Oxfordshire County Council – in collaboration with the Met Office, Ordnance Survey, and others – has received £198,000 to develop a tool to help self-driving car developers know when they can conduct trials.
The project is one of 21 new initiatives backed by the UK government’s £3.7m Regulators’ Pioneer Fund to encourage cutting-edge innovation across the UK.
The fund supports projects led by regulators and local authorities that help support the country’s regulatory environment to keep pace with technological advances of the future, benefiting both entrepreneurs and consumers.
UK business minister Lord Callanan said: “Good regulation should spur entrepreneurship, not stand in its way, and this fund will keep the UK at the cutting-edge of innovation.
“The projects we are supporting could pave the way for exciting developments across a range of sectors, from drone technology to healthcare, all of which will bring benefits to British businesses and consumers alike.”
Other winning projects include the Civil Aviation Authority, which received £55,000 to trial the use of special containers to allow drones to carry sensitive goods such as medical samples.
The aviation regulator has also received £198,000 to create a service for the public to report safety concerns about drones, while Oxfordshire County Council also won £169,000 to help developers understand their legal requirements when setting up new trials in the drone industry.
The funding was awarded following an assessment process conducted earlier this year.
