Robotics & Autonomy grants
Funding for physical systems that have to work outside the lab
Robotics sits across Innovate UK, ESA and Defra-linked agricultural programmes, and the winning applications are the ones that stop demoing and start measuring. Assessors reward field data, failure analysis and a feasibility stage that closes a specific autonomy gap.
£190m+ won by our team
PhD-level specialists, never a template or an AI tool.
Funders funding robotics & autonomy
- Defra
- Dstl
Programmes that fit robotics & autonomy companies
Innovate UK CR&D competitions
Manipulation, perception, human-robot interaction and mobility.
Innovate UK Scaling quantum computing hardware CR&D
Adjacent hardware-scaling funding relevant to advanced robotics platforms.
Defra-linked agricultural automation calls
Agricultural robotics and automation topics via Innovate UK and Defra.
What assessors actually score
- Quantified autonomy metrics: interventions per hour, success rate, cycle time
- Field or fielded-analogue testing rather than lab-only results
- Safety and certification pathway addressed early
Where we work in robotics & autonomy
Robotics & Autonomy grants in our directory
Live programmes from the UK grant directory that suit robotics & autonomy projects. Deadlines move between rounds, so each listing links through to the current detail.
Horizon Europe
[Horizon - Industry & Digital] Factory processes & automation for de- and re-manufacturing (RIA, Made in Europe)
Expected to open. Consortium; UK eligible (Assoc. Country); SMEs as partners
Horizon Europe
[Horizon - Industry & Digital] Horizon Cluster 4: Made in Europe — Advanced manufacturing
The Made in Europe partnership is Horizon Europe's flagship route for advanced manufacturing, sitting within Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry and Space). Its 2027 topics fall under the HORIZON-CL4-2027-01 Industry call, in the destination covering leadership in materials and production for Europe. Two core topics carry the partnership: advanced manufacturing for key products, an Innovation Action covering manufacturing technology and machinery for high-performance products, increased circularity through secondary raw materials, and improved resource and energy efficiency; and factory processes an…
Horizon Europe
[Horizon - Artificial Intelligence and Robotics] Apply AI: AI-Driven Robotics for Industry: Enabling System Integration and Adopt…
This topic aims to support a large collaborative project that accelerates the deployment and industrial adoption of AI‑powered robotics by developing common frameworks, reusable integration tools and adoption strategies that work across multiple industrial sectors. It focuses on bridging the gap between robotics research and real‑world industrial systems, helping organisations integrate AI and robotic technologies at scale. What the Project Should Deliver Projects under this call are expected to produce outcomes such as: Modular, interoperable frameworks and standardized protocols to help int…
Horizon Europe
[Horizon - Artificial Intelligence and Robotics] Apply AI: Challenge-Driven AI Innovation Booster in Apply AI prioritised sectors…
This topic funds challenge‑driven programmes that organise multi‑stage competitions or innovation boosters focused on generative and advanced AI technologies in key strategic sectors prioritised by the EU’s Apply AI Strategy. The initiative aims to drive significant technological progress and boost AI adoption and innovation by actively engaging AI developers, researchers and SMEs in solving hard, real‑world problems. Priority application domains include areas like advanced manufacturing, healthcare and autonomous driving, where AI can deliver measurable impact and competitiveness gains. Expe…
Horizon Europe
[Horizon - Artificial Intelligence and Robotics] EU Frontier AI Initiative: Developing frontier AI solutions that are safe and co…
This topic is part of the EU’s Apply AI Strategy and the Frontier AI Initiative. It aims to support research and development of advanced frontier artificial intelligence models that push the state of the art in capability, while also addressing computational efficiency and safety by design. The initiative seeks to strengthen European scientific and technological leadership in AI by enabling development of large, multimodal AI systems and methods that are both powerful and energy‑efficient. Scope & Expected Outcomes Projects funded under this topic are expected to contribute to goals such as:…
Horizon Europe
[Horizon - Civil Security for Society] Advanced border surveillance and situational awareness
What the Grant Supports This call supports advanced technologies that improve surveillance, monitoring and situational awareness at EU external borders. Projects may focus on: * Border surveillance and monitoring systems * Detection and tracking of drones and autonomous vehicles * Counter-drone technologies * Maritime surveillance and monitoring * Sensor fusion and multi-source intelligence * AI-enabled situational awareness platforms * Autonomous surveillance systems * Search and rescue support technologies * Real-time operational decision support tools * Border security data analytics * Cro…
Relevant client wins
Grants our team has won for companies solving comparable technical problems.
Grant awarded
NIHR i4i Connect funding secured
Directed Systems
Life sciences: surgical decision support
Read the case study
£452,654
For composite production leap
Mayku
Advanced manufacturing: composites
Read the case studyFund your robotics & autonomy R&D
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