IMPACT CASE STUDY: Robotics, Autonomous Systems & Artificial Intelligence Industrial Impact Acceleration Initiative
Summary
Based on SFC strategic investment SRPe delivered this initiative between August 2018 and July 2020 to accelerate the delivery and impact of collaborative cross-disciplinary RAS & AI research activities across Scotland. Priority areas of industry / end-user challenge and opportunity aligned with the research strengths of the Scottish universities were identified via a series of collaborative cross-sectoral multi-disciplinary workshops and events. Ten collaborative proposals were developed targeting key funding opportunities to address industry / end-user priority needs, support overall socio-economic growth, and future-proof the competitiveness of Scotland in this globally transformational field. The initiative delivered as part of SRPe’s Robotics and Autonomous Systems theme, has produced a number of significant outcomes:
Increased visibility of Scottish research excellence in RAS & AI, and strengthened collaborative relationships between academia, industry/end-users and the public sector.
Identification of key priorities, challenges and opportunities for RAS & AI applications across healthcare, advanced manufacturing, extreme and hazardous environments and AI in the data driven economy.
Delivery of six cross-disciplinary collaborative workshops, plus three supporting events delivered jointly between SICSA/SRPe, ETP/SRPe and SRPe/ORCA Hub, with contributions from across seven research pools / innovation centres; ten universities; seven research / innovation organisations; forty-three industrial companies / end-user organisations; and five public sector organisations.
Development of ten collaborative proposals with a total value of £32m, targeted at five funding calls, leading to the successful award to date of five collaborative projects with total funding of £7.7m, with £4.2m awarded directly to Scottish universities.
Collaborative activities and workshops are continuing beyond the initiative under SRPe’s Robotics and Autonomous Systems theme to continue to drive cross-disciplinary cross-sectoral collaboration in other key priority areas of high impact for industry / end-user organisations. SRPe is also continuing to work in close collaboration with the National Robotarium and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland to initiate new pan-Scottish research and industrial collaborations, help drive the low-carbon revolution and create new business and jobs in Scotland.