Mapping the Innovation and Commercialisation Infrastructure for Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) in the UK

Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) could reshape the UK’s economic trajectory, building on its world-class research base and strong early-stage translation capabilities. The Smart Machines 2035 strategy estimates that widespread RAS adoption could increase UK Gross Value Added from £6.4 billion to £150 billion by 2035. Yet the UK continues to lag behind its peers in RAS adoption. For instance, in 2023 it recorded 111 industrial robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees, which is below the global average of 162 and behind other G7 nations. While much of the existing UK RAS research and debate has focused on the demand side of the UK RAS value chains (adoption and productivity gains), less attention has been paid to indigenous UK firms developing RAS technologies and the infrastructure that determines whether the promising ideas of these firms, and UK’s world class research in RAS, make it to the market stage.

Hence, drawing on novel firm-level data and in-depth interviews, this report turns the spotlight onto that supply side of the UK RAS sector.  The report reveals a dynamic but fragmented ecosystem of more than 2,000 UK RAS businesses, dominated by micro-firms and marked by uneven funding and infrastructure gaps. Strong research capability and early translation facilities at early Technology Readiness Levels (TRL 1-3) contrasts with limited extension of support and provision of translation, demonstration, commercialisation and scale-up infrastructure at later TRL (5-9+) stages. This results in a persistent “valley of death” between prototype and commercialisation at scale. The findings point to a clear agenda: strengthen high-TRL support and infrastructure, stimulate domestic demand, tailor support to regional/sub-sectoral realities, and improve coordination/visibility of existing infrastructure and services across the UK’s RAS landscape.

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