The University of Plymouth and Europe’s largest defence technology company, Helsing, have signed an agreement which will see them collaborating on a range of initiatives to drive progress in marine autonomy.

Through a new Memorandum of Understanding, the two organisations will work together on research, innovation and testing opportunities and create highly skilled jobs for the region’s marine autonomy sector.

The signing comes just six months after the official opening of Helsing’s first UK Resilience Factory located in Plymouth which is part of the company’s £350 million commitment to the UK.

University staff and students played a leading role in the opening, and the two organisations have been working increasingly close together since then.  They are both members of the Team Plymouth initiative to attract investment to the area.

The resulting agreement will see the University and Helsing promote cooperation and collaboration in knowledge exchange and research and development, as well as sharing access to research and testing facilities.

They will explore opportunities to cooperate in talent acquisition and skills pipelines, through programmes such as apprenticeships and hiring schemes. And they will encourage the growth of the University’s directorates and curriculum, with specific focus on marine autonomy, as well as exploring philanthropic efforts that promote vocational pathways into the regional maritime defence sector. Their aim is to ensure a good education leads to a good local job in a growing and exciting industry.

The partnership was signed at Oceanology International 2026, the world’s premier biennial ocean technology exhibition, where the University and Helsing are part of a concerted effort to promote Plymouth’s status as the UK’s National Centre for Marine Autonomy to a global audience.