Centre of Excellence for AI and Robotics (CEAIR)

CEAIR at Sheffield Hallam University is a strategic hub for applied AI, robotics, innovation, and skills development. The Centre helps organisations prototype, test, and scale human-centred AI and robotics solutions that improve productivity, support workforce transformation, and deliver measurable social and commercial value. CEAIR combines cutting-edge research with applied delivery. Our focus is not AI for its own sake, but AI that solves operational challenges, improves productivity, enhances services, and creates competitive edge.

Why this matters

• AI and robotics are central to UK growth priorities across health, manufacturing, defence, and public services.
• Businesses need trusted partners who can de-risk innovation, accelerate adoption, and build the skills pipeline for long-term competitiveness.

Why partner with CEAIR

• A proven track record of leading high-impact, externally funded AI and robotics projects, with over £10m secured from UKRI, the European Commission, NIHR, IBM, and NVIDIA.
• Collaborative R&D with a multidisciplinary team of over 20 academics and researchers in embodied AI, collaborative robotics, and trustworthy autonomous systems.
• Access to specialist robotics platforms and AI infrastructure for prototyping, testing, and demonstration.
• Routes to talent through MSc programmes, student projects, internships, doctoral research, CPD, and lifelong learning.

What we offer to partners

• Joint innovation projects and applied research programmes.
• Prototyping and demonstrator development for near-to-market solutions.
• Knowledge exchange, staff upskilling, and tailored executive education.
• Support for SME innovation, grant-led collaboration, and regional growth initiatives.

Capability snapshot

• Current equipment base of approximately £1m, including social, mobile, and collaborative robots plus neuromorphic and high-performance AI computing.
• Dedicated secure laboratory facilities (over 120 sqm) for human-robot interaction, testing, and externally funded projects: sitlabresearch.uk
• Active national and international collaborations with academia and industry, NHS-facing, and public engagement initiatives.

Priority sectors

• Health and life sciences: diagnostics, personalised care, wellbeing, and socially assistive robotics.
• Advanced manufacturing: human-robot collaboration, automation, and AI-enabled productivity.
• Defence and trustworthy autonomy: ethical robotics, explainable AI, and resilient autonomous decision-making.
• SME innovation and regional growth: practical support to help organisations adopt and scale AI.

Key Research and Knowledge Exchange Themes

• Responsible Ethical and Life-Centred AI
• Embodied AI for Human-Robot collaboration
• Trustworthy Autonomous Systems in Social Contexts
• Generative AI and Large Language Models for Societal Impact