Innovate UK, GB: Small business research initiative – UK national robotics proving ground feasibility studies

14/10/2021

10/11/2021

Innovate UK, within the framework of the small business research initiative, invites applications for its UK national robotics proving ground feasibility studies call. This supports the design and development of the UK’s national robotics proving ground, which aims to accelerate the production and adoption of a new generation of service robotics. The total budget is £500,000 to fund between five and 10 projects. Grants are worth up to £75,000 per project for a maximum period of two months.

Projects must focus on one or more of the following themes: •architectural and system concept visualisations; •testing and instrumentation equipment capabilities or specifications; •robotics testing procedure specifications; •concepts for rapidly reconfigurable testing environments; •technologies to enable nationwide or worldwide remote access of robots and robotic testing infrastructure; •technologies to enable digital simulation or emulation-based robotics testing environments, digital twins or synthetic environments; •high-level operating concepts, outlining how the applicants would develop a robotics proving ground and what its capabilities would be; •a challenge prize competition design that uses the robotics proving ground facilities.

The lead applicant may be an organisation of any size, and may work alone or with partners from local authorities, business, research organisations, research and technology organisations or the third sector as subcontractors.