n NEWS THE GOVERNMENT IS LAUNCHING a competition to decide who will run about five Robotics Adoption Hubs across the nation. The hubs, expected to cost around £52m over four years, were first announced in the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan that the government published in June 2025 as part of its Modern Industrial Strategy. The government has also revealed plans to cut “outdated”regulations that it says are blocking innovation in the robotics and defence sectors. Research suggests that wider adoption of robotics in seven key sectors of UK industry could add £150bn to the economy. But many businesses – particularly smaller firms – don’t know where to start with adopting these technologies. They can see the potential of robotics but need support to take the first step – whether they are a small manufacturer looking to automate part of their production lines, a farmer wanting to explore new ways to monitor crops, or a hospital wanting to know how robots could free up staff time. The new hubs will be run by universities, businesses, or public sector organisations chosen in a competition run by Innovate UK. The hubs will give companies of all sizes access to expert advice, live demonstrations and networking opportunities, helping them to take the first steps in adopting robots. Each hub will receive at least £2m per year for four years, with extra funding available for ambitious bids. The hubs are expected to be operational from the second half of 2026. “From manufacturing to healthcare, robotics can help British businesses work smarter and grow faster,” says science minister, Lord Vallance. “These hubs will make sure companies of all sizes can access the support they need to embrace automation, wherever they are in the country.” Innovate UK will launch the competition to identify the organisations to run the robotics hubs “in the coming weeks”. In another announcement, the Government says it is aiming to cut back the regulations that, it believes, are holding back innovations such as robots for inspecting wind turbines and autonomous vessels. The Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO), launched in October 2024, has announced robotics and defence as new priorities aimed at making the UK safer and more productive. This builds on its mission to remove outdated rules that are holding back the technologies that drive growth, to lift living standards and improve public services – a central mission of the Modern Industrial Strategy. The RIO has already engaged with more than 150 businesses and is working to unlock the potential of sectors worth over £100bn across its initial priority sectors. The government says that robotics and defence are two areas where British companies are worldleaders, but where outdated and complex regulations can hold back innovation and slow the path to market. Currently, businesses developing robotic technologies must navigate different regulatory frameworks across multiple bodies. The RIO is aiming to streamline overlapping requirements to bring products to market safely, but more quickly. “British innovators shouldn’t be held back by needless red tape,” says the minister for the digital economy, Liz Lloyd. “We have world-leading robotics and defence tech firms, but regulations haven’t kept pace with their innovations. “We’re updating the rules so they work for modern technologies, cutting the barriers that stop these firms from growing and competing globally.” February 2026 www.drivesncontrols.com 8 Competition will pick who will run UK’s £52m robotics hubs EVENTS Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 26 3–5 February, 2026 Farnborough, UK The regional event is expected to attract more than 500 exhibitors from a variety of sectors including mechanical engineering, electronics, electrical engineering and production hardware. More than 10,000 visitors are likely to visit the Farnborough site where they can hear talks from over 50 experts, as well as attending the exhibition. www.southern-manufacturingelectronics.com/en National Manufacturing Summit 26 February, 2026 MTC, Coventry The event brings together leading UK manufacturing and engineering experts to discuss, debate and set the agenda for the key subject areas that will drive the country’s manufacturing competitiveness forwards. https://nmsummit.co.uk MACH 2026 20–24 April, 2026 NEC, Birmingham The manufacturing technologies event, organised by the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA), has sold more than 90% of its floorspace. More than 30,000 members of the UK manufacturing community are expected to attend. Spread across five halls will be a series of interactive Knowledge Hubs providing visitors with impartial advice. One Hub will be dedicated to Automation and Robotics; another will focus on Data and AI. https://www.machexhibition.com Hannover Messe 2026 20-24 April, 2026 Hannover, Germany The industrial mega-show returns to its North German venue and is expected to attract around 4,000 exhibitors (including more than 300 start-ups) from the engineering and digital industries, as well as the energy sector. AI will be a common thread. There will be three main exhibition areas: Automation & Digitalisation; Energy & Industrial Infrastructure; and Research & Technology Transfer. The partner country for 2026 is Brazil. www.hannovermesse.de/en CWIEME Berlin / EEMODS 26 19-21 May, 2026 Berlin, Germany The world’s largest coil-winding and electrical manufacturing exhibition will host the biennial EEMODS (energy efficiency in motor-driven systems) conference for the first time in 2026. The conference is expected to attract experts and policymakers from around the world to discuss efficiency and regulatory issues regarding motors, pumps and compressors. 2026 also marks CWIEME Berlin’s 30th anniversary. https://berlin.cwiemeevents.com/home Lord Vallance: helping UK businesses to work smarter and grow faster
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