Research and development

Research and development has been an important pillar of Darwin’s work since our establishment in 2019. From vehicle communications to business techniques, we’re constantly learning and innovating.

On this page, we take a look at Darwin’s centres of R&D in Oxfordshire and Glasgow: the Darwin SatCom Lab, the Darwin Drone Lab, and the Darwin Business Innovation Lab.

Our labs aren’t just for our own use. We’re happy to help other organisations with an interest in autonomous vehicles or ubiquitous communications. Get in touch to discuss how we can assist.

Darwin SatCom Lab

Launched in 2020 in collaboration with O2, the Darwin SatCom Lab is the first space in the UK designed for testing self-driving car technology. It’s based at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.

We have two on-site connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) that can be controlled remotely. These are reprogrammable and can be hired for CAV software testing. We also use them to test and refine our air quality monitoring technology, our ability to switch seamlessly between 5G and satellite communications, and more.

The ability to blend terrestrial and satellite communications opens up new possibilities for CAVs. Autonomous vehicles need to receive, process and interpret large quantities of information in real time, which means that a reliable connection is valuable. As 5G isn’t yet available everywhere, supplementing terrestrial networks with satellite connectivity makes autonomous vehicles more feasible in rural areas.

The Darwin SatCom Lab allows these ideas to be put into action using actual autonomous cars. Its combination of hardware, software and the physical space to experiment means that any interested organisation can test and refine the technology’s possibilities on a practical level.

If you’re interested in finding out how the Darwin SatCom Lab can help to solve the challenges your business is facing, get in touch.

Darwin Drone Lab

Like the SatCom Lab, you’ll find the Darwin Drone Lab at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. It’s the space we use for testing our drone technology.

The Drone Lab includes a drone corridor running between the Darwin SatCom Lab and ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT). This is a flight path that allows us to operate our drones safely and legally, without disrupting other air traffic.

There are countless drone applications, but safety needs to come before anything else. The controlled space of the Drone Lab allows us to test both our drones and our pilots, meaning that we can demonstrate our flight record to the Civil Aviation Authority in an operational safety case.

Darwin Business Innovation Lab

The Darwin Business Innovation Lab is an open, creative learning and collaboration space designed to help businesses innovate. You’ll find the lab at the University of Glasgow. If you can’t visit in person, we can also collaborate remotely with interested businesses across the world.

The Darwin Innovation Lab offers guidance and expertise to organisations interested in areas such as:

• Innovation management
• Digital transformation
• Investment planning
• Constructing innovative, responsible business models
• Scenario planning with AI for risk management

Digital technologies are revolutionising the way we live, work and relate to each other. With a stronger understanding of what these technologies can do and how to use them, you can generate more value for your business. Our work helps organisations to develop or innovate business models based on the possibilities opened up by digital technologies.

The Darwin Business Innovation Lab offers a range of expertise, training, business simulations and guidance to develop or innovate business models, technology strategies, strategic forecasting, digital transformation and regulatory assessment, among other research services for cutting-edge technologies and emerging industries.

Our core team at the lab is:

• Dr Daniela Petrovic: Darwin Delivery Director, Ecosystem Partnership Strategy
• Prof. Tim Morris: University of Oxford, Business Model Strategy
• Prof. Nuran Acur: University of Glasgow, Head of Darwin’s Business Innovation Lab
• Dr Carlos Carbajal: University of Glasgow, Lead of Darwin’s Business Innovation Lab
• Dr David Owens: Darwin Chief Pilot, Head of Technical Trials and Simulations
• Adnan Salkic: Darwin VP Sales, Business Finance Modelling and Simulations

If you’d like to know how the Darwin Business Innovation Lab can help to design or innovate your business model, get in touch.