📍 Athens, Greece
humanoidmanipulationlegged locomotion
EU-funded state-of-the-art robotics centre of excellence established in Greece to advance science, technology and practice of robotics in the AI era. The centre collaborates with Athena Research Centre (coordinator), Italian Institute of Technology, and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Part of the Horizon Europe initiative to strengthen European robotics research.
HERON Center of Excellence establishment
📍 Nancy, France
AIhumanoidcollaborative robots
EU Horizon Europe-funded network of excellence on AI-driven robotics facilitating knowledge transfer between research institutions and industry. Aims to accelerate deployment of robotics and AI solutions from academic research to industrial applications across Europe. Features EuroCore platform for sharing software modules, data, and expertise.
EuroCore platformeuROBIN networking conceptEuropean robotics-AI knowledge exchange
📍 Enschede, Netherlands
surgical roboticsminimally invasive surgerymicro-robots
The Surgical Robotics Lab at University of Twente focuses on developing robotic systems for minimally invasive surgery and targeted therapy. Led by Sarthak Misra, the lab has received ERC Starting Grants and develops biologically-inspired microrobots for surgical applications. Research includes magnetic control of microjets and self-propelled microrobots for image-guided procedures.
MagnetoSperm biologically-inspired microrobotMagnetic control of self-propelled microjetsROBOTAR research project
📍 Pisa, Italy
surgical roboticsminimally invasive surgerytargeted therapy
Part of the Biorobotics Institute at Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, this area investigates minimally invasive surgery, targeted therapy, and diagnosis through robotic solutions. The group is involved in the REPAIR Lab with INAIL and Centro Protesi, and promotes joint labs for training healthcare operators in neonatal mechatronic applications.
REPAIR Lab (promoted by INAIL)Neonatal mechatronic solutions training
📍 Noordwijk, Netherlands
space roboticsplanetary explorationrover engineering
European Space Agency's engineering research laboratory specializing in robotic probes and planetary exploration systems. Develops and tests advanced robotic systems for space missions.
ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Roverspace probe engineering
📍 Orsay, France
micro-roboticsnano-roboticsmagnetic control
Academic research laboratory operated jointly by CNRS, Paris-Saclay University, and University of Tokyo. Based at the Center for Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies (C2N), the lab focuses on mobile microrobotics and nanorobotics challenges.
Mobile microrobotics platformsNanoswimmer development
📍 Ostrava, Czech Republic
nano-roboticsadvanced materialsmultiscale robotics
Head laboratory at Technical University Ostrava directed by Professor Martin Pumera, focusing on advanced nanorobots and multiscale robotics. The lab specializes in developing advanced materials for micro and nanorobotics applications.
Advanced functional nanorobotsMultiscale robotics systems
📍 Lincoln, United Kingdom
agricultural roboticsfield roboticsautonomous systems
Lincoln Agri-Robotics is the world's first global centre of excellence in agricultural robotics, funded by UKRI's Research England. The centre bridges strong research collaborations at the University of Lincoln focused on developing innovative robotics solutions for the agricultural sector.
Agricultural robotics platform developmentPrecision farming automation
📍 Bristol, United Kingdom
humanoid roboticslegged locomotionaerial robotics
Europe's largest academic robotics centre operated jointly by the University of Bristol and UWE Bristol. Conducts cutting-edge research in humanoid, aerial, legged, and soft robotics with strong emphasis on embodied AI and autonomous systems. Houses advanced facilities including motion capture arenas and collaborative research platforms.
SAM (Soft Active Manipulator) seriesQuadruped research platformsAerial robotics systems
📍 Trondheim, Norway
autonomous systemslegged locomotionfield robotics
Research lab at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) focused on creating resilient autonomous robotic systems for complex environments. Develops robots with advanced locomotion, perception, and intelligence for long-term autonomous operation.
Autonomous legged robots for field explorationEnvironmental adaptation systems
📍 Grenoble, France
autonomous systemsmachine learningrobotic control
European research laboratory of NAVER specializing in autonomous robotics and AI. Focuses on enabling robots to operate autonomously in real-world everyday spaces through advanced machine learning, adaptive planning, and sim2real transfer techniques.
Autonomous robot learning systemsMultimodal foundation models for robotics
📍 Bielefeld, Germany
cognitive roboticshumanoid roboticslearning
Leading cognitive robotics laboratory engaged in learning and cognitive technology research. Participates in major EU research projects and collaborates with international partners including Honda Research Institute Europe and industrial leaders in automation.
Cognitive learning systemsIndustrial collaboration projects
📍 Athens, Greece
field roboticsspace roboticsservice robots
HERON is the first Robotics Center of Excellence established in Greece through EU Horizon Europe funding. It conducts fundamental and applied research in field robotics, space robotics, service robots, and manipulation systems, with focus on autonomous systems for challenging real-world applications. The center collaborates with Athena Research Center, Italian Institute of Technology, and international partners.
Precision agriculture robotsField and Service Robotics LaboratorySpace Robotics research division
📍 Athens, Greece
roboticsAIfield robotics
Athena Research Center is a Greek research institute coordinating the HERON Center of Excellence project funded by EU Horizon Europe. It leads research initiatives in robotics and artificial intelligence with focus on advancing robotic systems for real-world applications.
HERON Center of Excellence coordination
📍 Trondheim, Norway
underwater roboticsautonomous vehiclesmarine engineering
The Applied Underwater Robotics Laboratory (AURLab) at NTNU is an inter-faculty collaboration founded in 2009 promoting the application and use of underwater robotics in engineering and research. Part of the NTNU SINTEF OceanLab project, it conducts research on autonomous underwater vehicle development and marine applications.
📍 Lisbon, Portugal
ocean roboticsautonomous vehiclescontrol theory
DSOR Lab at the Institute for Systems and Robotics applies dynamical systems theory to the design and operation of autonomous marine and aerial robots. Research focuses on navigation, guidance, control, mission planning, and cooperative control of distributed autonomous vehicles.
📍 Pisa, Italy
underwater roboticsautonomous vehicles
The underwater robotics group at Centro di Ricerca E. Piaggio develops autonomous underwater vehicles to substitute human operators in hazardous submerged environments, reducing safety risks and operational costs.