Grant
Open
ARIA Robot Locomotion call 2026: integrated robot bodies and foundational technologies
ARIA funds new robot bodies and locomotion hardware with up to £15m per TA1 team and up to £4m per TA2 project. Full proposals are due February 1, 2027.
The call is part of the £60m Robot Locomotion programme in the ARIA Adaptive Machines opportunity space. ARIA expects to spend £52m across the two technical areas.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| TA1 Integrated Robot Bodies | Field testable robot body prototype; 4 years in three phases; about £42m in total |
| TA1 awards | 6 to 8 teams in Phase 1; 4 to 5 in Phase 2; 1 to 3 in Phase 3 |
| TA2 Foundational Technologies | Hardware advance such as a tenfold gain in durability or power density; up to 30 months; about £10m in total |
| TA2 awards | 5 to 10 projects |
| Concept paper length | 5 A4 pages for TA1; 3 A4 pages for TA2 |
Requirements:
- Teams normally apply to one technical area only
- TA1 proposals give a use case, a Target Robot Profile and customer evidence
- TA2 proposals give quantitative targets against the projected state of the art
- Full proposals go through the ARIA grant platform
Timeline:
- Optional teaming workshop in London on November 2, 2026
- Optional concept papers due December 4, 2026, 14:00 GMT
- Feedback on concept papers by December 14, 2026
- Full proposal window opens December 15, 2026
- Applicants notified on March 15, 2027
Source · aria.org.uk/opportunity-spaces/adaptive-machines/robot-locomotion/funding
Published 22 October 2026 · Checked against the organizer's page 28 October 2026