Competition funding positions Britain at the forefront of self-driving development

As winning consortium bids are announced for simulation and modelling in relation to the development of self-driving vehicles on UK roads, Meridian is excited to see how the allocation of the funding pot will drive innovation for autonomous vehicle technology.

Past competitions funded by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) and supported by Meridian garnered a strong response and commitment to investment by industry. This competition for a further £12m of shared funding was focused on simulation and modelling. Submissions covered projects delivered by a range of businesses from autonomous-dedicated small start-ups, through to internationally based specialist tech companies and to globally acclaimed vehicle manufacturers.

Daniel Ruiz, CEO of Meridian, which was co-created by government and industry to focus on the key areas of testing and development of self-driving vehicles, said: "The highly collaborative approach between domestic businesses, academia and government makes the UK a one-stop shop for developing autonomous vehicle technology; unlike any other country in the world. This new set of winning projects further underlines how the UK is at the forefront of the global drive to develop connected and autonomous vehicles and deploy them for the social and economic benefit of our country."

UK hub for autonomous development
Uniquely, the UK offers businesses facilities from concept to development within a two-hour radius (from London up to the Midlands). The extensive ecosystem, which has a keen focus on safety, incorporates both virtual and real scenarios in the autonomous testing chain, comprising autonomous research companies, simulation experts, track testing grounds and highly skilled academia. Research in simulation and modelling technology is especially important in the CAV sector, as engineers are not restricted in having to rely on physical testing alone. Millions of scenarios and simulations can be run with only small tweaks to make a vehicle's brain smarter and safer on the road.

Broad bidder background for accelerating CAV technology
The six successful bids are representative of a diverse range of consortia. One successful bidder is Latent Logic, a young UK start-up that specialises in the simulation of realistic actors using artificial intelligence (AI) within virtual environments. Latent Logic will lead a consortium of 11 to develop a testing certification tool that can be used to accelerate the development of CAVs.

The competition also attracted interest from international applicants, including aiPod, a US-based start-up. They will lead a consortium of five to develop edge case scenarios to virtually validate CAV decision-making processes and to qualify risk. On the involvement of aiPod, Chess Stetson, Head of Risk, said: "We were attracted to the UK by its forward-leaning industrial policy that provides significant resources to spur the development of consortia such as dRISK which will solve major mobility problems. Among the numerous other benefits that make the UK an ideal place to develop new technologies are its world class universities and its track record in science and technology, including high-performance automotive."

As one of the largest winners, Jaguar-Land Rover received funding for two projects alongside a consortium of smaller businesses, with projects focused on maximising safety.

The lasting legacy of this competition that has been led by CCAV is to secure more autonomous vehicle business for investment in the UK. The competition was unveiled in January, aiming to propel the UK into prime position as a leading force in autonomous vehicle development.