In the 2016 Autumn statement, the Government announced that up to £100m will be invested in new UK CAV Testing Infrastructure, this event will describe the strategy for the creation of a new CAV hub and will outline the vision and plans for how this investment will be delivered for the UK.

The agenda will include:

Andrew Everett, Automotive Council Technology Group & Chair of IMpact Group

Jim Campbell – Launch Strategy for the CAV Hub / Ecosystem and this Investment

Professor Paul Jennings, Warwick Manufacturing Group describing the research challenges for evaluation of Connected & Autonomous Vehicles

Julian Turner, CEO of Westfield Sportscars providing an SME’s perspective

Paul Gadd, Innovation Lead at Innovate UK outlining the scope for the first funding competition

The UK CAV Testing Infrastructure Vision

The UK has an opportunity to be one of the world’s premier development locations for innovative future vehicle technology, supporting our industrial strategy, and making vehicles that are safer, cleaner and more enjoyable. To achieve this, government and industry will work together to create the world’s most effective connected and autonomous vehicle testing ecosystem, integrating existing proving grounds and public road test sites across the UK’s existing automotive and technology heartlands, strengthening existing capabilities and creating new ones.

Successful industry-led delivery of this ecosystem will exploit our ability to test anywhere and enable end-to-end testing across physical, controlled, and virtual environments. These will be open for use by all, facilitating access by UK start-ups and SMEs, providing training and kit to enable best use of the environment, and enabling domestic projects to scale up for final, pre-deployment certification. The ecosystem will also seek to enable development and demonstration of low emission vehicle technologies. It will all be promoted beneath a globally significant brand.

The ecosystem will provide an exemplar of the UK’s industrial strategy. Exhibiting the best of our world class science, research, and innovation ecosystem, these technologies are in the vanguard of disruptive new business models across sectors – encompassing UK excellence in automotive (including ultra-low emissions technologies), software, communications, infrastructure, and business services such as insurance, law, and finance, among others. They also embody a strong regional story, particularly fusing the Midlands Engine with Europe’s only mega-city but increasingly expanding across other regions, suggesting how the country can secure sustainable, long-term economic growth with high quality jobs and a competitive global trade and investment offer while maintaining strong international influence.

The objectives of the national testing ecosystem are to: