Three new centres which will develop digital technology to transform the lives of the elderly, disabled, and people in rural communities have been announced by Lord Drayson, Minister for Science and Innovation on behalf of the Research Councils.
Building on plans to provide universal connectivity to broadband in the UK, the new research ‘hubs’ will be based in Nottingham, Newcastle and Aberdeen universities.
The ‘hubs’ are the biggest investment ever made by the research councils in creating a Digital Britain and this important programme is being delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research council, Economic and Social Research Council and the Medical Research Council.
The centres' mission will be to connect people with digital technology to radically improve the way we live, work, play, and travel to ensure that everyone is included in our digital future. They will also develop new ways to utilise digital technologies to help business and stimulate economic growth.
The three hubs are:
University of Aberdeen – transforming rural communities
Focusing on rural issues such as access to broadband, health and public transport, and natural resource, to transform rural areas. The project will revolutionise how the NHS delivers healthcare in these communities. Scientists from Aberdeen will be working in some of the most remote parts of the UK but solutions developed there could be rolled out to rural areas throughout UK. By including rural areas in our digital future it is estimated we could help to release more than £350bn into the UK economy.
University of Nottingham – developing business opportunities and transport
Looking at ‘always on, always with you’ technology. The hub will promote creative industries such as internet and mobile phone gaming as well as online smart marketing tools for retailers. The centre will also help reduce carbon levels by developing communication tools to encourage more car sharing. After flying, cars are the UK’s second largest source of carbon emissions so tackling single person car journeys is a priority. Research shows that while almost 50% of us have considered car sharing but only 10% currently do so more than once week.
Newcastle University – new technology for social inclusion
Making sure everyone - young, older and disabled - is included in our digital future. By 2050 more people will be over 65 years of age than under 16 in the UK. Newcastle will work with older people to design simple, intuitive interfaces tailored to their needs. One example of their work is the use of GPS locating technology to bring independent mobility to dementia sufferers.
The hubs are part of Research Councils UK's broader Digital Economy programme aimed at realising the transformational impact of information and communication technology for all aspects of business, society and government.
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Editors Notes
Arts & Humanities Research Council: Each year the AHRC provides approximately £102 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,350 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. Arts and humanities researchers constitute over a quarter of all research-active staff in the higher education sector. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.
Digital Economy is a Research Councils UK cross-research council programme, aimed at realising the transformational impact of ICT for all aspects of business, society and government.