Driving UK–Europe collaboration in Connected and Automated Mobility

Reframing UK–EU collaboration

The Horizon Europe: UK–EU CCAM Collaboration webinar series was launched to address a critical gap in the UK Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) landscape and drive more UK engagement in Horizon Europe.

The webinar series aimed to reignite cross-border collaboration and prepare UK innovators – particularly SMEs – for participation in Horizon Europe’s Cluster 5 CCAM calls.

Across five sessions held from 24 September to 29 October 2025, we convened over 758 registrations, representing 168 distinct organisations and 281 attendees, achieving a strong 43% attendance-to-registration ratio. Participants spanned industry, academia, and public authorities from 16 countries, signalling a renewed appetite for cooperation.

The series set out to demystify European opportunities, build trust, and showcase alignment between the UK’s national programmes – particularly CAM Pathfinder and the EU’s CCAM Partnership.

A catalyst for strategic alignment

This webinar series was designed to be a catalyst to establish a cohesive, supportive relationship between UK and European innovation programmes and create a mutually beneficial multiplier effect, that drives innovation and economic growth for participating nations.

The series explored key themes shaping the 2026–2027 Horizon Europe CCAM calls, offering practical insights for UK–EU collaboration in Connected and Automated Mobility. Across the sessions, experts highlighted shared priorities for safe, inclusive, and sustainable mobility, emphasizing cross-border testing, SME engagement, and scalable demonstrations.

Discussions covered complementary programmes such as the UK’s £150m CAM Pathfinder and the EU’s CCAM Partnership, interoperability in large-scale demos, and trustworthy AI for safety assurance. Later sessions focused on human-centred design, accessibility, and societal readiness – ensuring innovation aligns with public good. All sessions are now available to view online: Webinar recordings and slides.

Delegate pitch deck brochure

Following the webinar series, participants submitted one-slide summaries outlining their expertise, project ideas, and collaboration interests. These have been compiled into a digital brochure showcasing innovation opportunities and partnership potential.

The brochure serves as a practical resource to foster future collaborations. If you wish to receive a copy of the digital brochure, contact Anthony Gallego – KTM Automated Mobility.

Cross-cutting insights and challenges

The combined discussions, chat logs, and Q&A data revealed recurring key themes:

Alignment of programmes
Horizon Europe CCAM and UK CAM Pathfinder share converging priorities; synchronising their timelines would unlock new opportunities for joint bids.

Validation and trust
Common frameworks for simulation and AI governance are essential for market and regulatory acceptance.

Inclusivity and accessibility
Projects must embed human-centred design principles from inception.

Societal acceptance
Public dialogue, education, and trust-building are as critical as technical validation.

SME enablement
UK SMEs require direct support – both financial and practical – to engage in Horizon Europe consortia.

From insight to action: Building a fused innovation pipeline

There is scope to create a fused innovation pipeline to align the timing and themes of UK competitions with Horizon Europe’s CCAM calls. An innovation pipeline will:

1. Enable dual participation of UK entities in EU-funded consortia.
2. Position the UK CAM Pathfinder programme as an enabler to European collaboration.
3. Ensure that technical validation, inclusivity, and societal readiness progress concurrently.

Priority areas

Common priority areas for this alignment include:

• Large-Scale Demonstrations and Field Operational Tests (TRL 7–8)
• Trustworthy AI and Simulation Validation
• Human-Centred Design and Accessibility
• Societal Readiness Pilots and Ethical AI
• Interoperable Testbeds and Data Frameworks

Recommendations for future interventions

To embed this momentum, a structured support package should be developed to strengthen UK SME participation and enable long-term UK–EU synergy. Recommended interventions include:

1. Enhanced Innovate UK Business Connect (IUKBC) Support:

• Dedicated CCAM Brokerage Missions (e.g., to the 2026 RTR Conference).
• Expert matchmaking between CAM Pathfinder and Horizon Europe consortia.

2. Funding Alignment and Co-Investment:

• Coordinated competition timelines between UK and Horizon Europe.
• Consider a establishing a ring-fenced support for UK–EU CAM opportunities, under the CAM Pathfinder programme, to enable organisations and outcomes of the program to support bids into Horizon Europe CCAM topics.

3. Capacity and Capability Building:

• Bid Writing and Partnering Training Programmes for SMEs.
• Short-term micro-grants for consortium development and proposal submission.
• Use of advisors to provide pre-bid mentoring and post-bid feedback loops.

4. Bridging the Scale-Up Gap:

• Support mechanisms to help SMEs transition from domestic feasibility studies to international demonstration participation.

Next steps

This webinar series has confirmed the shared conviction among 168 attendees that Europe’s future in CAM depends on collaboration.

We have good common grounds; by learning from each other, we can accelerate safe and sustainable deployment of automated mobility across Europe.

Christian Merkt, Chair of the CCAM Association

The momentum now exists to develop and nurture this collaboration through structured alignment between the UK CAM Pathfinder and EU Horizon Europe CCAM Partnership, ensuring that UK national innovation efforts feed into—and benefit from—European scale and visibility.

By operationalising these insights, we can deliver a mutually reinforcing innovation ecosystem—one that builds trust, scales impact, and accelerates real-world deployment for the benefit of citizens across Europe.