New research reveals COVID-19 could prove to be a turning point for British manufacturers implementing advanced technologies.
Commissioned by Digital Catapult and the Made Smarter Technology Accelerator, the research reveals 77% of manufacturers say the pandemic has made their business more open to change and innovations like AI, the internet of things and 5G.
The research revealed that the key barriers for accessing benefits include lack of budget – particularly pertinent in light of the economic impacts of the pandemic – with 40% of respondents saying it is stopping them investing. This was closely followed by cyber security concerns (32%) and a lack of skills within the company (30%).
To help manufacturers overcome these hurdles, as well as fast-forward and shape the UK’s technology innovation directly into industry, the Made Smarter Technology Accelerator empowers established manufacturers to join forces with innovative technology start-ups and scale-ups to develop technology prototypes and minimum viable products in order to drive productivity, digitalisation and innovation and ultimately push forward the fourth industrial revolution for the UK manufacturing sector.
Digital Catapult has announced seven industry partners that have joined the match-funded Made Smarter Technology Accelerator programme and have set 14 challenges for the technology companies to respond to. The challenges include scalable artificial intelligence for visual inspection at BAE Systems.
The seven partners joining the programme are Babcock International Group, BAE Systems, GAF, Northumbrian Water Group (NWG), O’Neills Irish International Sports Company, Safran Landing Systems and Sainsbury’s.
The successful start-up and scale-up applicants selected to respond will be provided with up to £20,000 funding each and a platform to grow as they develop prototypes to address these challenges. In return for both match-funded financial and in-kind contributions, partners will gain direct access to the outputs and learnings of the programme as well as have proof of concepts developed for challenges they set.
Juergen Maier, chair of Digital Catapult and co-chair of Made Smarter, said: “Our newly announced partners have set ambitious challenges, and the UK’s vibrant and diverse digital technology innovation community is incredibly well-placed to respond. By creating bonds between technology start-ups and scale-ups and the manufacturing industry we have the opportunity for the UK to lead the way in the fourth industrial revolution – as advanced technology radically alters, and improves, the way we approach manufacturing.”
