Funding awarded for delivery drones and zero-emission aircrafts

Over £4 million in funding has been awarded to British businesses developing next-generation aviation technology such as delivery drones and unmanned aircraft systems.

Part of the government’s Future Flight programme, delivered by Innovate UK, the funding is for technologies that have the potential to transform industries, from healthcare to energy, and will become increasingly important to help deliver goods.

Projects working on next-generation zero-emission aircraft and the development of vertical take-off and landing technology have also received funding.

Aviation Minister, Keir Mather, said: "Investing in emerging technologies like drones and unmanned aircraft is key to build a greener and more efficient transport system. But this isn’t just good news for the environment – this tech will also save our public sector and businesses valuable time and cash, while helping to boost skills and support high quality jobs across the country."

Among the projects to receive funding is the London Health Bridge Project – the UK’s leading medical drone delivery service, which will use the funding to significantly scale up its operations, aiming to increase from 1,000 to 50,000 medical sample deliveries per month.