Brits to benefit from faster recovery from surgeries and better harvests through new backing for robotics
Hubs across the country will give businesses and public services the support they need to adopt cutting-edge robotics technology
- Backing for new projects includes robotic-assisted surgeries to slash patient recovery times, while support for robotic farming tech will help bring more food from farm to table.
- New Robotics Adoption Hubs across the country will give businesses practical support to adopt robotics and autonomous tech.
- Programme aims to make UK businesses early adopters of robotics tech to boost productivity and growth.
Patients could recover more quickly from surgery and farmers will be supported to get more produce from fields to shops, as a new network of Robotics Adoption Hubs is rolled out across the UK from today (Friday 9th October).
Backed by £40 million, the hubs - from Newcastle and the South West to Milton Keynes and South Wales - will give businesses and public services across the country the support they need to adopt cutting-edge robotics technology.
The innovations they will benefit from include robotic surgical assistants that can make surgery less invasive, supporting quicker recovery and helping to get patients back home faster.
Farmers will also benefit from automated fruit picking machines - slashing the amount of time it takes to complete a harvest, and freeing agricultural workers up to focus on other jobs on their land to maximise production.
The hubs will deliver expert advice, tailored support to help users identify which technology best suits their needs, and real-world demonstrations which allow potential users to get hands on with the newest innovations.
Visiting the HARVEST hub in Lincoln, Minister for AI Kanishka Narayan said:###
Quicker recovery for patients, more time for businesses to focus on the work that makes a real difference, and more food on our tables. That’s the impact cutting-edge robotics technology can have up and down the country.
If we can harness robotics in every sector of our economy, we can speed up how we reindustrialise the UK. It really is that simple, but too often businesses and bosses don’t know where to start.
These new hubs will tackle that problem head on - putting specialist expertise, advice, and support at their fingertips. That means they can embrace it with confidence, help deliver rewarding jobs, and improve lives for people in every community.
While robotics technologies are advancing rapidly, some companies and entrepreneurs are unsure about how they can directly benefit their business, and how to adopt them effectively. Estimates show robotics and autonomous systems could add £150 billion to the UK economy by 2035 if adoption is maximised, though at current levels of adoption, this stands at just £6.4 billion.
These projects will bridge that gap by demonstrating how robotics can tackle real-world challenges across the country and in a range of sectors - from healthcare and farming to manufacturing, logistics and transport.
Among the other projects being supported, a dedicated hub in the South East will test automation to help improve how we manage waste and recycling. In Milton Keynes meanwhile, work will get underway to support the rollout of service robots, drones and driverless vehicles, bringing new technologies into transport, logistics and delivery services that people rely on every day.
The partnerships receiving funding will see collaboration between universities, research institutes, local authorities and businesses to build and share knowledge to help them deliver immediate benefits to people’s lives.
These investments sit alongside the existing network of facilities and initiatives to support robotics adoption across the UK, including the National Robotarium in Edinburgh, the nuclear robotics collaboration RAICo in Whitehaven, and the network of Catapult facilities including the Manufacturing Technology Centre in the West Midlands.
Bruce Adderley, Director of Advanced Manufacturing at Innovate UK, said:
Robotics has an important role to play in improving productivity, strengthening public services and driving economic growth.
These Robotics Adoption Hubs will provide a vital bridge between cutting-edge technologies and the organisations that can benefit from them, building on regional strengths and expertise across the UK.
By supporting adoption across a diverse range of sectors and locations, we’re helping businesses grow, attracting investment, strengthening local economies and translating innovation into jobs, productivity and growth in communities across the country.
Professor Simon Pearson, MBE, Founding Director of LIAT and Executive Director of HARVEST, said:
This funding takes us to the next level on our journey to advance agri-food through cutting-edge robotic solutions, securing support for businesses to overcome technical, commercial, regulatory and workforce challenges by working with the LIAT team and key industry representatives. We welcome the opportunity to lead this sector into the exciting future of food.
The investment forms part of the government’s drive to accelerate the adoption of technologies that can increase productivity, improve safety and support business growth.
Each hub will provide organisations with impartial advice on the benefits, costs and practical requirements of adopting robotics, as well as connecting them with technology suppliers, integrators and finance providers.
The hubs will build on specialist expertise already found in local areas and focus on getting proven technology into practical use, helping organisations move from considering robotics to deploying it successfully.
Notes to Editors
The eight new Robotics Adoption Hubs are:
- SHARP - The National Surgical Robotic Adoption Hub will accelerate safe, effective adoption of surgical robotics, supporting evidence-based implementation and improving access to innovative surgical care.
- Greater Southwest Robotic Adoption Hub - Supporting businesses across the Greater Southwest to adopt robotics, boost productivity and build confidence through expert advice, industry connections, practical support, and real-world demonstrations.
- HARVEST - based in Lincoln, tackling barriers to robotics across the agri-food sector with testbeds covering arable farming, fruit, vegetables and food manufacturing.
- Milton Keynes Robotics Adoption Hub – Smart City Hub for robotics in public spaces. Large-scale, multi-sector adoption including service robotics, drones and self-driving vehicles. Developed in Milton Keynes, for worldwide application.
- Hwb Llwybr Roboteg Cymru (HLRC) - The Robotics Pathway Hub helps Welsh manufacturers adopt robotics with confidence through practical guidance, investment readiness and finance support, boosting productivity, resilience and job security.
- National Waste and Recycling Robotics Adoption Hub - A national hub helping UK waste and recycling sites test and adopt robots, so they recover more materials, send less to landfill and create skilled jobs.
- Yorkshire Robotics Adoption Hub - The Hub provides vendor-neutral support helping Yorkshire manufacturers adopt proven robotics, delivering feasibility studies, investment-ready business cases, live demonstrators, deployment support and training for their workforce.
- South Wales Robotics Adoption Hub - The Robotics Adoption Hub (South Wales) brings together expert partners offering independent advice, feasibility, test-before-invest, brokerage, skills, and deployment support to businesses.
Alongside the eight hubs announced today, the £1.7 million Accelerating UK Robotics Adoption - National Robotics Adoption Hubs Convening Body (AURA) will accelerate UK robotics adoption by uniting the hubs, sharing knowledge to boost productivity, competitiveness and sustainable growth, creating skilled jobs, and maximising investment impact. It will be delivered by The Welding Institute (TWI) in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University.
The programme is also providing £2.5 million to support 12 projects to develop practical robotics training, CPD, apprenticeship pathways and workforce outreach. This will bridge the skills gap to address the lack of skilled workers able to specify, procure, integrate, operate and maintain robotics. The projects are:
- Robotics Training Centre Scotland: Accelerating Workforce Skills for Industrial Robotics Adoption - Robotics Training Centre Scotland helps engineers, technicians and other workers gain practical robotics skills so employers can use robots safely, improve productivity and create better jobs.
- RAPID-INSPECT: Robotics Adoption Pack for Industrial Inspection & Monitoring Skills - Teesside University and DarbyTech are developing hands-on training that gives industrial workers practical experience using robots for safer inspections and better maintenance.
- Port and Logistics Robotics Adoption Programme (PORTaL) will help UK ports improve productivity, resilience and competitiveness with industry-focused training to identify opportunities, reduce risk and build capability to adopt robotics effectively.
- Project TAMAR: Training Advancement in Maritime Autonomy and Robotics is delivering a training capability focussed on the deployment and operation of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and robotic payloads.
- FP McCann: Building the skills and safety foundations for large-scale robotics deployment in Northern Ireland - FP McCann is building a learning factory with real robots to upskill its workers and local students, so automation can be introduced safely and efficiently.
- PPMA Ltd - Robotics & Automation Strategy for Business Leaders - Automate UK and Cranfield University are developing, high-level training to help business and operational leaders understand, and overcome, the barriers to robotics and automation adoption.
- COMPOSE: Curriculum on Manipulation Pipelines via Open Source Ecosystems - Free online and hands-on training for engineers to set up robot arms that pick and handle goods, helping UK businesses put robots to work.
- RAISE-SE: Robotics Adoption, Industry Skills and Engagement - Southeast - Led by Canterbury Christ Church University with local industry and FE partners, secured £200,000+ from Innovate UK to expand robotics skills across the Southeast.
- More Than Robots, South West England Skills Adoption Hub - Innovation and growth demand diverse talent. Students in 48 Somerset, Devon and Cornwall schools will build robots with industry mentors, gaining skills for tomorrow’s workplace.
- Ready Robotics Workforce: Agentic AI for Accessible Industrial Robotics Adoption - the programme will help manufacturing engineers and technicians learn to operate and integrate industrial robots, using hands-on training and AI tools to make adoption easier.
- Robotics Technician Apprenticeship Framework Study - The National Robotarium is working with employers to develop an apprenticeship for robotics technicians, helping people into skilled jobs and businesses find trained staff.
- XRP in Schools: Robotics Skills from GCSE to T-Level - XRP in Schools brings robotics curriculum aligned with GCSE and A-level Computer Science to secondary schools via in-person teacher training, suitable for non-specialists across the UK.