BLAZING A DATA TRAIL
£30m research centre could create 4,000 jobs
A £30m research centre that aims to ensure the next Google or Facebook is started in the UK is to be built in Newcastle.
The National Innovation Centre for Data forms the final segment of the city’s Science Central development, a joint venture between Newcastle City Council, Newcastle University and Legal & General to create more than 4,000 jobs, half a million square feet of office space and hundreds of new homes.
The National Innovation Centre for Data (NCID) aims to see the next internet giant start in the UK, helping the country to capitalise on a potential £40bn a year boost to the economy.
Half of the funding has now been confirmed by Minister for Digital Matt Hancock, with the rest coming from Newcastle University.
The NCID aims to connect leading academic talent in universities with industry and the public sector, to help them develop the skills they need to solve real world problems using advances in data science.
Mr Hancock said the NCID will create a pipeline of talent to power the ground-breaking businesses of tomorrow, further progressing the Governement’s Industrial Strategy.
He said: “We’re determined to unlock the huge potential of big data which could add billions of pounds to our economy - from powering price comparison sites to improving the flow of transport around cities.
“Our new National Innovation Centre for Data will help us achieve this aim by making sure the skills and talent in our universities is being transferred into industry and the public sector.
“It will not only spark innovation among the next generation of tech experts but also help businesses across the whole country capitalise on the immense value of data.”
Newcastle University has a core group of specialists who have expertise in working with industrial organisations through its Cloud Innovation Centre, and it also hosts the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Cloud Computing for Big Data Analytics at Newcastle University.
Professor Nick Wright, pro vice chancellor for innovation and business at Newcastle University, said: “NICD will help to address the data skills gap by taking a practical hands-on approach. We will work with organisations on their domain related problems, transferring the skills into the organisation that will enable them to innovate through data.”
Plans for the centre – on Science Central’s Plot 9A – have been submitted to the council to coincide with the funding announcement.
GSS Architecture, which has an office in Newcastle, has submitted planning and design statements detailing how the plot will be transformed to create a seven-storey centre complete with a TED theatre, exhibition and demonstration spaces, cafe, seminar and meeting rooms and office accommodation.
The design statement adds: “The proposal will bring a number of benefits to the area, including increases to the external landscape and with this greater biodiversity, along with social, economic and further environmental benefits.”