National Robotarium chief quits over grant funding row

The chief executive of the National Robotarium has quit, accusing the leadership at Heriot-Watt University of undermining efforts to grow the centre.

Stewart Miller, who has been CEO of the Robotarium since it opened, announced his resignation on LinkedIn.

He said the decision was a “direct consequence” of a decision not to apply for a strand of funding from Innovate UK. He claimed the bid was “discarded at the eleventh hour”.

A statement from Heriot-Watt University (HWU) confirmed the resignation but added that it did not agree with Miller’s characterisation of the events leading up to his decision.

The Robotarium was officially opened in September 2022 and is located at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh campus.

It specialises in robotics and artificial intelligence, acts as an incubator for start-up businesses, and has been supported by both Scottish and UK governments.

In his LinkedIn post, Miller said: “By not applying for Innovate UK grant funding for robotic adoption hubs, the HWU senior leadership 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.

“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.”

In a second post, he praised colleagues working at the Robotarium, as well as the Scottish Government and enterprise agencies for being supportive of the work.

Last month, Miller was appointed to the UK Government’s Robotics Advisory Group.

This was established to provide independent, expert advice to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

A Heriot-Watt University spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Stewart Miller has submitted his resignation as chief executive officer of the National Robotarium. The university recognises his contribution over the past five years in helping to establish and develop the centre. However, we do not agree with the 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. As this and related matters are subject to an internal review, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.

“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. We will continue to work closely with partners to build on the strong foundations already in place.”