This document provides an overview of a study on strategic alliances between small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the high tech sector in the UK. It discusses gaps in existing literature, including research being confined to specific industries or technologies and limited sample sizes. The literature review reveals models that don't address alliance failure in SMEs specifically and suggests location and a firm's lifecycle stage are important considerations for alliance success. The methodology outlines a mixed methods approach including a literature review, case studies, questionnaires, and data analysis to test hypotheses and provide conclusions on engineering successful alliances for SMEs.