Building on the success of the Academic Advisory Group (AAG), the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) have today, 05 May, 2026, launched a new academic and industry partnership via the launch of the UK Council for Automotive Academic Research (UKCAAR), funded by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), to address automotive industry challenges facing zero-emission vehicles and related technologies.
Commenting on the launch of the group, UKCAAR Lead at the APC, Steve Sapsford, said:
“Recognising a need for collaboration between industry and academia, APC want to further strengthen the academic engagement that we have generated over the years. APC are in a unique position to deliver a community that helps to connect academic institutions with industry.
The group acknowledges that the UK Research & Development (R&D) landscape is comprehensive, and any new initiatives must fill the gaps and add value. One of the focuses of the group is to identify research focus needed to address automotive industry challenges and provide foresight on future disruptive innovation.
The transition to a zero-emission vehicle manufacturing and a net-zero automotive supply chain, in the UK, demands collaboration. To solve today’s challenges, we need to utilise tomorrow’s innovation and insight. Industry-academia partnerships benefit the sector by providing access to talent, research support, knowledge exchange, and innovation.”
The academic community are a crucial part of the government-funded collaborative R&D programmes, with 22% of the projects having academic partners. The connection between academia and the APC is important to foster, due to the forward-thinking nature of academic research. The UKCAAR consists of who are leading research in areas of interest to the automotive industry. Activities include:
- Feasibility Sprints – Competitive funding for industry and academia to work together on future mobility-related technologies
- Insight Papers – Reports that support the themes of DRIVE35, bringing upcoming and/or often overlooked research and themes from academia into industry and policymaker thinking
Professor Chris Brace from the University of Bath has been elected the chair of the group and he commented:
“I am delighted that all of these leading people have committed to serve on this important advisory council. Each member has a highly successful and highly impactful track-record, with a passion for the success of the automotive industry and the wider national academic community. I have no doubt that this group will help strengthen the national partnerships between academia and industry, to bring further high-quality research into the automotive sector.”
UKCAAR consists of academics who are helping identify key research areas and provide foresight on future disruptive innovative zero-emission technologies, to achieve the zero-emission goal
Current UKCAAR council:
- Professor Chris Brace, IAAPS, University of Bath, (Chair)
- Professor Frances Wall, University of Exeter, (Vice-Chair)
- Professor Alasdair Cairns, University of Nottingham
- Martin Dowson, WMG, University of Warwick
- Professor Juliana Early, Queens University Belfast
- Professor Zhongyun Fan, Brunel University London
- Deepak Farmah, Coventry University
- Professor Derrick Holliday, University of Strathclyde
- James Gaade, The Faraday Institution
- Professor Colin Garner, Non-Executive Director, APC
- Dr Russ Hall, WMG, University of Warwick
- Professor Felix Leach, University of Oxford
- Professor George Mavros, Loughborough University
- Professor Phillip Mellor, University of Bristol
- Professor Greg Offer, Imperial College London
- Professor Alex Taylor, Imperial College London
- Professor Patricia Thornley, Energy & Bioproducts Research Institute, Aston University
There are currently vacancies on the core council for those who are leading research in:
- Connected and autonomous vehicles
- Software-defined vehicles
The core council is also supported by representatives from Department for Business and Trade, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Innovate UK.
In addition to the core council, the APC is delighted to announce the formation of the UKCAAR Affiliate Network. Commenting on this latest development, Steve Sapsford said:
“This group is open to all academics with an interest in the transport and manufacturing sector, and membership will enable them access to all relevant outputs and working groups from UKCAAR meetings. It is also intended that the affiliate network will provide a resource for new members as the skills and experience requirements of the core council evolve with industry.”
Please contact the Chair, Chris Brace, or UKCAAR Lead, Steve Sapsford, if you are interested in joining the affiliate network.
Chris Brace, UKCAAR Chair, enscjb@bath.ac.uk
Steve Sapsford, UKCAAR Lead, stephen.sapsford@apcuk.co.uk
