (ISO 26262) standards. In EU projects they contribute as a technical specialist, providing analysis tools and expertise to consortia tackling the hardest open problems in embedded systems safety — particularly the transition to multicore processors, where timing behaviour becomes unpredictable and existing certification methods break down. Their commercial products and EU research work are tightly aligned: project results feed directly into their toolchain offerings.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (AMASS, 2016–2019), Rapita worked on broad cyber-physical system assurance methodology — a relatively upstream, cross-domain concern with no sector-specific keywords recorded. By their second project (MASTECS, 2019–2021), their focus had sharpened dramatically: every keyword is specific to multicore embedded platforms, timing analysis, and certification in automotive and avionics contexts. This shift reflects an industry-wide transition during this period, as automotive and aerospace systems began adopting multicore processors that their existing certification toolchains could not handle. Rapita moved from broad assurance frameworks toward highly targeted, commercially deployable tool development for a critical industry pain point.

Rapita is moving toward becoming a specialist service and tooling provider for multicore certification — a problem that is only growing as automotive and aerospace OEMs adopt more powerful processors under unchanged safety standards.

How they like to work

Rapita consistently joins consortia as a specialist contributor rather than leading projects — both H2020 participations are as partner, with zero coordinator roles. Their consortia are sizeable (34 unique partners across 8 countries in just two projects), suggesting they are sought out for a specific technical capability rather than driving project strategy. This profile indicates they are a reliable, focused partner who delivers a defined workpackage — typically tool development, validation methodology, or certification expertise — rather than a project manager or integrator.

Rapita has built connections with 34 unique partners across 8 countries through only two projects — an unusually broad network for such limited H2020 activity, reflecting the large consortium structures typical of ECSEL Joint Undertaking projects. Their European reach spans both industrial and academic partners in the embedded systems and safety-critical software domain.

What sets them apart

Rapita occupies a rare niche: they are a commercial SME that has turned academic-grade timing analysis research into shipping software tools — giving them credibility in both research consortia and industrial certification workflows. Few organisations can simultaneously contribute to EU research projects on multicore certification and sell the resulting tools to Tier 1 automotive and aerospace suppliers. For consortium builders, they bring the combination of tool development capability, domain certification knowledge (DO-178C, ISO 26262), and direct access to end-user communities in aviation and automotive — which is difficult to replicate with a pure research institution.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MASTECS
  Rapita's largest H2020 award (€679,175) and most focused project, directly targeting the multicore certification gap that is currently one of the most commercially pressing problems in safety-critical embedded software for automotive and avionics.
• AMASS
  Participation in this ECSEL Joint Undertaking project on cyber-physical system assurance placed Rapita in a large pan-European industrial consortium, establishing their network across the embedded systems certification community.