SCOTLAND’S LEADING ROLE IN DATA TECHNOLOGY CONTINUES AT PACE

The enigmatic Alan Turing came to life for many

during The Imitation Game film, when actor Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed the scientist credited with creating the first computer. Of course Britain’s academic community was already well aware of Turing’s heroic efforts decoding German intelligence during World War II. In 2015, it created the Alan Turing Institute (ATI), the national center for data science. The University of Edinburgh was a crucial partner in the creation of ATI, a nod to its legacy as an engine of Britain’s data science community. Leaders in the field of data science have been quick to take advantage of the opportunities that working with the ATI affords. Companies such as Intel have established a strong partnership with the University of Edinburgh, collaborating on a significant research program dedicated to high-performance computing and data analytics. Importantly, the partnership has a stream of activity focused on ethical research, a critical subject in this era of mass personal data acquisition. The university’s multidisciplinary approach to data science and computing appealed greatly to an innovator such as Intel. ATI is but one example of Scotland’s presence in data science. With Frost & Sullivan predicting global growth rates in excess of 35% until 2022, Scotland has been busy putting in place the foundations to support and benefit from this growth.

Data driven - centres of excellence and world class academia

In 2014, the data industry launched the Data Lab, a center specifically created to assist both companies and organizations to access, understand and use the vast trove of data at their fingertips but hidden in their servers. The organization showcases the jewel in Scotland’s crown: the breadth and depth of academic research which is genuinely of world class scale and quality. With offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen, the Data Lab integrates the efforts of public sector, industry, and university researchers seamlessly. Through the Data Lab, companies based in Scotland have an opportunity to partner with 15 of our universities and innovation labs covering; Big Data, Sensors and Digital Health. With data also being a key focus for other Scottish innovation centres such as the Oil & Gas and Stratified Medicine innovation hubs. The university partners are led by the University of Edinburgh which has been a pioneer of computer architecture systems for the past three decades. The 500-year-old institution is also home to Britain’s largest informatics department and is part of the largest cluster of data scientists in Europe with the Universities computer science department recognised as being in the top 20 in the world (4th in the UK). Edinburgh has also joined with the other Scottish universities to develop programs in the data sciences. The collaboration, named the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA), develops a talented pool of employment-ready graduates each year. In addition to native graduates, Scotland is luring talent from across the world to study technology within its storied academic institutions. Many graduates, first drawn to this intellectual opportunity and impressed by Scotland’s quality of life, choose to remain in the country and seek future employment. In terms of infrastructure, Scotland is home to ARCHER, the UK’s supercomputer and to a world-class High Performance Computing Centre in the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Center (EPCC) which have a 25 year track record in delivering industrial outreach as well as supercomputing services to the whole of UK. They also have a an 80 strong team undertaking High Performance Computing (HPC) research with the likes of Intel & Cray and delivering knowledge transfer. Scotland has put in place some of the building blocks to be at the heart of the future data revolution and it is not stopping there. The Alan Turing Institute and Data Lab are two recent institutions that demonstrate Scotland’s growing global importance in this technology field. Both organizations are poised to make discoveries, and direct data-driven conversations between businesses, academics, and government. The University of Edinburgh is also currently constructing the Thomas Bayes Centre to house the ATI and Scotland’s Data Lab. Upward of 600 data researchers and support staff will occupy the facility when complete. The Bayes Centre will become an epicenter of R&D, an industry-focused research center that benefits academics, government, and neighboring companies. Many of the discussions and developments that will take place there should lead to exceptional business opportunities along with possibilities to shape the future application of data-based technology. Intel’s desire to partner with the University of Edinburgh is hardly surprising given the institution’s tech legacy; access to some of Britain’s brightest undergraduate, graduate, and faculty researchers; and its international reach. These same resources should appeal to any Silicon Valley company looking to work with exceptional talent, collaborate with a major research institution, and increase its footprint in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Data driven – investment in skills

As skills availability is a recognised global challenge, the Scottish industry, Government and Education sector have come together to create a Digital and ICT Skills Investment Plan. This seeks to help grow the number of graduates produced with data science and software skills in Scotland as well as creating CodeClan, a digital skills academy with intensive and immersive training to help address immediate skills needs. This is a perfect example of Scotland’s connectedness – accessing all the actors who have a role in addressing a particular industry challenge and bringing solutions to bear quickly and effectively. Alongside the technical training support, accredited executive training has also been set up and is available in conjunction with the Institute of Directors to engender clear business acumen in the workforce. This approach is proving particularly attractive to inward investors such as Brightree, Brainnwave, Spiritus and Cloudwick Technologies, which have all set up operations in Scotland in the last year or so.

Data driven - connections and collabotation

Cloudwick Technologies is one of the latest North American big data service companiy to open an office in Scotland. They did so to tap into the knowledge and expertise here and to better service their customers in the European markets. They join a cluster of 150 companies based in Scotland, whose products and services focus on delivering value from data with related turnover of around £1 billion and employing roughly 5,500 people. There is home-grown demand in Scotland for these companies too. Scotland has a diverse range of industries which are likely to be significantly impacted by the data revolution, such as financial services, oil and gas, healthcare and digital media. With all of the aforementioned facilities, expertise and infrastructure it is easy to see why Scotland is attracting some of the biggest names in data science. The resources available should appeal to any Silicon Valley company looking to work with emerging talent and to increase their footprint in Europe.