Nuneaton-based Horiba MIRA and Coventry University recently celebrated three years since the launch of the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Automotive Research (CCAAR), which has supported some of the UK’s most high-profile projects.

They joined forces in July 2016 to open the automotive research centre at the MIRA Technology Park. Dedicated to developing intelligent connected-vehicle technology, CCAAR was created to provide an environment to simulate, test and evaluate the security and safety of Connected Autonomous Vehicles.

Anthony Baxendale, CCAAR lead at Horiba MIRA (www.horiba-mira.com), said: “We are very proud of everything the centre has achieved over the last three years, supporting the Government’s strategy to establish the UK as a global leader in the development, testing and commercialisation of CAVs.

"It has rapidly expanded the scope of the engineering and test services we offer our customers within the CAV industry, and we have seen our efforts make a real difference in helping to plug the prominent skills gap faced by the industry.

"I look forward to seeing how the partnership with Coventry University will continue to shape this fast-evolving segment in the years ahead.”

Kevin Vincent, operations manager at the Institute for Future Transport and Cities at Coventry University, said: “We launched CCAAR as part of a multi-million-pound investment in teaching R&D within the transport sector.

"We are delighted to see that this investment is paying off, with the centre driving high-quality high-impact research that is underpinning some of the UK’s most ambitious projects in the development of connected- and autonomous-vehicle technology.

“We are also proud to see the real-world contribution our talented and hard-working students are having, not only on the automotive industry but on wider society as a whole.

"We are really excited about the future potential of our partnership with Horiba MIRA.”