Boost for UK robotics and autonomous systems 28 January 2013

A £1 million funding competition aimed at helping to develop robotics and autonomous systems technology in the UK has been launched by Universities and Science Minister David Willetts.

The Technology Strategy Board's investment is for feasibility studies to accelerate the development of robotics that use sensors to learn from their environment and adapt their behaviour accordingly.

Willets expects the studies to lead to greater commercialisation of innovative robotics in sectors ranging from aerospace and defence to transport, consumer goods and general manufacturing.

"This investment will give innovative UK companies the time and space they need to develop robotics and autonomous systems," he says.

"We are in a global race to develop new innovations and this competition will give researchers the freedom to explore early-stage ideas which can be demonstrated to potential investors and turned into commercially successful products," he adds.

And Iain Gray, chief executive of the Technology Strategy Board states: "The UK has world-class strengths in the underlying science and engineering contributing to these systems, and access to the markets that could exploit them. So what is needed now is collaboration across multiple sectors of innovators. This will encourage new partnerships so that we find novel solutions to known problems."

He expects the funding competition also to assist UK innovators and researchers in attracting future investment for R&D and commercialisation from new funding mechanisms – such as Horizon 2020, the EU's programme for research and innovation, aimed at creating new jobs and growth in Europe.

The Technology Strategy Board funding is for projects that develop early-stage and novel concepts to address identifiable challenges and mitigate risks.

All projects must be collaborative and led by an SME. They will last up to 12 months and each grant is envisaged to be up to £133,000, although projects outside this range will be considered.

The competition opens on 4 February 2013.

Brian Tinham

Related Websites
http://www.innovateuk.org/

Related Companies
Innovate UK

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