• Swindon & Wiltshire Education, training and skills
• Monday October 12 2026

£9.8m robotics hub to help South West businesses boost productivity

Businesses across the South West are set to benefit from a new £9.8 million robotics hub designed to help them adopt automation and strengthen productivity.

The Greater South West Robotics Adoption Hub (GSWRAH) will be led by the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL), a partnership between the University of Bristol and UWE Bristol, in collaboration with the National Composites Centre (NCC).

The initiative brings together 23 partners from industry, academia and local government. It has received £7.2 million from Innovate UK through its Robotics Adoption programme, part of the UKRI IS8 Advanced Manufacturing Programme, alongside £2.6 million from project partners.

The hub will act as a single point of access for robotics expertise, advice, technology and support. It will connect suppliers, adopters and service providers across a region stretching from Gloucestershire to the Solent, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

NCC will lead a dedicated business advisory service, helping firms identify robotics and automation opportunities, build investment cases and access the support needed to improve productivity and competitiveness.

Potential applications range from maritime infrastructure in Devon and energy asset maintenance around the Solent to food and drink production in Cornwall and Gloucestershire, aerospace manufacturing in Somerset and healthcare provision in Bristol.

The hub will deliver three strands of activity: one-to-one advisory support, a showcase programme featuring site visits, demonstration facilities and proof-of-concept projects, and an ecosystem programme connecting adopters, suppliers and specialist organisations through events and knowledge sharing.

Professor Arthur Richards, professor of robotics at the University of Bristol and project lead, said: “Robotics can help businesses of all sizes and types across our region become even more productive.

“Our Robotics Adoption Hub will offer a common ‘front door’ to the potential of robotics, covering topics from the design and procurement of robots to their safety and cybersecurity.”

Professor Lars Kunze, co-director of the BRL, said the hub represented a major opportunity for regional businesses.

“The hub will help businesses innovate with confidence, increase productivity and strengthen the region’s position as a leader in advanced technologies,” he said.

Katy Riddington, managing director of supporting growth at NCC, said knowing where robotics could deliver value and making the case for investment could be a barrier for businesses.

“With the right support, robotics can help businesses improve productivity, address skills and capacity challenges, build greater resilience and create more opportunity for sustainable growth,” she said.

The consortium includes the University of Bath, Oxford Innovation, GKN, Somerset Council, the Centre for Modelling & Simulation and Burges Salmon, with 15 businesses taking part.

The hub is expected to be fully operational by January 2027, when businesses across the region will be able to access advice, events and robotics showcases.