Scottish Expertise to Contribute to Five New AI Research Hubs
New EPSRC AI research hubs announced, two of which to be based in Scotland, with three others drawing on Scottish expertise.
There was good news recently for those around the UK involved in AI research. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) announced funding of £80 million for nine new AI research hubs, in Edinburgh, Bristol, Lancaster, Liverpool, London, Oxford and Newcastle.
The funding and hubs will deliver focused investment in AI research and aim to transform the way we use AI, from combating cyber threats to improving microchip development and advancing AI’s applications in healthcare.
Additionally, ten scoping studies funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) were announced, with the goal of better defining responsible AI in education, policing and the creative industries.
Scotland on the AI map
Scottish expertise looms large over the announcement. Two of the AI hubs are based within the University of Edinburgh.
Led by Professor Sotirios Tsaftaris, the EPSRC AI hub for causality in healthcare AI with real data (CHAI Hub) is one of these. The CHAI Hub will use AI to better understand causal relationships in healthcare data, including predicting outcomes and personalising treatment.
Another University of Edinburgh hub, AI for productive research and Innovation in eLectronics (APRIL Hub), is led by Professor Themis Prodromakis and will focus on AI tools and the power-efficient development of products including electronic devices and microchip design.
Three other hubs draw on Scottish expertise.
Based in Newcastle University, National edge AI hub for real data: edge intelligence for cyber-disturbances and data quality is supported by expertise from several universities including the University of West Scotland and University of St Andrews.
The ProbAI hub, a hub for the mathematical and computational foundations of probabilistic AI, is based in Lancaster University and includes Professor Iain Murray, from the Edinburgh University School of Informatics, as co-investigator.
University College London’s AI hub in generative models includes input from Professor Chris Williams, Professor of Machine Learning at University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics.
Finally, of the ten scoping studies funded by AHRC, one is being conducted by a team in the University of Glasgow and another by a team in the University of Edinburgh.
Congratulations to all of the teams involved!
