Science company AEA Technology has announced the sale of its nuclear consulting business to Serco.
The Harwell-based group said it hoped to agree a deal within the next three months for close to £75m.
It is part of a restructuring programme by the company, which recently announced a £9m loss.
Serco, a support services firm based in Sunbury-on-Thames, said the move would add "outstanding" expertise to its own work in the science sector.
AEA's consulting business, AEAT Consulting, has a workforce of 450, including 27 at Culham and 47 at Harwell. It provides technical and safety advice to the Ministry of Defence, BNFL, and British Energy.
Serco already manages and operates the Ministry of Defence's Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) and the DTI's National Physical Laboratory (NPL).
Its chief executive Kevin Beeston said: "This acquisition provides an opportunity for mutual benefits between the scientists employed in AEAT Consulting and our current operations at AWE and NPL.
"This, in turn, strengthens the strong science and technology base that already exists within Serco."
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