February 2024
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
This conference was focused on the future of the UK drone industry, and priorities for supporting innovation and growth.
It was an opportunity for key stakeholders and policymakers to discuss next steps for policy and regulation, as well as action by the drone sector and its partners, following recommendations in the HM Treasury Pro-innovation Regulation of Technologies Review.
Delegates looked at how best to unlock commercial potential for drones, looking at use cases across industries, consumer engagement, and models of funding for research and development in the sector, especially for newer entrants to the market.
Further sessions looked at the way forward for developing collaborative frameworks for industry stakeholders, including UTMs and drone developers, and the agreements and steps needed to enhance connectivity and airspace integration in order to support growth in the sector.
We expected discussion on UKRI’s Future Flight Challenge, its outcomes so far and next steps for 2024 and beyond, as well as the CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy and international case studies on best practice for drone regulation and policy.
We are pleased to have been able to include keynote sessions with: Jenny Ward, Deputy Director, Aviation Strategy, Department for Transport; Professor James Scanlan, Professor of Aerospace Design, University of Southampton; Gary Cutts, Future Flight Challenge Director, UK Research and Innovation; Robert Garbett, Chief Executive, Drone Major Group; and Dave Pankhurst, Director of Drones, BT.
Overall, areas for discussion included:
- Policy and regulation: frameworks for collaboration between government, regulators and industry - providing support and certainty for new entrants and smaller industry players
- Commercialisation: priorities for drone market development - latest use cases - strategies for realising the potential of commercial drone use - consumer engagement
- Innovation: what is needed across industry and government to foster innovation - next steps for research and development funding and investment - infrastructure priorities
- Collaboration: opportunities for cross-sector collaboration and frameworks for industry and UTMs - practical, legal, technological and commercial considerations for harmonisation of airspace
- Safety and security: prospects for airspace integration - BVLOS regulation - security and safety for UAVs - operating standards - building public trust
- International markets: key commercial trends and opportunities - lessons for the UK drone sector - opportunities for collaboration - the UK’s potential leadership role
The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the issues alongside key policy officials who attended from the British Army; DBT; Defra; Department for the Economy, NI; DfT; DSIT; GLD; Home Office; HSE; ICO; MAA; MCA; MOD; Ofcom; OPSS; UKSA; and the Welsh Government.
