UK Government commits to funding more autonomous vehicle projects

The UK Government has issued a rallying call for the nation’s automotive and tech businesses to help Britain become a world-leader in the development of autonomous and connected vehicles.

The CAM Scale-Up UK Programme, delivered by Zenzic, was launched by the UK Government in 2020 to help start-ups and SMEs accelerate the development of solutions that could power the self-driving vehicles of tomorrow.

Since then, a total of 22 businesses have had their projects supported through the programme, which has led to the development of autonomous passenger and freight solutions, radar technology to help vehicles navigate extreme weather and AI-enabled perception systems.

Now preparing for its fifth year, the programme is again looking for innovative start-ups and scale-ups to take advantage of the CAM opportunity in the UK, with businesses urged to apply to join the programme and apply for funding as part of the 2024 cohort.

Supported by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), and in partnership with Plug and Play, the Zenzic CAM Scale-Up UK Programme focuses on giving start-ups and SMEs a unique opportunity to test their products or service in realistic environments across the world leading CAM Testbed UK facilities, significantly accelerating their delivery to market.

Mark Cracknell, Programme Director at Zenzic, said: “Since its launch in 2020, the CAM Scale-Up UK Programme has helped accelerate the development of numerous solutions which have helped advance the CAM ecosystem and position the UK as a world-leader in the development of connected and automated mobility solutions.

“But to ensure we remain at the front of the global race to develop the autonomous and connected transport solutions of tomorrow, it is vital that we continue to support the bright minds and innovative SMEs who play a key role in developing and deploying such solutions, which is why we’d encourage any business from an automotive or tech background with an idea of how they could help drive the sector forward to get in touch and find out more.”

One project which has been supported by the CAM Scale-Up UK Programme is the development of the world’s first self-driving, pothole filling robot, which made headlines across the globe last month when the first videos were released of it in action.

Developed by tech company Daresbury-based Robotiz3d and academics at the University of Liverpool, in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council highways engineers, the CAM Scale-Up UK backed robot will be trialed on roads in Hertfordshire this year in a world-first trial.

Lisa Layzell, CEO of Robotiz3d, said: “Being part of the CAM Scale-Up UK programme connected us to major players in CAM industry and opened doors for us coming into 2024. “It also helped us access world-leading testing facilities where we could test ARRES Prevent in as near to a real-world environment as possible to prove its feasibility.

“It is this in-depth support and access to world-leading experts which – alongside the funding - has really helped us accelerate the development of our work and move into a position where we can move to trials on public roads later this year.

“I can’t thank the team at Zenzic enough for their support. This is an opportunity that is something startups and scale-ups won’t have the resources to take by themselves and the support that Zenzic have provided have been incredibly valuable.”

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