Companies throughout the Higher South West area of the UK will obtain devoted help to discover and undertake robotics and automation by way of a brand new £9.8 million regional programme.
The National Composites Centre (NCC) will lead the one-to-one enterprise advisory service throughout the Higher South West Robotics Adoption Hub, offering sensible help to assist companies discover robotics and automation alternatives and navigate the path to adoption and return on funding.
The Hub is led by Bristol Robotics Laboratory by way of the College of Bristol, in partnership with UWE Bristol and NCC. It brings collectively 23 companions from business, academia and native authorities and has secured £7.2 million from Innovate UK, alongside £2.6 million from mission companions.
It’s one in every of eight Robotics Adoption Hubs chosen for funding throughout the UK, forming a nationwide community that may work collectively to speed up robotics adoption.
For a lot of companies, the problem just isn’t understanding the potential of robotics and automation, however understanding the place to start out, which applied sciences are proper for his or her operations and whether or not the funding will ship. The Hub goals to assist companies navigate these early selections.
NCC’s advisory service will present sensible, one-to-one help to assist companies work by way of these questions. Advisers will assist corporations determine automation alternatives, assess potential options, construct funding instances and join with the experience, finance and wider help wanted to progress.
The service will construct on NCC’s expertise in superior manufacturing and industrial innovation, in addition to its present work supporting companies throughout the area, together with by way of the Made Smarter programme delivered in partnership with Oxford Innovation Recommendation.
Katy Riddington, managing director of supporting progress at NCC, stated: “Robotics and automation may help companies tackle some very sensible challenges, from bettering productiveness and consistency to responding to expertise and workforce pressures. However understanding the place to start out and learn how to make the best funding might be tough.
“Our position is to work instantly with companies to know the challenges they’re dealing with, determine the place robotics may make a distinction and assist them construct a transparent case for adoption.
“By bringing collectively NCC’s innovation experience with robotics functionality, sensible enterprise help and a powerful regional community, the Hub will assist companies perceive not simply the place know-how may make a distinction, however learn how to undertake it successfully.
“As a part of a nationwide community of Robotics Adoption Hubs, companies can even profit from experience and studying past the area, serving to flip alternatives into sensible change.”
Alongside the NCC-led advisory service, the Hub will present alternatives for companies to see robotics in motion by way of industrial website visits, demonstration services and proof-of-concept actions.
An ecosystem programme can even deliver collectively companies, know-how suppliers and specialist help organisations by way of occasions, networking and data sharing, making a single level of entry to robotics help throughout the area.
The programme will help companies throughout a spread of sectors and purposes, together with maritime, vitality, foods and drinks, aerospace manufacturing and healthcare.
Professor Arthur Richards, Professor of Robotics on the College of Bristol and mission lead, stated: “The vary of business in our area is inspiring, from massive world-class operations to essentially the most enterprising small artisans. Via the Hub, we purpose to assist all these companies to grasp the advantages of robotics in a sustainable and assured trend.
“Our consortium offers one-stop entry to an all-round perspective on robotics, giving every enterprise the instruments to undertake the best robots for his or her distinctive wants. Our Hub will join adopters, suppliers, enablers and innovators to create a vibrant ecosystem for robotics adoption throughout the higher southwest.”
The Higher South West Robotics Adoption Hub is predicted to be absolutely operational by January 2027, when companies throughout the area will be capable of entry recommendation, occasions and demonstrations.
