The New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) has reached a landmark agreement with the UK Armed Forces to develop a groundbreaking new undergraduate degree in Autonomous Systems which will be set to welcome its first students in September 2026.

Built on NMITE’s pioneering, hands-on pedagogy, the new degree will lead to a Masters in Engineering (MEng) in three years, rather than the normal four years in traditional universities, and will prepare students to be broadly trained, highly effective engineers with a specialised focus on drone technologies. The programme responds to the UK Government’s  Industrial Strategy and its Strategic Defence Review, which have both highlighted the urgent need to develop new skills in priority areas, at a faster pace, while ensuring that defence and security investment delivers positive economic impact in left-behind regions.

Minister for the Armed Forces, Al Carns, has supported this venture from the start:

“We are in a new era of threat, which demands a new era for defence skills. Our Armed Forces must have the skills and experience to tackle the modern-day threats head on – including with engineers who can design, build and operate cutting-edge drone technology to defend our country. Through our Strategic Defence Review we are doubling investment in autonomous and uncrewed systems this parliament, putting the UK at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, and training a new generation to keep Britain secure at home and strong abroad.”

Chief of the Defence Staff,  Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knightoncomments: “Developing skills in autonomous technologies is critical to both defence and the Army. Backed by the British Army, NMITE will train the next generation of drone warfare specialists and help make the Army more lethal in an increasingly dangerous world.”

The programme will place a strong emphasis on the dual-use potential of drone technologies. Just as many technologies originally developed for defence are now commonplace in civilian life, from GPS to the internet, NMITE’s Autonomous Systems degree will equip graduates to drive innovation for civilian, commercial, and humanitarian applications as well as for defence.

James Newby, President and CEO of NMITE comments: “This partnership demonstrates NMITE’s unique ability to move quickly to meet national skills needs. We are proud to be shaping this innovative new degree in Autonomous Systems, one that will not only serve defence priorities but also unlock enormous civilian and humanitarian benefits”

Jesse Norman MP, co-founder and Chair of NMITE, commented: “This degree marks an important step forward for NMITE. It will create huge opportunities for our students, bring significant investment into Herefordshire, and support the county’s new defence ecosystem, for the benefit of local people and businesses, and the nation as a whole.”

Leading the development and delivery of the degree is Professor Alexandru (Alex) Stancu who has joined NMITE as Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Academic Lead. Stancu brings over 25 years of international experience in robotics, AI and autonomous systems, including leading the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Research Group at the University of Manchester and founding Manchester Robotics Ltd. He is an internationally recognised expert in drone and autonomous vehicle technologies, with substantial research, industrial impact, and high-profile deployments in various defence and civilian sectors. He has secured more than £10 million in funding and contributed pioneering work that has advanced both the theory and real-world application of autonomy.  His robotics and AI curricula are used in several universities in the UK and worldwide, and he has a strong track record of educational innovation. 

NMITE will enrol its first students in 2026 so those interested in joining the programme should get in touch to express an interest in applying for a place here: https://nmite.ac.uk/form/register-your-interest-in-autosy

About NMITE:  

NMITE’s vision is to deliver a different model of engineering higher education, developing work-ready, talented engineers and leaders in technology innovation.  It aims to recruit a diverse cohort, including learners who may not have considered engineering as a career.   NMITE’s curriculum brings the engineering disciplines together and integrates the liberal arts and the interpersonal skills needed by today’s employers to tackle the world’s problems. The educational approach of NMITE is to apply a student-centric learning methodology with a curriculum fuelled by real-world challenges, meaning that the approach is distinctive in the marketplace and attracts a different sort of engineering learner.   

Key Facts:

The institution is supported by a team of 59 staff members and operates from a purpose-built campus spanning 4,941 square metres. To date, more than 220 students have enrolled, with over 90 modules delivered across the curriculum. Teaching and learning are strengthened by partnerships with more than 80 industry partners spanning a wide range of sectors. Details on bursaries awarded to students to date, as well as the full demographic breakdown of the student population, will be confirmed and available from Monday.

NMITE Timeline 

2013 

3 December 2013 NMITE incorporated  

2018 

5 January 2018 NMITE registered as a charity with the Charity Commission 

19 October 2018 NMITE’s inauguration  

2018 Design cohort of 25 school-leavers and graduates join to co-create the flagship programme 

21 November 2018 NMITE secures Armed Forces Gold Covenant 

2020 

26 August 2020 NMITE registered as an English higher education provider with the UK HE regulator, the Office for Students   

1 December 2020 NMITE joins with The Open University (OU) as its validating partner  

2021 

2021 First students join NMITE 

February 2021 NMITE signs academic ENU collaboration agreement 

2021 Pioneer cohort of 27 joins for MEng Integrated Engineering  

2022 

NMITE secures first research grant with letter of success received 14 June1 September 2022 Skylon, NMITE’s award-winning second campus is opened  

September 2022 NMITE’s first purpose-built student accommodation, Eign Gate, opened to students  

2022 NMITE receives its New Degree Awarding Powers from the Office for Students  

2022 NMITE expands its offering with BEng (hons.) Integrated Engineering degree   

2023 

2023 55 students join NMITE’s integrated engineering programme  

September 2023 NMITE launches Foundation Year programme  

14th December 2023 NMITE’s Student Union is launched  

2024 

2024 Pioneer cohort enter the work force in companies such as Balfour Beatty, KIER, Mondelēz International and Oakwrights  

16 May 2024 NMITE’s hosts inaugural Future Skills Conference, further national conferences quickly follow 

1 October 2024 NMITE hosts HRH Duke of Edinburgh on a royal visit 

2025 

2025 Two new degrees launching New Bachelor of Science (Hons) Construction Management and new Accelerated Mechanical Engineering Degree MEng (Hons) three-year degrees from September 2025  

28 April 2025 NMITE appointed as a Knowledge Base by the Government’s Innovate UK  

10 May 2025 NMITE’s first graduating cohort