Celebrating the achievements of the £33M UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Programme

Welcome to the UKRI AI and Robotics Accelerator

The AI and Robotics Accelerator is managed and led by TAS, which is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

What is TAS and why are we running this?

The UKRI TAS Hub sits at the heart of the £33M Trustworthy Autonomous Systems (TAS) Programme, funded by the UKRI Strategic Priorities Fund.

Over the past four years, we have funded and delivered over 70 multidisciplinary projects in AI and Robotics. We have collaborated with more than 170 partners located in the UK and worldwide, witnessing remarkable ideas emerge. We believe there is great potential for commercialisation, amplifying research impact for the common good.

 

The UKRI AI and Robotics Accelerator presents a unique opportunity to engage with investors and corporate partners who recognise the transformative potential of research and can help translate it into innovative products and services. This initiative is designed to create mutual value, ensuring both intellectual and economic returns for researchers, collaborators and partners.

 

What is the process?

Participants in the Accelerator programme have undergone a stage-gated development programme that will see the best ideas being presented at a Demo Day on 20 November 2024 – AIR24 – offering the opportunity for startup-ready solutions to attract investors. The event will be delivered in partnership with Future Worlds, the University of Southampton’s Incubator.

 

Evaluation process

  • Stage 1: a selection panel reviewed submissions to the Accelerator and selected 30 startup ideas. 16 of those startups were selected to go through a two-day bootcamp programme in September.

 

  • Stage 2: 16 startups were selected to go through the Pitch Panel Practice stage. This helped participants develop and improve their pitch deck over multiple sessions and benefit from mentoring and support on both commercial and technical aspects.

 

  • Stage 3: 8 startups were selected to present at AIR24 on 20 November, in London. This will involve presentations and demos to an audience consisting of investors, industry and leaders from across the AI and Robotics landscape. Selected startups will also be invited to attend the SkyDeck programme in Berkeley in 2025.

 

Key dates

  • Bootcamp: 5th and 6th September 2024 – Southampton
  • Pitching practice for accelerated cohort: remote/in person – 15 startups
  • Access to online materials
  • Demo Day: 20th November 2024 – London – 8 startups

 

Register here for AIR24: https://lu.ma/wpyuaeb5

 

Testimonial: Dr Iris Kramer

The start-up Dr Iris Kramer founded, ArchAI, accelerates and de-risks lengthy and expensive planning processes for developers. Dr Kramer said: “The support, advice and connections from Future Worlds provided me with the space, skills and network that enabled me to take the crucial first step that brought my research ‘out of the lab’ and turned it into ArchAI, an industry disrupting startup which supports sustainable development and enables the preservation of historic environmental assets.” She won a Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship in 2021, and was named as one of Forbes ’30 under 30′ in 2022.

 

Please reach out if you have any questions, by contacting: contact@tas.ac.uk.

 

The UKRI AI and Robotics Accelerator is led by:

 

The logos for the Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Hub, the University of Southampton, UKRI and Future Worlds are displayed. With support from:The logos for the University of Nottingham, King's College London, the UK Node in Resilience, UK-RAS Network, The UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Node in Trust, University of York are displayed.