“I have resigned as CEO of The National Robotarium. This is as a direct consequence of Heriot Watt University senior leadership turning their back on an opportunity to bring £7.5M of investment into the Scottish robotic economy.”
Stewart Miller, the Chief Executive of the Edinburgh-based National Robotarium, made the announcement on his LinkedIn page, claiming that Heriot Watt’s senior leadership had “undermined” his work, something the University disputes.
“By not applying for Innovate UK grant funding for Robotic Adoption Hubs the HWU Senior leadership undermined all of my efforts over 5 years to establish and grow The National Robotarium to the position of respect and prominence it now has in the UK and in Europe,” he wrote.
“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 6 months that have made it clear that HWU no longer respected or valued my contribution as CEO of The National Robotarium.”
The research institute at the University was set up to create “innovative solutions to global challenges” working hand-in-hand with industry to test and develop robotic, AI and automated technology and take it from the lab to the market.
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The £22.4m centre opened in 2022, under Miller’s charge, and earlier this year he was appointed to the UK Government’s new Robotics Advisory Group.
“I want to apologise to everyone that will be impacted by this sudden departure, in particular the team at The National Robotarium and the many Scottish stakeholders that supported the proposal and have been a tremendous support for the past 5 years,” he continued.
“The need for adoption support for Scottish and wider UK industry has not gone away, nor the need to support new robotics developers and to encourage careers in robotics. I hope to continue working on these topics in the future even if HWU leadership does not value them there are many in Scotland and across the UK who do.”
Miller also paid tribute to the staff at the Robotarium:
“I have had the outstanding privilege to work with some great people and some truly remarkable teams over my 40+ years in technology and industry. The best by far has been the The National Robotarium team.
“Comprising of outstanding individuals, every one of them, I have had the privilege of watching them grow both individually, but most impressively, as a team, as a group as a community. What they have achieved in the past 5 years has been nothing short of remarkable. From nothing they grew The National Robotarium in under 18 months to be a home for anyone vested in robotics for the UK, helping companies adopt robotics, develop new robotic products, creating sector awareness and convening interest groups, driving research, and most importantly engaging young people in robotics. It now stands as one of the most prominent pillars in UK robotics due to their intellect and drive and passion.
“As CEO I set out to create a culture where people could explore themselves and realise their potential and in doing so achieve remarkable things and enjoy themselves while achieving. They embraced that.”
In response, Heriot-Watt University said that it disagreed with Miller’s description of events leading to his resignation:
“Heriot-Watt 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.”
