Innovate UK CAM Pathfinder: Demonstrate

The Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) Pathfinder programme lays the foundations for an early commercial market. It positions the UK to secure first mover advantage in Europe for the deployment of CAM products and services.

The programme will support the UK CAM sector to accelerate its technological capabilities and demonstrate CAM operations as commercially viable, focusing on high-value market segments in the early commercialisation of these technologies whilst also ensuring these are safe and secure for all.

The aim of this competition is to support the development of products and CAM-enabling services that prove enhanced capability and unlock clear commercial opportunities in CAM within the UK.

Successful projects will be expected to:

• Reach a technology readiness level (TRL) where they can be demonstrated and validated in representative environments
• Actively engage with potential customers or operators
• Move toward clear commercial opportunities based on a well-defined market understanding

Your proposal must identify a clear market opportunity and an innovative project which exploits it in the UK or internationally.

Your project must:

• Advance and mature the strategic CAM products and services to at least the stage where they can be demonstrated and validated in representative environments
• Use those products and services to engage multiple customers and upstream supply chains to increase the commercial readiness of UK businesses to be a significant part of the global CAM supply chain, realising export potential
• Be led by a business which is a technology developer or an enabling organisation, such as an engineering consultancy or technology service provider, who is directly involved in developing the CAM solution
• Focus on technologies and systems that ultimately enable the operation of no-user-in-charge (NUiC) platforms
• Develop and show the customer pipeline and commercial potential; this may include other applications in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), driver control assistance systems (DCAS), and adjacent sectors
• Reach at least TRL 5 or 6 or manufacturing readiness level (MRL) 4 or 5 by the end of the funded project
• Be prepared to showcase its outcomes at a Cenex Expo event

Your project must focus on one or more of the following:

On-vehicle innovations which support early commercial self-driving vehicle opportunities.

Vehicle sensors and associated compute systems:

• Camera
• Radar
• LiDAR
• Inertial measurement unit (IMU)
• Position, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems

Vehicle control:

• Drive-by-wire systems
• Electronics and hardware integration

Automated driving systems (ADS):

• ADS software
• On-board compute systems

Off-vehicle innovations where these are required to enable early commercial self-driving vehicle opportunities.

Connectivity and data:

• Connectivity and cybersecurity
• Data storage, management, and sharing
• Mapping services

Development tools including the development and application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML):

• Model-based systems engineering and software development tools
• Virtual tools, models, and digital twins

Technical services:

• Verification and validation of virtual tools and processes
• Testing services: physical and virtual
• Safety case development and audit

Your project can include:

• Development and integration of hardware and software components into a functional vehicle platform, system, or sub-system
• Validation, verification, and testing in relevant, representative, or controlled environments to demonstrate technical performance, safety, and reliability
• Manufacturing development and pilot production in relevant environments
• Activities to support safety assurance, cyber security, and regulatory preparedness
• Filling specific technology gaps; improving safety or security; reducing costs; enhancing performance and reliability; and enabling the scale-up of product supply or service provision to meet a customer need