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.
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:
“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.”
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.
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 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.”
