An autonomous excavator, the expansion of a self-driving bus trial, and autonomous vehicles for airports, highways and city streets are among nine projects to have received funding from the UK government’s Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) Pathfinder programme showing how CAM technologies can be used to drive opportunities across a wide range of sectors.
Running until 2030, the £150m programme is seen as key to realising the industry’s potential. It is aimed at addressing the challenges of bringing CAM vehicles to market, providing funding for projects that are intended to develop “world-first” technologies, products and services, ranging from “cutting-edge” software to smart transport services. It was announced in the government’s advanced manufacturing sector plan, which aims to grow the UK’s CAM industry – calculated to be worth £3.7bn.
Projects funded by CAM Pathfinder must demonstrate that the cutting-edge technology or mobility services being developed can help industries become safer, sustainable, inclusive and more productive. By accelerating the development, deployment and adoption of such technologies and services, the objective is to support growth and investment, and unlock innovation across transport.
The CAM Pathfinder programme is delivered by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), supported by Zenzic and Innovate UK. CCAV is a joint policy unit of the Department for Transport and the Department for Business and Trade. Zenzic was created by the UK government and industry to champion the CAM ecosystem and lead the UK in accelerating the self-driving revolution, with the goal of ensuring a safer, more secure, sustainable and inclusive transport future.
The UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders estimates that CAM could deliver a £66bn annual economic boost to the UK by 2040. While often associated with passenger cars, the construction sector is also seen as a major beneficiary, with the potential to utilise automated off-highway machinery and logistics to improve worksite safety and efficiency.
The latest projects are seen as being able to help realise that opportunity by supporting innovation and commercial deployment across multiple UK regions, creating opportunities for high-value jobs, increasing productivity and strengthening domestic supply chains.
Demonstrate and Enable are part of the UK government’s CAM Pathfinder programme, announced in the Industrial Strategy Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan with the aim of growing the CAM industry.
The projects funded by Enable encompass Highly Automated Excavators for Autonomous Earthmoving and Commercialising Connector. Those funded by Demonstrate include Dynamic Braking for Autonomous Vehicles; Airside Sentry for connected vehicles; Accelerating the Development of L4 Autonomous Vehicles with Photorealistic Simulation at Scale; Automated Highway Maintenance Vehicles Phase 2; Driven By Sound+ all‑weather perception subsystem for reliable automated driving; ADventure city‑ready autonomous mobility service model; and 5D Radar Perception for Intelligent Driving.
Flannery, one of the UK’s largest plant hire businesses and Gravis Robotics, have secured funding from the CAM Pathfinder: Enable Competition to develop what is said to be a first-of-its-kind, automated excavator for the construction industry.
The government noted that the UK construction industry is facing unprecedented demand over the next decade, with over £530bn earmarked for development, but with an ageing workforce and severe skills shortages looming, the organisations are hopeful of demonstrating how embracing automation could boost the sector.
Connector, a self-driving public bus service in Cambridge that has facilitated over 2,000 journeys across 700 miles of public road since its launch in June 2025, is the second project to have received UK government grant funding from Enable, which will see the trial expanded to explore further benefits of deploying CAM on public roads and will run until June 2027.
A further seven technical demonstrator projects including autonomous airside vehicles for airports, winter gritters and city-ready passenger-carrying vehicles have also secured funding from the first CAM Pathfinder: Demonstrate competition.
UK industry minister Blair McDougall said: “Britain’s autonomous vehicle sector is world-class, and with our Modern Industrial Strategy, we’re bringing business and science together to support the innovators and businesses who are shaping the future of transport. By backing these cutting-edge technologies with the funding to scale up, we’re helping this innovative sector to drive growth and jobs in every part of the UK, and I want to congratulate all the winners on their success and their role in reinforcing Britain’s leadership in this fast-growing industry.”
Zenzic programme director Mark Cracknell added: “Today’s announcement builds on all of the fantastic progress made by CAM Pathfinder so far, and puts the UK firmly in the driving seat when it comes to developing and deploying the CAM services of tomorrow. From construction to public roads and airside, these projects have the potential to transform UK businesses, create and safeguard hundreds of jobs, and further strengthen the domestic supply chain.”
