Blueprint to boost UK robotics adoption

The report sets out a clear pathway to align regional priorities, speed up technology adoption across key sectors, grow a strong base of RAS businesses to boost investor confidence, and lay the groundwork for a coordinated national action plan.

The whitepaper, titled ‘Global Robotics Clusters Study: A Blueprint to Accelerate the UK Adoption of Robotics & Autonomous Systems', examines how regions including Denmark, Germany, Singapore, Boston and Pittsburgh have built high-impact robotics clusters. These international examples show how long-term policy alignment, strong regional ecosystems and clear industry adoption accelerate proven technologies and deliver sustained economic benefits through higher productivity and more efficient industrial performance.

The report contrasts this success with current UK challenges, highlighting persistent barriers that slow the transition from research to widespread industrial use. These include a lower number of robots in operation, slower uptake among SMEs, fragmented support and short funding cycles. By setting these issues against global best practice, the report identifies where UK efforts diverge and outlines a coordinated national and regional blueprint to close the gaps and drive faster adoption.

At a national level, the blueprint calls for a UK-wide action plan to align government activity across areas such as adoption, standards and technology translation. Regionally, it recommends establishing a small number of robotics clusters that act as vendor neutral proving grounds, offering shared testbeds and early-stage procurement routes to help businesses deploy mature technologies more quickly.

Commenting on the whitepaper launch, Mike Wilson, chief automation officer at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), said: “What stands out from the most successful global clusters is that businesses thrive when the pathway to adoption is simple, proven and properly supported. Too often in the UK, companies are left to navigate fragmented advice and short-term initiatives, which slows momentum and adds risk.

“This blueprint is about giving businesses a clearer route: consistent support, access to trusted technology partners, and environments where solutions can be tested before committing to capital. This shift will give organisations the confidence to adopt robotics, helping to shorten adoption cycles, reduce costs and make automation a realistic step for businesses of every size while improving productivity across the UK.”

To find out more or read the full whitepaper, visit www.the-mtc.org/insights/global-robotics-clusters-study-blueprint-accelerate-uk-adoption-robotics-autonomous