LONDON, May 12 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
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New agreement strengthens UK leadership in automated vehicles.
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Partnership focuses on shared research tobring forward responsibledeployment ofself‑drivingcars.
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Deal backs innovative UKscale‑upsand helps make Britain the best place to grow a business.
Apartnershipthat will put the UK at the forefront of next generation self-driving technologyhas been signed by the Government today with one of the country's leading scale ups.
TheMemorandum of Understanding(MoU)with Wayve, a company pioneering AI for autonomous drivingwill deepen collaboration onnext‑generationself‑drivingtechnologies and backthescale‑upas it continues to grow in Britain.
The agreement brings government and industry together around shared research interests, supportingresponsibledeployment of automated vehicles while reinforcing the UK's global leadership in autonomous andAI‑enabledmobility.
By linkingcutting‑edgeAI research withreal‑worlddeployment and manufacturing, the partnership aims to act as a catalyst for new investment, skilled jobs andlong‑termgrowth across the UK automotive ecosystem, sending aclear signal that the UK is the best place for ambitious tech companies to scaleup.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said:
"This partnership with Wayve shows how government is backing high‑growth British scale‑ups through our Modern Industrial Strategy to turn world‑leading research into real‑world deployment.
"By working hand‑in‑hand with innovative companies, we are accelerating self‑driving technology while anchoring jobs, investment and manufacturing here in the UK - making Britain the best place to start, scale and grow a business."
Alex Kendall, Co-Founder and CEO, Wayve said:
"I'm delighted to deepen our collaboration with the Department for Business and Trade. We share the Government's ambition to drive economic growth through the development of the self-driving vehicle sector in the UK and globally.
"Strengthening domestic capabilities will anchor high-value manufacturing in the UK, create thousands of skilled jobs across the supply chain, and support the future of the automotive industry. This is in addition to the transformative benefits to road safety to be gained from self-driving vehicles deployed at scale.
"Wayve has a proud history of developing our technology in the UK. We look forward to working with DBT on a shared set of priorities to ensure the UK continues to lead and that the full set of benefits is realised across the country."
Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said:
"Wayve is a true British AI success story, putting the UK at the forefront of self-driving technology.
"This agreement will help secure high-skilled tech and advanced manufacturing jobs in this country.
"By working with companies such as Wayve we are rebuilding Britain for the modern age and sending a clear signal that the UK is the best place for ambitious tech firms to start up and scale up."
The MoU sets out how DBT andWayvewill collaborate on research that helps move automated vehicles from prototype tolarge‑scale, commerciallyviableservicesoperatingon UK roads.
This includes work on safety assurance, simulation at scale and integration of fullself‑drivingtechnology intoproduction‑readyvehicle platforms, helping the UK lead internationally on responsible deployment.
The partnership also reinforces the UK's ambition to be a global hub for automated vehicle manufacturing, strengthening domestic supply chains in areas such as AI, systemsintegrationand advanced automotive hardware.
Wayvewill share insights fromreal‑worldtrials with governmentandregulators, supporting learning that can unlocknational roll-outofself-driving servicesandinformfutureregulationsand standards.
Through closer collaboration with industry and local partners, the agreement supports the revival and evolution of UK automotive manufacturing whiledemonstratingthe government's commitment to helpingfast‑growingBritish companies scale at home rather than overseas.
ThroughitsModern Industrial Strategy, theUKGovernmenthas already set the stage to crowd in vital private investment into key growth sectors like advanced manufacturing, building on over £360 billion and 120,000 jobs we have secured since publication.
* Full MoU details here
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
