Robotics & AI

From healthcare to legaltech, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence are significant globalised technologies that can be applied in many sectors. The extensive industrial and academic research base in the UK can support both the national and global markets in addressing key challenges impacting societies today.

Our goal at Innovate UK Business Connect is to help you form powerful collaborations across the Robotics and AI communities in the UK, and turn your ambitious ideas into real-world solutions. We use our deep expertise and diverse connections to offer you direct support, and link you to relevant funding opportunities and potential partners.

Robotics & AI Innovation Network

  • Get the latest news and upcoming opportunities across the Robotics and AI sector with early access to events, business to business networking and insights into the industry.

> Sign up to the Robotics & AI Innovation Network newsletter

Construction Robotics Adoption Innovation Network

  • The Construction Robotics Adoption Innovation Network (CRAIN) aims to connect innovators, industry and major client bodies to address barriers to adoption and explore opportunities for robotics across the UK construction sector and built environment.

> Join the CRAIN network

Watch highlights of the Innovate UK Robotics Industry Innovation Showcase:

Our current focus in this area

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence are significant globalised technologies applicable to every sector. The UK’s extensive industrial and academic research base has immense potential to impact on home and global markets.

The application of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning to the field of health represents a major opportunity for the UK. AI is a powerful tool that can be applied across industry sectors to solve specific challenges. The application of these tools in Health requires a mutual understanding between the AI and Health communities.

The Intelligent Systems Team applies their deep expertise to create a better, fairer and more resilient economy, utilising the capabilities of machines to perceive and respond to the world around them. This includes anything from surgical robots in healthcare, to drones flying over fields with AI enabled cameras to analyse images and implement solutions in near-real time.

Whilst robotics has traditionally been used for repeat operations in high-volume manufacturing, advances in artificial intelligence and other component technologies are opening a myriad of exciting possibilities for more varied and complex applications.

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence are significant globalised technologies that can be applied in many sectors. Our team have created a map of the UK research and technology landscape.

Related opportunities

Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI Systems

Opens: 12/10/2026

Closes: 18/11/2026

UK registered SME businesses can apply for a share of up to £1.66 million to deliver experimental validation of prototype AI systems for novel reusable components of efficient, structured and controllable learning systems.
More information

Frontier AI: SME Champions, Phase 1

Opens: 01/10/2026

Closes: 11/11/2026

UK registered SME’s can apply for a share of up to £3.1 million to deliver feasibility studies for frontier artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) technologies with a clear route to defensible scale-up.
More information

Contracts for Innovation: Counter UAS Demonstrations in Prison Environments

Opens: 05/10/2026

Closes: 28/10/2026

Organisations can apply for a share of £900,000, inclusive of VAT, to demonstrate and test low-cost counter uncrewed aerial system (C-UAS) technologies that are able to detect and track drones within UK prison estates.
More information

UK Defence Innovation: Security Open Call 2026 Cycle 2

Opens: 01/10/2026

Closes: 29/10/2026

The Security Open Call is a competition which UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) runs to find proposals that address security challenges faced by government stakeholders.
More information

iX Challenge: Edge AI with Low Size, Weight, Power, and Cost

Opens: 05/10/2026

Closes: 06/11/2026

The iX programme is supporting Tekh to identify innovative hardware partners capable of developing low Size, Weight, Power and Cost (SWaP-C) computing hardware for Edge AI. The challenge will investigate how far AI compute can be reduced while retaining sufficient inference performance to deliver useful capability in constrained operational environments.
More information

iX Challenge: Secure, Cost-Effective Use of Cloud-Based AI Tools in the Defence Supply Chain

Opens: 05/10/2026

Closes: 06/11/2026

The challenge holder is seeking an innovative, secure and commercially viable way to use cloud-based, AI-enabled engineering and manufacturing tools while protecting sensitive customer and defence-related data.
More information

Related Case Studies

Innovate UK supports Bettering Our Worlds’ ambition of derisking robotics software development

Innovate UK supports Bettering Our Worlds’ ambition of derisking robotics software development

From conception to reality, discover how Innovate UK’s Robotics Proving Ground programme helped Bettering Our Worlds’ (BOW) robotics innovation reach new levels of innovation.

Jiva.ai: Simplifying AI for industry, using a no code AI platform

Jiva.ai: Simplifying AI for industry, using a no code AI platform

Related events and recordings

Wed
28
Jan
2026

Driving Sustainable AI for SMEs

12:00pm to 1:15pm | Online

Watch now
Tue
3
Mar
2026

Robotics Industry Showcase 2026

9:00am to 5:00pm | Milton Keynes

Watch now
See all events

Our experts

AI for nuclear: Information and safety management
14 October 2024

AI for nuclear: Information and safety management

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Related programme

BridgeAI

BridgeAI

Empowering UK organisations to harness the power of AI through support and funding, bridging the AI divide for a more productive UK.

For general enquiries regarding our Robotics & AI sector contact us now

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