23/10/2026
"Collaboration is key."
That was one of the main messages from challenge owners at ACORN The Challenge Exchange 2026, an event co-organised by iSH that brought together industry, academia and innovators to explore solutions to challenges in robotics, fusion and nuclear decommissioning.
ACORN is a £5 million EPSRC-funded collaboration between UKAEA, the University of Cumbria, the University of Manchester and the University of Oxford, designed to accelerate the commercialisation of robotics and AI for nuclear decommissioning. By connecting industry challenges with leading research and innovation, ACORN helps to turn promising technologies into real-world solutions that improve safety, reduce cost and deliver economic growth across Oxfordshire and Cumbria.
Cumbria Robotics Cluster members Barrnon, Createc, Forth, Eadon Consulting and Veolia made an impact by sharing real-world challenges and workshopping potential solutions alongside academic and industry partners.
Delegates also had the opportunity to visit JET, gaining insight into the scale of the decommissioning programme and the role robotics will play in supporting this complex work.
Our Programme Director, Miranda Kirschel, facilitated a panel discussion featuring representatives from Sellafield Ltd, UKAEA, The University of Manchester and the SME community, exploring the opportunities and barriers to collaboration, emerging robotics technologies and the growing impact of AI.
The event was an opportunity to share challenges, make connections and consider how collaboration can help develop solutions to some of industry’s most complex problems.
