Zero Point Motion and the EIC Accelerator: Sensing Motion With Light

Zero Point Motion, incorporated in Bristol in 2020 by physicist Dr Lia Li, develops inertial sensors, the accelerometers and gyroscopes that track movement, that combine silicon photonics with microscopic mechanical structures on one chip and use light to read their motion, an approach inspired by gravitational wave detectors. It says they are up to 100 times more sensitive than conventional MEMS sensors, which matters for navigation where GPS is unavailable. It was selected in the EIC Accelerator's March 2023 cut-off for a grant-only award. As a UK company its project is not in CORDIS, and in June 2026 it explained why: "The project began as an EIC Accelerator award, selected at a time when the UK's relationship with Horizon Europe was changing", and "Innovate UK stepped in to provide the support that allowed the project to begin", according to Zero Point Motion.

The company says it has "successfully completed" the project, "Redefining the Limits of Inertial Sensors", whose central achievement was "a first-of-its-kind monolithic manufacturing flow that combines silicon photonics and MEMS on the same platform". It reports progress from fibre-connected laboratory systems towards chip-level integration of lasers and detectors, with manufacturing developed with semiconductor foundries, and new packaging, software and test infrastructure. It has published no performance data from the project.

Where Zero Point Motion Stands Now

In April 2025 Zero Point Motion closed a £4 million round, working with "two of the world's leading foundries", according to the University of Bristol. Swiss navigation company u-blox, which invested in its £2.58 million seed round in 2022, remains a strategic partner. An Innovate UK case study published by the company in June 2026 says it has a first product "targeted for early next year" and is "engaging early adopters in construction, mining and agritech", with plans to double its 10-person team. At the end of 2025 it held £3.3 million of cash and £4.0 million of net assets, according to accounts at Companies House.

The Technology: Light as the Ruler

The accelerometers and gyroscopes in phones and cars are MEMS devices that sense tiny movements of a mass electrically. Zero Point Motion measures those movements optically, with light in a photonic circuit on the same chip, which it says brings far lower noise. Making the optics and mechanics together on one production line is what the project aimed to prove. Precise inertial sensing helps drones, robots and vehicles navigate when satellite signals are jammed or unavailable.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The EIC selected Zero Point Motion's inertial sensor for support; Innovate UK paid for the resulting project under the UK's guarantee scheme. The company reports completion and a key manufacturing breakthrough. There is no independent report, no published sensitivity figure from the new chips, and no product on sale yet.

1. Monolithic manufacturing flowDeliveredPer company, June 2026.
2. Chip-level integrationProgressedMoving from fibre systems.
3. Published performanceUnverifiedNo data released.
4. First productNot yetTargeted early 2027.

The Money

The size of the award is not public in EU or UK records reviewed for this article. The company's cash rose after each round, from £323,000 in February 2024 to £3.3 million at the end of 2025, after the pre-Series A. Its accounts do not include a profit and loss statement.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Navigation that does not depend on GPS is increasingly important for defence, drones and autonomous machines. A European maker of high-performance chip-scale inertial sensors would reduce reliance on a few suppliers. This case also shows how the UK's changing place in Horizon Europe left EIC-selected UK firms funded by a different body, outside EU reporting.

The Verdict

Zero Point Motion, Innovate UK and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.