CAM Pathfinder: Enable | Trial UK self driving services at scale with £15 million available

CAM Pathfinder Enable Grant Funding
Programme:Innovate UK
Awards:£2m-£4m
Geographical Scope:national
Beneficiaries:private
Key Features:UK organisations can apply for collaborative grants to run real world trials of Connected and Automated Mobility services, building the evidence for commercial deployment and UK economic benefit.

Key information at a glance

  • Funder: Innovate UK
  • Funding type: Grant
  • Total pot: £15,000,000
  • Status: Open
  • Opens: 20 October 2025, 9:30am UK time
  • Closes: 17 December 2025, 11:00am UK time
  • Award size per project: £2,000,000 to £4,000,000 grant funding request
  • Project length: 18 to 24 months
  • Project start by: 1 June 2026
  • Who can lead: UK registered business, local authority or transport authority
  • Collaboration: Required
  • Indicative funding rates: up to 70% for micro or small, 60% for medium, 50% for large (industrial research)
  • Zenzic contribution: 3.5% on grant received

Strategic objectives CAM Pathfinder Enable

The programme aims to accelerate early commercial deployment of CAM services by supporting trials that confirm operational models, roles and responsibilities, and readiness for scale, laying the groundwork for larger roll outs that deliver UK economic benefit.

Funding and award size CAM Pathfinder Enable

  • Total competition funding: £15 million, with up to six projects expected to be funded subject to quality and portfolio fit.
  • Per project award: your total eligible grant funding request must be between £2,000,000 and £4,000,000. Projects must last 18 to 24 months and start by 1 June 2026.
  • Funding rates: for industrial research, SMEs can receive up to 70% (micro or small) or 60% (medium) of eligible costs, and large organisations up to 50%. A 3.5% industrial contribution to Zenzic is payable on grant received.

What assessors look for

  • Clear service use case with real stakeholders and a defined operating domain
  • Safety case and assurance approach appropriate to the trial context
  • Commercial model and market pull, including user demand and route to revenues
  • Consortium strength, roles and responsibilities, and access to test environments
  • Credible delivery plan with milestones, risk management and value for money

Scope - CAM Pathfinder Enable

CAM Pathfinder: Enable funds live trials of self driving passenger or goods services in defined UK locations to validate safety, service design, user experience, operating models and commercial readiness for deployment at scale. Projects should use suitably mature technologies to answer business case questions, with a strong focus on market pull rather than technology push.

Eligibility CAM Pathfinder Enable

  • Lead organisation: a UK registered business, local authority or transport authority. Academic institutions cannot lead.
  • Collaboration: required with at least one additional UK registered partner. For public road trials you must nominate partners to act as Authorised Self Driving Entity (ASDE) and No User in Charge Operator (NUiCO) in line with BSI Flex 1890 definitions.
  • UK focus: funded organisations must carry out the work in the UK and intend to exploit results in the UK.

Deadlines and how to apply

  • Opens: 20 October 2025, 9:30am UK time
  • Closes: 17 December 2025, 11:00am UK time
  • Prepare your application materials early, including scope alignment, eligibility checks, project costs, delivery plan and risk register.

Benefits to applicants

  • Derisked deployment through structured trials that evidence safety and service viability
  • First mover advantage in UK CAM markets by validating operations and user experience early
  • Investor readiness backed by operational data, KPIs and refined business cases
  • Partnerships across operators, authorities, technology providers and insurers that support scale up
Grants Roadmapping, built for CFOs
Grants Roadmapping, built for CFOs

Get a focused, funder-ready plan in 2 to 4 weeks. We benchmark your pipeline, map the best fit UK and EU calls to your technical and commercial milestones, and produce a clear bid calendar with go or no go decisions, owners, and dates. One team, one point of accountability. Global Reach. Local Expertise.

What you get

  • Portfolio scan and eligibility fit across Innovate UK, Horizon Europe, Eurostars
  • 12 month call calendar, deadlines and funding rates, with quick scoring
  • Consortium gap analysis and partner shortlist
  • Bid plan with responsibilities, timeline, and compliance checks
  • Optional end to end writing, submission, and audit readiness

“A good roadmap removes the noise. CFOs get a realistic bid calendar, not false hope. We align funding to the business plan so teams move quickly and stay compliant.”
Dr. Chrysi Karagiannaki, R&D Tax Consultant, FI Group UK

Book a free 20 minute discovery call about Grants Roadmapping using the button below.

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Frequently asked questions - CAM Pathfinder: Enable

Use this section to verify compliance quickly and to shape a high scoring bid for Innovate UK’s Connected and Automated Mobility competition.

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