UK Robotarium CEO quits in row over £7.5m robotic hub funding
27 April 2026 
Stewart Miller has resigned as CEO of The National Robotarium in Scotland following a row with leaders at Heriot-Watt University (HWU) whom he accused of “turning their back on an opportunity to bring £7.5m of investment into the Scottish robotic economy”. The row centres on the University’s decision not to apply for Innovate UK grant funding for the Robotarium to become one of the network of government-funded Robotic Adoption Hubs which are due to start operating across the UK later this year. The deadline to apply for the funding was 15 April.
In a LinkedIn post, Miller said that failing to apply for the funding, the Heriot-Watt leaders had “undermined all of my efforts over five years to establish and grow The National Robotarium to the position of respect and prominence it now has in the UK and in Europe.
“I had been instrumental in gaining support from UK government for the robotics hub initiative and had positioned The National Robotarium to lead an extremely strong bid on behalf of Scotland, with support from Scottish stakeholders and industry partners,” he added. “For this to be discarded at the eleventh hour was the final straw in a sequence of events over the past six months that have made it clear that HWU no longer respected or valued my contribution as CEO of The National Robotarium.”
The robotics hubs, expected to cost around £52m over four years, were first announced in June 2025 by the UK government in its Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan – part of its Modern Industrial Strategy. The hubs will be run by universities, businesses, or public sector organisations, and each hub will receive at least £2m per year for four years, with extra funding available for ambitious bids. Innovate UK has been running a competition to decide who will run the hubs.
Miller had been CEO of the £22.4m Robotarium since its opening in 2022. The 40,000ft2 facility, located on HWU’s Edinburgh campus, is the UK’s largest and most advanced r&d facility for robotics and artificial intelligence and draws on experts from both HWU and the University of Edinburgh.
In a second LinkedIn post, Miller praised the “outstanding individuals” on the Robotarium team. “What they have achieved in the past five years has been nothing short of remarkable. From nothing, they grew The National Robotarium in under 18 months to be a home for anyone vested in robotics for the UK, helping companies adopt robotics, develop new robotic products, creating sector awareness and convening interest groups, driving research, and most importantly engaging young people in robotics. It now stands as one of the most prominent pillars in UK robotics due to their intellect and drive and passion.
“As CEO, I set out to create a culture where people could explore themselves and realise their potential and in doing so achieve remarkable things and enjoy themselves while achieving,” he added. “They embraced that. Thank you all.
“As well as the team, I have been able to observe and support some of the best robotics companies in the UK as they became resident at The National Robotarium. To them I want to say I hope you all go on to great things and create the robotics economy Scotland deserves.”
In a statement, Heriot-Watt University says that it does not agree with Miller’s “characterisation of recent events”.
“Decisions regarding funding applications and strategic priorities are taken following careful consideration to ensure alignment with requirements and compliance with funding regulations,” it adds. “As this and related matters are subject to an internal review, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.”
The University says it recognises Miller’s contribution over the past five years in helping to establish and develop the Robotarium.
“Heriot-Watt University remains fully committed to the continued success of the National Robotarium and to advancing robotics innovation, industry collaboration and skills development across Scotland and the wider UK,” it adds. “We will continue to work closely with partners to build on the strong foundations already in place.”
