Government to invest £20M in driverless vehicles technology

Businesses can benefit from a share of £20M funding to research and develop new products and services for connected transport systems and driverless vehicles.

The government aim to put the UK at the forefront of researching and developing driverless cars technology with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills launching its investment programme. Delivered by Innovate UK, it will encourage the development of new vehicles in the areas of connectivity, autonomy and customer interaction, and to provide support for new business models.

The scheme is part of the government’s £100M ‘Introducing driverless cars to UK roads’ collaborative research initiative, with tests of driverless cars in Greenwich, Bristol, Milton Keynes and Coventry already being carried out.

Projects taking part will be expected to examine a number of issues including vehicle communications, security and trustworthiness, data acquisition, interaction with other road users, research into public acceptance, safety, help for an ageing population, and vehicle trials.

The bulk of the £20M will go to fund research and development projects of a larger scale but up to £2.5M has been set aside for smaller feasibility studies.

The Business Secretary, Sajid Javid, commented: “To boost productivity Britain will need to capitalise on new technologies like driverless vehicles, securing high-skilled jobs for those who want to work hard and get on, and contributing to a more prosperous future for the whole of the country.

“Our world beating automotive industry, strengths in innovation and light touch regulatory approach to testing driverless technology combine to make the UK market competitive and an attractive destination for investors.”

The competition opens on 20 July 2015. The deadline for applications is at noon on 30 September 2015.

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