New funding for robotics technologies training centre
Published: 9 October 2026
University of Glasgow researchers are set to lead a new centre which is aiming to help businesses benefit from adopting robotics technologies.
University of Glasgow researchers are set to lead a new centre which is aiming to help businesses benefit from adopting robotics technologies.
The Robotics Training Centre Scotland brings together experts from the James Watt School of Engineering with partners from academia and industry to tackle a growing skills gap which is preventing businesses from fully embracing the benefits of robot tech.
The establishment of RTC Scotland was announced today (Friday 9 October) by Innovate UK, which is providing £525k funding for the Centre as part of the Robotics Adoption programme.
A total of 12 new projects will share in £2.5m in new funding from the programme, which aims to create and deliver course content and materials that support skills, talent and training in robotics.
The programme is working to bridge the skills gap by addressing the lack of skilled workers able to specify, procure, integrate, operate and maintain robotics. The competition forms part of the £52 million Robotics Adoption programme and is designed to complement and feed into the new network of Robotics Adoption Hubs.
RTC Scotland is setting out to help the businesses in the manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, logistics, and energy infrastructure sectors benefit from the advantages that robotics technologies can offer them, but which they may not yet have the skills or expertise to adopt at scale.
Over the next three years, RTC Scotland will provide new training opportunities to help professionals across a wide range of industries to understand how robotics can be applied to their businesses.
The Centre will offer short courses to enable engineers, technicians, and managers to learn how robotics can be applied within their own organisations. Participants will also gain hands-on experience working with real robotic systems in environments that simulate modern industrial settings.
The Centre will be based at the University of Glasgow’s Intelligent Robotics Group, part of the James Watt Autonomous Systems and Connectivity (ASC) division. The group’s existing expertise, facilities and robotics infrastructure, along with strong industry partnerships, will enable the Centre to devise and deliver high-quality theoretical and practical training courses which address real-world needs.
Dr Olaoluwa Popoola will lead the University’s contribution to RTC Scotland. He said: “We’re grateful to Innovate UK for backing the Robotics Training Centre Scotland, which will make a real impact on the country’s ability to deliver innovation through automation.
“Robotic technologies are advancing rapidly, and can provide businesses with significant advantages by boosting productivity, reducing costs, and making work environments safer. The Centre will help develop Scotland’s knowledge and skills base, which will in turn help strengthen the country’s wider innovation ecosystem and help businesses remain competitive in an increasingly automated global economy.”
Professor David Flynn, Dr Euan McGookin and Dr Kevin Worrall of the James Watt School of Engineering will be co-investigators of the Centre, with Dr Liyuan Qi acting as research assistant. Pomo Robotics will be the Centre’s industry partner.
Professor Muhammad Imran, Head of the James Watt School of Engineering and Strategic Advisor to RTC Scotland, said: “RTC Scotland will help turn our strengths in robotics into practical skills for industry, supporting safer adoption, greater productivity and stronger university–industry collaboration.”
First published: 9 October 2026
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