The London-based Smart Mobility Living Lab (SMLL) is recommending organizations invested in the connected and automated mobility (CAM) sector apply for a £15,000 (US$17,000) Research and Technology Organization (RTO) grant for 100% of eligible costs.
The funds are provided by the UK’s innovation agency Innovate UK as part of its Innovate Edge RTO Scheme, which TRL participates in and is offering up its testbed as part of the investment opportunity. All projects must be completed by the end of March 2023.
This level of research funding is ideal for CAM start-ups who are conducting proof of concept work, including basic testing and developmental work at SMLL. Grant winners will also be able to employ SMLL as advisers, to help them describe a future feasibility study, determine success metrics, identify opportunities for research and development, identify and build partnerships, collaboration, and more.
Any CAM organization can apply if they are an Innovate UK Edge client, and they have fewer than 500 UK-based employees.
“We are proud to participate in the Innovate Edge RTO Scheme,” said Thomas Tompkin, head of network, infrastructure, and operations at SMLL. “Grants like this are important to help small start-ups thrive, and to allow them to develop the innovative automated technologies that will define our futures. This is what the SMLL testbed was built for – to encourage, evolve, grow, and expand the connected and automated mobility ecosystem,” he added.
All SMLL activities play a role in positioning the UK ahead of other countries as investors in CAM. SMLL is a London-based real-world connected environment for testing and developing future transport and mobility solutions. The locations of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford provide a complex public testing environment, capable of demonstrating and evaluating the use, performance, safety and benefits of CAV technology and future transport services in a representative and technologically challenging city environment.
SMLL was built by a consortium, part funded by industry and the government via CCAV and Innovate UK. It is managed by TRL, supported by DG Cities and London Legacy Development Corporation. SMLL is part of CAM Testbed UK, six core facilities within a three-hour drive offering a comprehensive set of capabilities for the testing and development of connected and automated mobility technologies. Funded by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles and coordinated by Zenzic, CAM Testbed UK can offer interoperability to customers that is unrivalled worldwide.
