Uber has reportedly enlisted scientists from the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University to begin developing self-driving cars.

The transportation provider acquired the contracts of 50 engineering and commercialisation experts in Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute to head up the project, , Digital Spy reveals citing TechCrunch.

Work will soon be underway on new technology, vehicles and other infrastructure at a Philadelphia research facility, highly-placed sources told the website.

Representatives for Uber and Carnegie Mellon have thus far declined to offer any public confirmation of the reported contractual agreement.

Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute is perhaps most widely known for developing technology used by NASA on the Mars Rover.

Uber, which is based in San Francisco, allows users to request rides using an application linked to drivers in their area.

The company was founded in 2009 and serves as the main rival to fellow transportation company Lyft.

Late last month, Uber announced European expansion plans involving the creation of 50,000 new jobs.