AAIP press release: Up to £500,000 awards available for demonstrator projects
Up to £500,000 awards are available for research into assuring the safety of robotics and autonomous systems
The Assuring Autonomy International Programme at the University of York has announced a new funding call for up to ten new projects in robotics and autonomous systems (RAS).
The Programme is a £12 million initiative funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation and the University of York, and builds on the University’s 30 years of pioneering research and training in the field of safety of complex systems. The Programme is spearheading research, training and standards in the safety of RAS and a major element of the Programme’s work is to undertake and fund research activities that will influence industrial practice and the development and use of RAS.
This funding call is for up to ten real-world ‘demonstrator’ projects from which key safety lessons on the deployment of RAS will be drawn. Up to £500,000 per award is available and successful applications must:
- Address a critical barrier to assurance and regulation.
- Propose novel work that can be evaluated during and beyond the project.
- Use a pre-existing body of work to produce a system, sub-system or technology that can be used in trials.
- Include potential approaches to assuring / regulating the technology.
- Generate outputs that are relevant to different domains and technologies.
- Involve the regulatory community.
Professor John McDermid OBE FREng, Director of the Assuring Autonomy International Project, said: “Robotics and autonomous systems play an increasing role in our lives but they are not without risk. Lloyd’s Register Foundation identified that the biggest obstacle to gaining the benefits of RAS was that of assurance and regulation, particularly with regards to their safety. Our vision is to enable the societal benefits of robotics and autonomous systems by facilitating their safe, assured and regulated adoption and we are delighted to be able to fund research activities that will help us to do this.”
Applications are welcomed from companies, universities or groups of organisations based anywhere in the world.
The deadline for applications is 11.59pm (GMT) on 9 September 2018.