$77bn
by 2035: estimated worth
of the driverless car
market, says the Boston Consulting Group
Emerging technology
T
The Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund
he UK Government has
developed the Industrial
Strategy Challenge Fund
(ISCF) to bring research and
development to centre stage
in its Industrial Strategy. Part of a
£4.7 billion funding increase, the ISCF
is making more than £1 billion available
to UK businesses and researchers over
the next four years.
“As part of our Plan for Britain, this
Government wants to create a modern
industrial strategy to support the key
sectors of our economy and spread jobs,
prosperity and opportunity around the
whole country,” said Greg Clarke,
Business and Energy Secretary.
A committee combining government,
business, and academic experts was
brought together to determine sector
challenges aimed at focusing investments
where there is a fast-growing and
sustainable global market, and a strong
UK research base in place. The funding
allocations aim to drive a step-change
in the UK’s ability to turn strengths in
research into commercialised products.
“As we leave the EU, we are
determined to help Britain’s innovators
compete with the best and seize the
opportunities ahead, and this money
will help advance our position as a
global leader in developing cutting-edge
technologies,” said Philip Hammond,
Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Funding focus
Funding will focus on six key areas over
the next four years:
• Clean and flexible energy, or The
Faraday Challenge: £246m to design,
develop and manufacture batteries for
the electrification of vehicles
• Cutting-edge healthcare and
medicine: £197m to develop first-of-a-
kind technologies for the manufacture
of medicines that will speed up patient
access to new drugs and treatments
R e a d o n l i n e at: u k s pa . o r g . u k / b r e a k t h r o u g h
• Robotics and artificial intelligence
(A.I.): £93m to develop A.I. and robotics
systems to make industry and public
services more productive, for
deployment in extreme environments
• Driverless cars: £38m to develop the
next generation of A.I. and control
systems to bring the UK to the forefront
of the driverless car revolution
• Manufacturing and future materials:
£26m to develop the next generation
of affordable light-weight composite
materials for aerospace, automotive and
other advanced manufacturing sectors
• Satellites and space technology:
£99m to develop a Satellite Test Facility
supporting new launch technologies
and the UK's capabilities for
constructing future satellites and
delivering payloads into orbit. ■
Further information can be found through
Research Councils UK: www.rcuk.ac.uk
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