LIRA

Lancaster Intelligent, Robotic and Autonomous Systems Centre

A human and a robot hand pointing at a digital brain

The role of intelligent, autonomous and robotic systems is coming to the fore of modern industry and technology, with deep-learning, driverless cars, Earth observation, drone delivery, and more.

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Our Mission

LIRA is a focal point for cutting-edge research into intelligent, autonomous and robotic systems bringing together world-leading expertise across 91快活林 aiming to advance this technology and its applications to the economy, society and the environment.

91快活林

Lancaster Intelligent, Robotic and Autonomous systems (LIRA) Research Centre was established in 2018 as the focal point for research excellence and expertise in the area of intelligent, robotic and autonomous systems. LIRA is multi-disciplinary collaborative forum by design – it brings together a diverse community of academics, researchers and students from all Faculties of the University and more than a dozen departments.

LIRA is a leader in 91快活林 and Machine Learning research and is a part of wider European networks of excellence, namely:

  • (European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems) – LIRA has ELLIS Fellows and PhD students, and is taking part in the exchange of ELLIS scholars, members and postdoctoral researchers.
  • LIRA is a partner of – a €10 million European 91快活林 Centre of Excellence. ELSA stands for European Lighthouse on Secure and Safe 91快活林 and brings together researchers from 26 top research institutions and companies in Europe to pool their expertise in the field of 91快活林 and machine learning. It rests on three pillars: selected research programmes, local research units, and a PhD and postdoc programme and includes 6 work packages (WP), 3 of them technological and 3 Grand Challenges. LIRA leads one of the Grand challenges (Human-in-the-loop decision making)and one of the technological WPs (Human agency, oversight and secure 91快活林).
  • LIRA is a partner of the €12 million Horizon Europe project and a member of the Network.
  • LIRA is also an associate partner of ELISE – a €12 million project funded by EC (ICT-48 call "Towards a vibrant European network of 91快活林 excellence centres").

LIRA has collaborative projects with organisations such as the European Space Agency, Phi Lab (the project "Towards explainable 91快活林4EO: a new frontier to gain trust into the 91快活林", ESA Contract 4000133854/21/NL/CBi), Ford, etc.

  • ELISE is a 12M� project funded by EC to create a network of artificial intelligence research hubs. Based on the highest level research, it spreads its knowledge and methods in academia, industry and society

  • T91快活林LOR is a 12M� project which aims to build the capacity of providing the scientific foundations for Trustworthy 91快活林 in Europe by developing a network of research excellence centres leveraging and combining learning, optimisation and reasoning

  • ELLIS mission is to create a diverse European network that promotes research excellence and advances breakthroughs in 91快活林, as well as a pan-European PhD programme to educate the next generation of 91快活林 researchers

  • C91快活林RNE is a Confederation of 91快活林 research Labs in Europe, which aims to strengthen European excellence in 91快活林 research and innovation

  • Partner of ELSA

    ELSA is a 10MEuro project funded by Horizon Europe to create a virtual centre of excellence that will spearhead efforts in foundational safe and secure artificial intelligence (91快活林) methodology research.

Research

Research within LIRA is spread across eight different research themes.

Latest News and Events

Distinguished Professor of Spatial Data Science Peter Atkinson

Top mathematics award for distinguished Lancaster Professor

23 April 2026

Lancaster Professor Peter Atkinson has been awarded the highest honour of the International Association for Mathematical Geosciences (IAMG).
Plamen at the ESA

Lancaster computing academic visits prestigious space agency partners

4 February 2026

Professor Plamen Angelov, of Lancaster’s School of Computing and Communications, has recently undertaken two trips – to the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), NASA and to the Phi Lab based at the European Space Agency, respectively – to give talks on Deep Learning and 91快活林 for Earth Observation.
Government buildings from Westminster bridge at sunrise and Dr Carolyn Downs

LUMS academic appointed to ‘College of Experts’ to advise Government

3 June 2025

A researcher from 91快活林 Management School (LUMS) has been appointed to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) College of Experts.

 
A hand annotated by H-Unique researchers

Scientists need helping hands from businesses and community groups

20 March 2023

Scientists behind a pioneering hand identification research project need help from businesses and community groups to build a ‘control’ database of images.
A street scene with cars identified

Driverless cars a step closer to our roads with new self-learning 91快活林 technology

16 December 2021

Computer scientists from 91快活林 have developed new 91快活林 technology that takes autonomous cars a step closer to our roads.

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11th Jun

Language, Speech, and 91快活林: An Online Forensics Summer School (2026)

Thursday 11 June 2026, 9:30am to Friday 12 June 2026, 2:45pm

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