Image: Fusion
Eight projects examining how connected and autonomous mobility (CAM) could be deployed across Britain have received a collective £1.4 million in funding.
The funding comes through the Feasibility Studies 2 competition which is part of the government-backed CAM Pathfinder programme, delivered by the Department for Business and Trade in collaboration with Innovate UK and Zenzic.
The competition aims to support organisations in building commercially viable business cases for autonomous vehicle deployment, with individual funding awards ranging from £100,000 to £250,000.
“CAM solutions have the potential to unlock new business opportunities and economic growth in all corners of the country. These feasibility studies will help to articulate the impact that market ready CAM technologies can have on both business productivity and economic growth,” said Mark Cracknell, Programme Director at Zenzic.
Among the funded projects is a study by technology company Fusion Processing into how a mix of autonomous vehicles could be used to move airport staff more efficiently.
A separate nine-month long study plans to assess the commercial viability of deploying autonomous yard tractors on the Vantec-Nissan route in Sunderland, led by the North East Automotive Alliance alongside Newcastle University, Oxa Autonomy and Logisteed UK.
Also receiving funding is a project examining the deployment of autonomous electric heavy goods vehicles on the freight corridor between Nissan’s Sunderland plant and the Port of Tyne, as well as a study by Odysse Limited into Level 4 automated vehicles for private-hire services on high-demand London routes.
Other projects include a driverless shuttle study for NHS hospital and care estates led by Moonbility, a bus autonomy project involving Bamford Bus Company and two universities, a freight corridor study within the Teesside Freeport, and a feasibility study for one of the UK’s first dedicated autonomous vehicle corridors, linking the Wellcome Genome Campus in Cambridgeshire to a nearby railway station.
The CAM Pathfinder is a multi-year commitment running to 2030. The government’s Industrial Strategy estimates the UK’s connected and automated mobility industry could be worth £42 billion by 2035 and support 38,000 jobs.
This latest round follows an initial £18 million allocated to 37 projects in 2025, covering trials of autonomous buses, self-driving pods and robotic port handlers and a subsequent £36.5 million announced across four funding streams. A recent competition attracted £74 million in bids against £35 million on offer, which ministers cited as evidence of strong industry demand.
The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 provides the legal foundation for removing safety drivers from autonomous vehicles on public roads, with full implementation expected by 2027. Minister for Industry Chris McDonald has described the sector as being at a crucial juncture, saying the UK’s ambition is to become the first European market with full legislation for self-driving vehicles in place.
