Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
ADVANCED RESEARCH AND INVENTION AGENCY
96 EUSTON ROAD,
LONDON
NW12DB
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKI31 - Camden and City of London
Justification for not providing organisation identifier
Not on any register
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
https://www.aria.org.uk/robot-dexterity/
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via
https://www.aria.org.uk/robot-dexterity/
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Robot Dexterity
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 73110000 - Research services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
ARIA is an R&D funding agency built to unlock scientific and technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We empower scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of what is technologically or scientifically possible.
We reach across disciplines, sectors and institutions to shape, fund and manage projects across the R&D ecosystem, from startups to universities, to break down silos and discover new pathways.
We're looking for proposals for our Robot Dexterity programme, for more information see here https://www.aria.org.uk/robot-dexterity/
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Why this programme
Breakthroughs in AI are transforming robotic abilities, but compared to staggering advances in computation, the development of robot bodies has stalled in recent decades. Today, robots cannot achieve the flexibility, speed and precision of human manipulation, rendering them useless for many of the difficult or dangerous tasks where we need them most.The need to improve robot dexterity comes at a critical time. The proportion of the world's population aged 65+ is set to triple by 2100, while labour deficits for physically demanding work are set to increase.Robots have the potential to ease these labour shortages and boost prosperity - advanced robotics with dexterous manipulation could add an estimated 4% to global productivity - but to do so we must close the gap between what robots and humans can handle.
What we're shooting for
Just as biological bodies and nervous systems evolved together, this programme will aim to exploit advanced simulation to learn the optimal design for a robot body at the same time as optimal control. Our goal: to release the bottlenecks in robotic dexterity, demonstrating a paradigm-shift in robotic abilities and creating vastly more capable and useful machines.
For more information, see here https://www.aria.org.uk/robot-dexterity/
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
two.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT: £52,000,000
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months
54
This contract is subject to renewal
No
two.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: No
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
Additional funding, scope and duration could be added to any contracts awarded.
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Competitive procedure with negotiation
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date
19 September 2024
Local time
12:00pm
four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
English
Section six. Complementary information
six.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: No
six.3) Additional information
Detailed timelines can be found in the programme call information on ARIAs website https://www.aria.org.uk/robot-dexterity/
The application process for Technical Areas 1, 2 and 3 consists of two stages:
- Submission of a concept paper - At this stage and based on your concept paper, you will either be encouraged/ discouraged to submit a full proposal. If you receive feedback indicating that you are not encouraged to submit a full proposal you can still choose to submit a full proposal. You should note that this preliminary assessment/encouragement provides no guarantee of any full proposal being selected for award of funding.
The deadline for submission of concept papers is 24.07.24 (12:00 BST).
- Submission of a full proposal - the deadline for submission of full proposals is 19.09.24 (12:00 BST).
The total funding value is the estimated budget available. We expect to fund multiple applicants.
Funding is anticipated to be award via both contracts and grants. For information on how we fund https://www.aria.org.uk/faqs-funding/
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Not Applicable, see the ARIA Act 2022
London
Country
United Kingdom