Author Archives: Thom Carter

  1. DIGIT Movers and Shakers | May 2024

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    Welcome to the latest edition of DIGIT Movers and Shakers.

    Every month, our Movers and Shakers column gives you the low-down on the recent recruitment, partnerships, expansions, and awards news from across the Scottish tech ecosystem.

    To learn about the exciting progress that’s being made by cutting-edge local and national companies, read on.

    Recruitment

    Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland Onboards Four New Trustees

    Scotland’s primary support organisation combatting cyber and fraud crimes, the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland, has bolstered its leadership team with the appointment of four trustees: Bex Smith, Bruce Harrison, Gerry Magee, and Sophie Hodgson.

    “We are thrilled to welcome our four new trustees to our board. Everyone at the Cyber and Fraud Centre is looking forward to working with them and our existing board members to support our business community in the fight against cyber and fraud crime,” said the organisation’s CEO, Jude McCorry.

    Read more here.

    Sword Appoints New UK/US CEO

    Sword, the IT services provider for the offshore oil and gas industry, has announced Kevin Moreton as its new UK/US chief executive officer.

    Moreton has been with the business for 15 years, with 9 of those years in the chief operations officer role. With his deep understanding and experience in the organisation, the firm said that Moreton is an excellent fit to lead Sword UK Services into the next chapter of its journey.

    Moreton’s focus will be on continuing to build on the success with the firm’s current long-standing customers, while looking to open new areas of growth for the business.

    “It’s an honour to take on the position of Sword UK/US CEO role,” Moreton said. “I’m really excited about where we are as an organisation and the opportunities that I see ahead.”

    Burness Paull Recruits Additional Planning Partner

    Burness Paull has strengthened its planning and environment team with the appointment of a new partner as the firm experiences growing demand for specialist planning advice, particularly from the renewable energy and real estate sectors.

    Emma Paton brings considerable experience of contentious and non-contentious planning and environmental work, including consenting advisory, contract negotiation, planning aspects of due diligence, public inquiries, and appeals.

    “Emma is a true market leader in energy consenting,” said Alasdair Sutherland, partner and head of planning at Burness Paull. “She has enviable technical skills and experience that sets her apart and will greatly increase our ability to help clients deliver these exciting projects.”

    Learn more here.

    TechForce Cyber Hires New Security Talent

    TechForce Cyber, the Aberdeen-based cybersecurity company, has announced its support for and recruitment of members the new wave of cyber talent, demonstrated by students like Victor Obahor.

    Obahor, a cybersecurity engineer currently pursuing his Master’s degree in cybersecurity at Robert Gordon University, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the field. With a background in system administration and experience as a technical lead for a Microsoft Partner, TechForce Cyber said his dedication to advancing his skills aligns seamlessly with the firm’s ethos.

    Alongside Obahor, TechForce’s new cybersecurity consultant Ben Colgan has built a foundation in cybersecurity through a progression of roles. Beginning as a sales consultant and a service desk engineer, he developed analytical skills and incident response expertise, and transitioned to roles like security analyst and security engineer.

    “TechForce Cyber’s dedication to championing innovation and excellence is truly inspiring, and I am proud to be part of a team that is shaping the future of cybersecurity in Scotland and beyond” Colgan said.

    Tomoro AI to Invest £4 Million in Creating 20 Jobs in Edinburgh

    AI startup Tomoro has announced a recruitment drive to create 20 AI jobs in its Edinburgh office over the next 12 months.

    The roles, which the company say will attract a salary of up to £135,000 each, will form part of the company’s strategy to make the three-day working week a reality.

    “We see this investment in Scotland as a great opportunity to accelerate our growth and become an active part of one of the most thriving data and AI centres in Europe,” said Ed Broussard, managing director at Tomoro.

    Discover more here.

    Partnerships

    Scottish National Investment Bank Partnership to Accelerate Home-grown Projects

    The UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) and the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), cementing a “close working relationship and shared ambition to attract additional private investment into Scotland.”

    Both banks are government-owned, yet operate independently to invest public capital on a commercial basis to deliver wider social, environmental, and economic impacts.

    Through the MoU, the banks will continue to share sector insights and intelligence, impact analysis, thought leadership, and development opportunities which will be beneficial to both organisations in meeting their policy objectives.

    “We’re delighted to strengthen our working relationship with the UK Infrastructure Bank and deliver more for the people of Scotland,” said Scottish National Investment Bank CEO, Al Denholm.

    Read more here.

    FinTech Scotland Partners with Cisco and Sword Ping

    FinTech Scotland has announced its partnership with Cisco alongside partners Sword Ping.

    Through the collaboration, Cisco, Sword Ping, and FinTech Scotland will join forces to foster innovation, drive technology adoption, and accelerate growth within the financial technology sector whilst ensuring that cyber-resilience is at the core of fintech innovation.

    The partnership connects Sword Ping and Cisco expertise with the growing fintech landscape in Scotland, supporting the continued growth of Scotland’s fintech landscape.

    “By collaborating with FinTech Scotland, we aim to leverage our expertise to support the growth of the fintech ecosystem in Scotland beyond,” Terry Neill of Sword Ping said.

    Learn more here.

    ScotlandIS Partners With Frog Systems for Mental Health Support

    In an attempt to tackle the emerging mental health challenges across the tech industry, ScotlandIS has announced a new partnership with software company, Frog Systems.

    The deal will see more than 33,000 ScotlandIS members’ staff get full access to its wellbeing streaming platform Ashia, which is designed to help more employers support the health of their staff, at a specially discounted rate.

    “A recent combination of skills shortages, job loss and a turbulent economic climate has sent stress levels across the Scottish tech sector soaring in recent months,” said ScotlandIS CEO, Karen Meechan.

    “This means it has never been more important for employers to do everything they can to support staff mental health. With Ashia, we hope our members will be better equipped to support their staff in the months ahead.”

    Discover more here.

    UK and Ukraine Launch Innovation Partnership for Energy Recovery

    The UK government is investing £16 million for innovations aiming to support the recovery and future stability of Ukraine’s energy system.

    The programme’s goal is to rebuild Ukraine’s energy system, displace fossil fuels, and support post-war recovery.

    “I am proud that the UK continues to support the recovery of the Ukrainian energy sector, particularly after recent brutal attacks from Russia. We want to see it greener and more resilient,” British Ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Harris, said.

    Read more here.

    UK Insurance Giants Join With NCSC to Stop Ransomware Payments

    The Association of British Insurers (ABI), the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA), and the International Underwriting Association (IUA) have jointly released new best practice guidance, in conjunction with the NCSC.

    The objective of this guidance is to reduce the frequency of ransom payments made by UK victims of cyber-extortion.

    This cross-sector coalition’s initiative is founded on recommendations derived from a research paper sponsored by the NCSC and conducted by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), which was published in 2023.

    “It’s really encouraging to see all corners of the insurance industry unite to support victim organisations with guidance that will help them to better understand their options and reduce harm and disruption to their businesses,” said NCSC CEO Felicity Oswald.

    Learn more here.

    Expansions

    Scots Scaleup Novosound Eyes APAC Expansion

    Scottish sensor technology scaleup company Novosound is set to expand its footprint in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, capitalising on recent client wins with global energy giants in the Middle East and North America.

    Novosound’s Ceilidh system, which is fully patented, seeks to addresses industry challenges such as corrosion under composite wraps, offering what it calls a “significant breakthrough in non-destructive testing.”

    Dave Hughes, CEO and founder of Novosound, stated: “The Ceilidh system represents a significant breakthrough in the field of non-destructive testing, addressing complex challenges and specifically tailored for industries where corrosion monitoring is absolutely critical.”

    Discover more here.

    Shell Expands Entrepreneur Programme Across Scotland

    Shell’s enterprise development programme, Shell LiveWIRE, is being expanded across Scotland.

    The programme, which aims to help entrepreneurs overcome hurdles to growing their business, had initially been launched in North-East Scotland.

    However, LiveWIRE is now being offered across the country, being made available to businesses with a focus on energy transition-related products and services that benefit society.

    Read more here.

    Awards

    FinTech Scotland Announces Winners of AI Compliance Challenge

    FinTech Scotland’s Financial Regulation Innovation Lab (FRIL)—a collaboration in partnership with the universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde—has announced the winners of its first innovation call, “Simplifying Compliance through the Application of AI and Emerging Technologies.”

    A total of five winners were selected as grant recipients, each awarded up to £50,000 to further develop and implement their solutions.

    “I am proud to see the extraordinary level of collaboration demonstrated across our fintech cluster through this first innovation call,” said Nicola Anderson, CEO of FinTech Scotland.

    Learn more here.

    Winners of the Digital Tech Awards 2024

    ScotlandIS’ 14th annual Digital Tech Awards celebrated the year’s best and brightest in the Scottish tech scene.

    The Radisson Blu in Glasgow was abuzz with some of Scotland’s most prestigious awards for technology pioneers, unsung heroes, innovations, and business acumen.

    The awards honoured individuals and companies for their efforts over the past year, as well as highlighting some of the major themes arising in the tech sector.

    Discover more here.

    Scottish EDGE Awards: The Winners

    35 businesses with high-growth potential were celebrated on 25th May after winning shares of a £1.5 million prize pot at the Scottish EDGE award ceremony.

    For its 23rd round, the awards returned to the Royal Bank of Scotland Conference Centre in Gogarburn, Edinburgh, with winners hailing from across the country, from Orkney to the Borders.

    Judith Cruickshank, MD commercial mid-market at the Royal Bank of Scotland and One Bank Scotland chair, said: “The Scottish EDGE awards offer a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talent and ingenuity within Scotland’s entrepreneurial community, and the addition of two new categories for this year illustrates how that depth of skill and creativity continues to grow.”

    Read more here.

    Scottish Businesses Sweep FSB Awards

    Three Scottish companies came out on top in categories in the Federation of Small Businesses annual awards, including Small Business of the Year.

    FSB’s event saw representatives from more than 140 small businesses, plus self-employed professionals, gather from across the UK, with each previously named a regional winner in their respective area.

    Learn more here.

    59 Innovative Firms Receive King’s Awards for Enterprise

    59 UK firms won in the King’s Awards for Enterprise Innovation category, with five of these being Scots firms.

    Previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, the awards have celebrated the achievements of UK businesses since the mid-1960s.

    The awards have four categories: International Trade, Sustainable Development, Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility), and most pertinent to the tech sector, Innovation.

    “I congratulate the recipients of this year’s King’s Awards for Enterprise, who exemplify the talent, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit of British business,” said Kevin Hollinrake, UK government minister for enterprise.

    Discover more here.

  2. Edinburgh-based Sofant Technologies Raises Additional £3.4M

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    Edinburgh-based wireless tech specialists, Sofant Technologies, has successfully raised £3.4 million in additional funding.

    The investment, which has come from Scottish Enterprise, Kelvin Capital, and EMV Capital, is to be used to complete development of the firm’s core technology, and support the production and shipment of beta versions of its satellite antenna to customers.

    Sofant’s radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) are microscopic devices that integrate mechanical and electromechanical components to perform radio frequency signal processing functions such as phase shifting, switching, and tuning.

    The Scots firm has developed a proprietary, highly efficient radio platform for reducing the power consumption of future wireless communication systems by more than 70%.

    By cutting power demand, satellite and 5G/6G networks could provide more universal, affordable, energy-efficient, and environmentally-friendly wireless connectivity in the future.

    The company is targeting satellite communications and high frequency 5G/6G applications telecommunications where power consumption and coverage are critical challenges.

    Speaking on the latest funding round, David Wither, chief executive of Sofant, said: “The continued support of EMV Capital, Scottish Enterprise and Kelvin Capital as the company transitions to the commercialisation phase marks a significant milestone in our journey.

    “This achievement underscores the disruptive potential of Sofant’s technology in transforming wireless communication and places Sofant’s technology at the forefront of the industry.”

    Dr Ilian Iliev, managing director of EMV Capital and Sofant board member, commented: “We are pleased with the success of this fundraising for Sofant that comes at a critical value inflection point for the company.

    “In line with our capital-light investment strategy, we worked with management and our co-investors to develop the right funding structure for the company as it accelerates development.

    “It is pleasing to see a UK-born semiconductor company make an impact on the global stage as a key enabler for future wireless networks with a growing number of commercial and government applications.

    “We look forward to continuing our important work with the company.”

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    Director of entrepreneurship and investment at Scottish Enterprise, Kerry Sharp, further added: “Sofant Technologies continues to reach impressive technical milestones with its innovative antenna technology.

    “As a longstanding investor, we are excited to see its progress and potential for international growth.”

    John McNicol, founder and director at Kelvin Capital, remarked: “Sofant embodies the spirit of innovation and disruption.

    “The company has delivered on its promises and continues to demonstrate the vast potential of its technology.

    “We are proud to support Sofant as it advances towards commercial success.”

  3. Digital Poverty Alliance Launches Charter, Updates Delivery Plan

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    The Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA), the non-profit charity aiming to eradicate digital poverty in the UK, has launched its new Charter for Digital Inclusion, as well as updated its National Delivery Plan.

    The newly introduced Charter for Digital Inclusion calls on organisations of all sizes to commit to actionable goals on raising awareness, device donation, digital skills development, and partnership for impact.

    The Charter has been supported by the likes of Phoenix Group plc – encompassing Standard Life and SunLife, Currys plc, Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, and the Central District Alliance within London.

    Any employer with more than two team members can sign up to show their commitment to tackling digital poverty and supporting social equity.

    The National Delivery Plan (NDP), meanwhile, is a roadmap that highlights the potential of new technologies, such as roaming and mesh networks, to address longstanding challenges in connectivity and affordability.

    Ahead of the upcoming general election, the DPA’s updated NDP focuses on areas like advancing the affordability of connectivity, and enhancing media literacy in the context of the rising use of AI.

    Healthcare is another priority, exploring the intersection of healthcare access and digital exclusion, with a focus on potentially saving thousands of lives through enhanced health literacy among seniors.

    The updated NDP from last year’s launch is informed by the latest research and stakeholder feedback.

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    Speaking on the need for enhanced digital accessibility and inclusion across the UK, Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, said: “Digital access is essential.”

    “Every facet of our lives incorporates a digital element, and the only way to address this pervasive issue is through collective effort.

    “It is imperative that digital inclusion becomes a universal priority.”

  4. Applications Open for Addleshaw Goddard’s Tech Firm Accelerator

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    Addleshaw Goddard, the law firm, has opened applications for its accelerator programme that gives tech companies a package of tailored legal advice to help them grow at scale.

    The ten-month AG Elevate programme provides selected growth-stage businesses with legal advice, regulator mentorship meetings, and access to the firm’s global roster of seminars and networking events.

    The full support package offered by the AG Elevate accelerator programme is as follows:

    • An assigned legal mentor who will meet with the business every month.
    • 25 hours of free legal advice on specialist areas.
    • Access to AG’s legal seminars and networking events.
    • Access to AG’s legal updates and other publications.
    • Access to regular insight sessions hosted in collaboration with business mentors in the AG network.
    • All other legal advice offered by AG will be provided at a 30% discount.

    Since its launch in 2017, the annual programme has helped over 60 businesses—including a number of Scots firms, such as Amiqus and Intelligent Growth Solutions—tackle a range of legal and operational challenges.

    AG Elevate’s alumni include a range of tech startups from various industries, including fintech innovators, online consumer brands, sustainability and cleantech pioneers, and proptech companies.

    To qualify for AG Elevate, companies must be based within the technology sector, have plans to achieve high-growth status and have been the recipient of either seed or later funding.

    The firm will accept applications for the accelerator from companies that are primarily based in either the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, or Germany.

    The deadline for applications to AG Elevate is 31 July 2024.

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    David Anderson, partner at Addleshaw Goddard, said: “It can be incredibly difficult for startup and scaleup businesses to navigate the myriad of legal and operational challenges which are common during their growth stages.

    “AG Elevate provides businesses with legal support and mentoring, using our vast in-house knowledge of the tech sector to help businesses overcome barriers to growth and scale up to the next level.

    “What we are looking for is interesting, ambitious tech companies with strong leadership who are passionate about their product or service and can demonstrate high growth potential.”

  5. New Agreement Aims to Boost Scotland’s Productivity and Innovation

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    A new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been created by three organisations in a bid to boost Scotland’s productivity and innovation.

    The agreement is between Peer Works, a programme delivered by Scottish business network Prosper, the Scotland Productivity Forum, which is led by the University of Glasgow, the University of Manchester’s Productivity Institute.

    The MoU will formalise their existing working partnership, which includes research projects and events. It will see them work more closely on policy initiatives, collaborative research, impactful events, and in the communication of good practice to employers around ways to increase their productivity.

    The University of Glasgow said that the three organisations are uniquely placed to collaborate in order to drive increased productivity across business, and help deliver the ambitions of the Scottish government.

    Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Glasgow, commented: “The interface between universities and business has huge potential as a driver of innovation and productivity growth, which is one of the key challenges for the UK economy.

    “Colleagues at the University of Glasgow have been deeply engaged with this subject and we’ve been working in collaboration with the Productivity Institute and Prosper for some time.

    “I am therefore delighted that we are strengthening and formalising our partnership to make an even greater impact in research and the sharing of good practice.”

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    Clare Reid, director of policy and public affairs at Prosper, further added: “For every part of Scotland to thrive, we need the business base to be as efficient and competitive as possible.

    “Research evidence shows that peer-to-peer learning is an effective way to support businesses, particularly smaller businesses.

    “Peer Works is an established and successful programme that has been providing, in partnership with the Scottish government, a forum for peer-to-peer learning since 2019.

    “This collaboration with The Productivity Institute, the Scotland Productivity Forum and the University of Glasgow will help us further enhance Scotland’s productivity.

  6. How Can CISOs Best Augment Their Cybersecurity Approach?

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    According to Gartner, chief information security officers (CISOs) who elevate response and recovery to equal status with prevention are generating more value than those who adhere to outdated zero tolerance for failure mindsets.

    “Each new cybersecurity disruption exposes the fact that CISOs manage more through adrenaline than intention, which is unsustainable,” said Dennis Xu, VP analyst at the technological research and consulting firm. “CISOs need to be resilient through intention, rather than adrenaline, if they want to survive.”

    To help CISOs augment their cybersecurity approach and put response and recovery on equal footing as prevention, Gartner has advocated for a three-pronged approach. This involves building cyber fault tolerance in the business, streamlining to a minimum effective cyber toolset, and building a resilient cyber workforce.

    1. Build Cyber Fault Tolerance In the Business
    The research firm recommended CISOs work to build cyber fault tolerance into their businesses by focusing on two areas where preventative cybersecurity measures are visibly underperforming: generative AI (GenAI) and the use of third-parties.

    For a rapidly evolving technology like GenAI, it is impossible to prevent all attacks at all times, Gartner said—so the ability to adapt to, respond, and recover from inevitable issues is critical for organisations to explore GenAI successfully. Effective CISOs are complementing their prevention-oriented guidance for GenAI with effective response and recovery playbooks, it noted.

    Regarding third-party cybersecurity risk management, no matter the cybersecurity function’s best efforts, organisations will continue to work with risky third parties, explained Gartner. It added that cybersecurity’s real impact lies not in asking more due diligence questions but in ensuring the business has documented and tested third-party-specific business continuity plans in place.

    “CISOs should be guiding the sponsors of third-party partners to create a formal third-party contingency plan, including things like an exit strategy, alternative suppliers list, and incident response playbooks,” advised Christopher Mixter, VP analyst at Gartner. “CISOs tabletop everything else. It’s time to bring tabletop exercises to third-party cyber risk management.”

    2. Minimum Effective Toolset
    One of the places that zero tolerance for failure mindset is most embedded is in cybersecurity’s approach to technology, the research firm noted.

    “CISOs keep old gear past its sell-by date while also rushing to add new tools without fully understanding the added cost and management complexity they bring,” Xu added. “CISOs must break the cycle of gear acquisition syndrome that inhibits their ability to thrive by embracing an ethos of adopting the fewest number of tools required to observe, defend and respond to exploitations of the organization’s exposures.”

    To achieve this, Gartner suggested CISOs should identify redundancies and gaps by mapping their toolset to their control framework; build technology proofs of concept around deployment risks, not just feature functionality; and aggressively pursue GenAI augmentations to existing tools.

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    3. Establish a Resilient Cyber Workforce
    “CISOs and their teams often have a heroism mindset,” noted Mixter. “They feel they must avoid bad outcomes at all costs, even at the expense of their health. They need innovation, experimentation, and engagement from their people more than ever, but the way they ask their people to operate often has the opposite effect.”

    To create a resilient cyber workforce CISOs must treat resilience as a true competency, recommended Gartner, and build it in their people in the same way they build technical and other competencies.

    The research firm advocated for doing this by making it easy for employees to get the support they need, including building self-care into employee workflows; sharing failure/learning stories, with CISOs setting an example by sharing stories themselves; and reengineering work to reduce burnout by understanding where employees experience friction in their work, reducing bottlenecks, and leveraging automation.

  7. Evri Invests £1M in AI to “Further Transform” Its Customer Service

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    UK parcel company Evri has announced that it’s investing £1 million in its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy to “further transform” its customer service, as well as parcel security and workforce planning.

    Formerly known as Hermes, the company said that its AI strategy will help to position it as a “disruptor” in parcel delivery, as well as a “leader” of AI adoption within the sector.

    In terms of how Evri wants its strategy to benefit customer service, the company said it’s looking to automate data collection and the identification of customer issues in particular, as to free up its customer team so they’re able to attend to more complex issues.

    As for parcel security, Evri is aiming to use AI to more quickly identify if a parcel is being left in a highly safe place, with the technology analysing data against previous delivery photos.

    The parcel delivery firm is also planning to use AI to optimise workforce planning by analysing data and predicting future demands, in a bid to “have the right people in the right place at the right time.”

    To realise its plan, Evri has been working with AI consultancy Robiquity, with an “AI Centre of Excellence” team having been established.

    The company also said that, in the future, it will explore and test the use of augmented reality headsets as a way of training couriers.

    Speaking on the AI strategy and its work with Robiquity, Marcus Hunter, chief technology officer at Evri, said: “Our significant investment in AI underscores Evri’s commitment to continuous improvement and innovation.

    “This strategy will empower our people and optimise our operations, ultimately enabling us to deliver a best-in-class experience for everyone we serve.”

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    “We put a real focus on intelligent automation in the middle of 2023, and we have been supported by Robiquity for the start of this exciting journey,” Hunter added.

    “The team at Robiquity have been crucial in building the foundations – allowing us to move at pace with implementing the early stages of our strategy.

    “The significant benefits achieved through Intelligent Process Automation in the first six months have given us the platform to explore other AI, with a view to implementing later technologies to help shape the future of our business.”

  8. 97% of UK FTSE 100 Exposed to Supply Chain Breaches in Last Year

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    According to new analysis, 97% of the UK’s largest companies had a breach in their third-party ecosystem in the last year. This is compared to 98% in France, 95% in Italy, and 94% in Germany.

    These statistics come from SecurityScorecard’s newly-published The United Kingdom Top 100 Companies: Cybersecurity Threat Report, which reportedly pulled from the world’s largest proprietary risk and threat intelligence dataset.

    The new research also found that 97% of UK FTSE 100 companies had a breach in their fourth-party ecosystem as well. This is compared to 100% of French companies, 97% of Italian companies, and 95% of German companies,

    Amid companies increasing the cyber protection of their “front doors” through measures such as firewalls, stronger passwords, and multi-factor identification, adversaries are increasingly incentivised to target smaller supply chain vendors to bypass these efforts.

    SecurityScorecard found that, overall, the UK has the strongest average cybersecurity rating compared to its neighbours. The data showed that just 24% of UK companies had a security rating of “C” or below compared to their French, Italian, and German counterparts, with 40%, 41%, and 34% having a C or below respectively.

    Despite this higher average cybersecurity rating, 12% of UK firms had experienced a direct breach in the last year, it was discovered. This is compared to 8% of German companies, 7% of French companies, and 3% of Italian companies.

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    Commenting on the results, Will Gray, director of Northern Europe for SecurityScorecard, said: “Third-party risk management is a key component of any robust cybersecurity program, and the companies represented in this report would benefit by making it a priority.

    “The sectors and organisations in the UK (and in Europe as a whole) need to do more now if they are going to be ready for the implementation of DORA [Digital Operational Resilience Act] by January 2025, as well as the NIS2 directive.

    “The rise of data breaches across Europe demonstrates that UK companies still need to make third-party risk management (TPRM) an integral component of not only their security program but of their vendor selection process as well.”

  9. Scots Firms Joint Most Confident Across UK Last Month

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    New data shows that business confidence in Scotland was joint highest of all UK nations and regions last month, May 2024.

    Companies in Scotland reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up 16 points at 60%, Bank of Scotland’s latest Business Barometer found.

    When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up 13 points to 53%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 57% (versus 42% in April) – the joint highest overall confidence reading in May alongside the South East of England.

    Looking ahead to the next six months, Scottish businesses identified their top target areas for growth as investing in their team, for example by investing in training (44%), evolving their offering (40%), and introducing new technology (36%).

    The West Midlands (56%) followed Scotland and the South East of England as the second-most confident UK nation or region.

    Across the UK as a whole, business confidence reached its highest level since 2015, rising by eight points to a net balance of 50%.

    Businesses showed increased optimism in both their trading prospects (up nine points month-on-month to 54%) and the economy (up seven points to 46%).

    Firms’ trading outlook was also the most optimistic in seven years, while economic optimism was the highest recorded since September 2021.

    The data for this edition of the Business Barometer was collected between the 1st and 16th of May, before the UK general election was announced.

    Speaking on the findings, Hann-Ju Ho, senior economist, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “These results highlight a notable improvement in business confidence.

    “Optimism about the economy increased to 46% this month – the highest result since September 2021, when the country was emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic, but before the energy crisis after the invasion of Ukraine.

    “The regional picture has also improved – we’ve now seen increases in seven of the UK’s 12 regions, where there was previously a more mixed picture. Results in the South East, Scotland and the West Midlands were particularly strong.”

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    Paul Gordon, managing director for SME and mid corporates at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, also commented: “The last three months saw confidence unchanged at 42% as businesses adjusted to the economic environment.

    “That consistency has been followed up by a marked increase in confidence in May with improved scores for trading prospects, economic outlook and hiring intentions.

    “Following on from last month, there also continue to be positive signs for the labour market as businesses show increased hiring intentions.

    “We remain committed to supporting our clients, providing the resources, expertise and solutions necessary to help businesses thrive in this evolving landscape.”

  10. Scots Entrepreneurs Urged to Apply for NatWest Accelerator

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    Ambitious entrepreneurs looking to grow their business are being urged to apply to NatWest’s accelerator programme, with up to 2,500 places available to founders for free.

    NatWest Group has been found to be the biggest bank for startups in Great Britain, banking around one in five businesses under 2 years old.

    The bank’s accelerator programme, which was recently ranked as the third best startup in Europe for networking by the Financial Times, has supported thousands of entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.

    NatWest operates 13 physical and one digital accelerator hub spread across the UK, in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Warwick, Bristol, Cardiff, Milton Keynes, and Southampton.

    Former accelerator alumni include GoJoe, a social fitness app which enables workplaces and brands to connect and engage their people.

    Used by global companies such as British Gas and Diageo, GoJoe motivates employees through innovative team-based virtual challenges.

    The company raised over £1 million in seed investment in 2022 and has just completed their latest round.

    Speaking on the experience, Phil Steele, co-founder of GoJoe, said: “When we started with the NatWest accelerator we were little more than two guys and a PowerPoint.

    “Thanks to the coaching, mentoring and support that we’ve received through the accelerator we have now completed two funding rounds which included professional athlete investment, created a product which is loved by the world’s best companies and assembled a team who will help us achieve our ambition of changing the way the world exercises.

    “Quite simply, the programme really has ‘powered us up’, been our sherpa and catalyst for growth. A no brainer for ambitious start-ups.”

    With applications now open for the next accelerator cohort, starting in September, entrepreneurs are being encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is 2nd August.

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    Darren Pirie, head of the NatWest accelerator, commented: “In today’s ever-changing business landscape, growth is a necessity. The UK is home to some of the world’s most innovative start-ups, but it can be better at supporting ambitious business to grow, which is where our expertise comes in.

    “As the UK’s biggest bank for start-ups, we understand that helping businesses succeed, not just through traditional lending but with full wraparound support, is crucial if we want a strong economy. And that’s exactly what we do – in our accelerator hubs, we’ve seen a whole host of businesses secure investment, grow their teams and move into other markets.

    “We’re offering a record number of places on our accelerator programme in September to help more ambitious businesses on their path to growth. Every member of the programme is given the best start possible with access to expert mentors, networking opportunities and modern office space.

    “We really do see the programme live up to its name. It can really accelerate your business.”

  11. Gartner: Global AI Chips Revenue to Total £56BN in 2024

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    Gartner, the technological research and consulting firm, has forecast that the revenue from AI semiconductors globally will total £56 billion ($71.2bn~) in 2024, marking a 33% increase from 2023.

    While AI semiconductor revenue is expected to continue to experience double-digit growth through the forecast period of 2023-2025, 2024 is set to experience the highest growth rate during that period.

    What’ll Contribute to Global AI Chips Revenue Growth?

    AI chips revenue from compute electronics is projected to total £26bn ($33.4bn~) this year, which will account for 47% of total AI semiconductors revenue.

    Meanwhile, AI Chips revenue from automotive electronics is expected to reach £5.5bn ($7.1bn~), and £1.4bn (£$1.8bn~) from consumer electronics in 2024.

    Also set to grow is AI chips used in data centres. As Alan Priestly, VP analyst at Gartner, explained: “In 2024, the value of AI accelerators used in servers, which offload data processing from microprocessors, will total $21 billion, and increase to $33 billion by 2028.”

    Additionally, the research and consulting firm predicts that AI PC shipments will reach 22% of the total PC shipments in 2024, and that by the end of 2026, 100% of enterprise PC purchases will be an AI PC.

    AI PCs include a neural processing unit (NPU) which can enable AI PCs to run longer, quieter, and cooler, and have AI tasks running continuously in the background, creating more potential for AI to be leveraged in everyday activities.

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    The Battle Between Semiconductor Vendors and Tech Companies

    Gartner noted that, while much of the focus is on the use of high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs) for new AI workloads, the major hyperscalers—AWS, Google, Meta, and Microsoft—are all investing in developing their own chips optimised for AI.

    While chip development is expected, using custom designed chips can improve operational efficiencies, reduce the costs of delivering AI-based services to users, and lower costs for users to access new AI-based applications.

    “As the market shifts from development to deployment we expect to see this trend continue,” added Priestly.

  12. 94% of People in the UK Report Encountering Misinformation

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    The insights of a new, nationally representative survey has been conducted and published by The Alan Turing Institute, with 94% of people in the UK saying they’ve been confronted with misinformation on social media.

    The research was undertaken to understand peoples’ exposure to misinformation online, their concerns about it, their trust in different organisations, and the different strategies people use to protect themselves.

    Nearly three quarters (72%) of people interviewed said they were comfortable with social media platforms using “behind the scenes” interventions, such as demonetisation, downranking content, early moderation, and deplatforming.

    The survey also found that most people were unaware of the interventions for countering misinformation, with only 3% saying they’d taken a media literacy course, and just 7% using self-help resources like fact-checking tiplines.

    The Institute noted that, considering the sheer amount of public discourse happening online—not least during a period of many global elections—it’s important to not only understand which interventions against misinformation are effective, but also how and when people are willing to engage with such interventions.

    “With the huge increase in technologies that can quickly and convincingly create and spread false content online, it is critical that the public are equipped with the right tools to protect themselves,” said Dr Florence Enock, senior research associate in online safety at The Alan Turing Institute.

    “However, our research highlights that most people do not use available resources even though they are shown to be effective. It is crucial that more is done to encourage people to use misinformation interventions, such as media literacy courses, and that online platforms provide their users with effective and accessible ways to report misinformation when they see it.”

    Dr Jonathan Bright, head of online safety at The Alan Turing Institute, added: “Concern about misinformation is undoubtedly extremely high. The lack of trust in mainstream news organisations demonstrates a wider scepticism of information more generally. It’s really important that people feel they can have confidence in information they receive from reliable sources, particularly during a crucial election year for the UK and the US.

    “It’s clear there’s a lot of work to be done to instil confidence in people,” added Bright.

    Recommended reading

    The results of the Institute’s new research has been published around a month after Ofcom, the UK’s broadcast media and online safety regulator, set out its provisional three-year plan to promote and improve media literacy in the UK.

    The plan includes the regulator having a deeper understanding of which media literacy measures work, collaborating more with organisations delivering media literacy programmes, expanding its research evidence base, and encouraging online platforms “to go further” with building user media analysis skills.

  13. Should Scotland’s Startup Ecosystem Really Be Like Silicon Valley’s?

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    New academic research has found that Silicon Valley, often seen as a utopia for startup creation and investment, can breed inequality and sameness among budding entrepreneurs—raising questions on which elements other countries, such as Scotland, should adopt and avoid.

    The research appears as a chapter in an anthology called Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Cities and Regions, and is co-authored by Dr Michaela Hruskova at the University of Stirling and Dr Katharina Scheidgen at Georg-August University in Germany.

    The two academics discovered that Silicon Valley’s “uneven” investment landscape is in fact a barrier to many budding businesses.

    Those who make it in Silicon Valley are arguably already successful—or have deep pockets and resources—leaving many potential entrepreneurs sidelined, said the authors, making the region a “double-edged sword for entrepreneurs.”

    Drawing on 63 qualitative interviews with entrepreneurs and investors in the USA and Germany, they found that Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are typically expected to self-fund the company until they can demonstrate a considerable traction with customers, either through sales revenue or user numbers.

    This is in stark contrast to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Berlin, another leading startup hub for example, which tends to only require a strong team with an investment-worthy idea but where investment activity and startup numbers are much lower.

    Investing in a company after it has gained business traction means the risk of failure is lower and return on investment higher, the authors argue. It also means the startups must get more creative in building their company and leveraging resources before they can secure investment.

    That said, the researchers suggest non-US countries could still learn from Silicon Valley’s more discerning entrepreneurial ecosystem to be more selective in backing startups.

    Recommended reading

    “Our research shows that Silicon Valley represents the Olympic Games of the startup world. It is a place that rewards the fittest, a place for those entrepreneurs, innovators, and change makers who have, in a lot of ways, already succeeded,” said co-author Dr Michaela Hruskova, lecturer in entrepreneurship in the University of Stirling Management School.

    “Unlike their UK and European counterparts, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs need to achieve significant traction before they even approach investors, often using a founder’s personal savings, to first build a product and generate sales.

    “This uneven playing field is a double-edged sword for entrepreneurs. It fosters inequality, particularly among those entrepreneurs from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, and can lead to homogeneity among startups.”

    Dr Hruskova added: “But there are lessons to be learned for other countries from Silicon Valley’s more discerning entrepreneurial ecosystem. Startups there are forced to adopt creative ways to bootstrap their company. A little bit of improvisation can go a long way in entrepreneurship.”

  14. FinTech Scotland Announces Winners of AI Compliance Challenge

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    FinTech Scotland’s Financial Regulation Innovation Lab (FRIL)—a collaboration in partnership with the universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde—has announced the winners of its first innovation call, “Simplifying Compliance through the Application of AI and Emerging Technologies.”

    The programme concluded with a Demo Day in Glasgow on the 30th of April, when the 15 fintech finalists showcased their solutions in front of professional services firm Deloitte, as well as financial institutions including Virgin Money, Morgan Stanley, Tesco Bank, and abrdn, all who had contributed by providing use cases for this call.

    A total of five winners were selected as grant recipients, each awarded up to £50,000 to further develop and implement their solutions.

    The winners are:

    1. Amiqus – Edinburgh-based fintech specialising in identity checks.
    2. HAELO – Helping senior risk managers demonstrate individual accountability.
    3. Level E Research – Using AI to improve buy side compliance surveillance and potential investment decisions.
    4. DX Compliance – Using AI to improve buy side compliance surveillance processes.
    5. Pytilia – Building AI applications for buy side compliance surveillance requirements.

    The funding provided will enable the companies to refine their technologies following insights from industry. The innovations will then help support the sector in increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of compliance processes to drive better customer outcomes.

    The focus of the initiative has been on streamlining regulatory processes within the financial sector through advanced technological solutions. Participants underwent a three-phase programme that included challenge definition, solution design and testing, and final demonstrations.

    This structure provided participants with insights into the operational needs of financial firms, facilitated by collaboration, academic expertise, and service design support.

    The FRIL collaboration itself is part of the larger Glasgow City Region Innovation Accelerator programme with Glasgow, one of three pilot regions sharing a £100 million investment aimed at transforming R&D within the UK.

    Nicola Anderson, CEO of FinTech Scotland, said: “I am proud to see the extraordinary level of collaboration demonstrated across our fintech cluster through this first innovation call.

    “The engagement among industry leaders, academic scholars, and public sector representatives at the Demo Day gives me confidence that our cluster delivery approach can drive real impact and continue to help us deliver our ambition set-out in our Fintech Research and Innovation Roadmap.

    “I’d like to thank and congratulate all those involved.”

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    Mark Cummins, at University of Strathclyde, also commented: “At the University of Strathclyde we are proud to be part of the Financial Regulation Innovation Lab, responsible for grant award funding to successful fintech applicants in our Innovation Call series.

    “The innovative thinking and insight our grant award winners from Amiqus, DX Compliance, HAELO, Level E Research and Pytilia have shown makes them deserving winners of FRIL’s first innovation call on Simplifying Compliance through AI and Emerging Technologies.

    “Our team look forward to supporting each proposition develop throughout its technology roadmap and we are excited about the potential for real industry led innovation that may help reduce the amount of current manual interventions required when addressing regulatory obligations.”

  15. How Do UK SME Bosses Feel About a Change of Government?

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    With prime minister Rishi Sunak announcing a UK general election in July, new research highlights how bosses of small- and medium-sized enterprises feel about a potential change of government, as well as other business-impacting issues.

    According to findings from Shawbrook, the savings and lendings bank, the majority (51%) of SME leaders are apprehensive over a potential change of government. Just one percent fewer (50%) cite political uncertainty as a major concern.

    Relatedly, another top issue—cited by 73% of bosses—is rising costs. In Shawbrook’s prior research from 2023, this figure was 68%, highlighting that the problem has intensified over the last year. Just over a quarter (26%) also say they’re very concerned about the costs involved with running their business.

    Underpinning rising costs is the cost-of-living crisis, rising interest rates, and supply chain disruptions. Shawbook’s research uncovered that 69% of respondents are concerned about the cost of living in particular in the next 12 months, with 66% feeling worried about economic uncertainty.

    When it comes to interest rates and supply chain disruptions, 67% and 57% of respondents respectively are concerned. Debt repayments and the costs of bills also remain on the minds of bosses.

    Whether a potential change in government would alleviate or deepen these problems is yet to be seen.

    “By July 5th, we will have a definitive outcome that will shape the direction of our government for the next four years,” said Neil Rudge, head of enterprise at Shawbrook, on the upcoming general election.

    “Naturally, this period of transition can cause some apprehension within the business community. Incoming administrations often usher in new policies, regulations, and tax structures, which can disrupt established business plans and make future forecasting challenging, particularly for SMEs.

    “It’s important that political parties prioritise the dissemination of clear and detailed information regarding potential policies that may impact SMEs,” he added. “Ambiguity in such matters can significantly hinder businesses’ ability to prepare for potential changes.”

    Recommended reading

    “However, there are positive signs to consider. We are encouraged by the cautious optimism already evident amongst SMEs, reflected in the recent increase in funding applications.

    “This positive sentiment, coupled with falling inflation and the anticipation of an interest rate reduction, suggests a potentially interesting second half of the year for the economy.”

  16. New Programme Helping to Usher Innovation in North East Scotland

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    A new collaboration between the University of Aberdeen, Opportunity North East (ONE), and Innovate UK is helping the next generation of innovators in tech, life sciences, and energy to explore their research and technologies.

    The three partners are co-funding the new North East market discovery programme via UK ICURe, the UK’s leading early-stage research accelerator.

    Ten teams of researchers are embarking on an eight-week journey in the programme, and are set to gain market awareness and customer discovery skills. They’ll use insights and tools to explore their innovation’s commercial potential and identify market demand.

    ICURe has a strong track record of boosting academic commercialisation and startups. Over 500 teams across the UK have benefited from ICURe to date, and it’s supported the establishment of more than 200 startup companies.

    It also serves as a gateway to Innovate UK, connecting startup prospects at an early stage and enabling them to participate in follow-on programmes as they launch and grow their businesses.

    ONE and the University of Aberdeen are committed to growing the life sciences sector in North East Scotland as part of a broader action and investment to diversify the economy.

    ONE BioHub, which opened last year, is the focal point for commercialisation and growth support provided by ONE and its partners to entrepreneurs, founders, startups, spinouts, and scaling businesses.

    Dr Deborah O’Neil OBE FRSE, CEO of biotech firm NovaBiotics, and chair of the ONE Life Sciences board, said: “This new partnership between ONE, the University of Aberdeen and Innovate UK is significant.

    “It brings the national innovation agency’s resources into the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem we are building for life sciences with ONE BioHub at its heart.

    “The participating teams will benefit from the proven ICURe programme and identify the commercial potential and market demand for their innovation – the first step towards successful commercialisation.”

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    Professor Peter Edwards, vice-principal regional engagement at the University of Aberdeen, also commented: “The university has an excellent reputation for producing and nurturing innovative spinouts and startups, which help change lives, transform society for the better and support our region’s economy.

    “The programme will support those ground-breaking projects that are needed to meet future challenges by helping research teams take their commercially promising ideas to market faster, ensuring we remain at the cutting edge of research and innovation.”

  17. Musk’s AI Company, xAI, Raises £4.7 Billion

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    xAI, the San Francisco-headquartered artificial intelligence company founded by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, has raised £4.7 billion ($6b) in a new funding round.

    Well-known venture capital firms, including Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, Valor Equity Partners, and Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal and Kingdom Holding, are among the backers.

    The new funds are set to be used to “take xAI’s first products to market, build advanced infrastructure, and accelerate the research and development of future technologies,” the company stated.

    The company also said that it will continue on its “steep trajectory of progress over the coming months, with multiple exciting technology updates and products soon to be announced.”

    xAi was publicly announced just under a year ago, on 13 July 2023, and created in a bid to “understand the true nature of the universe.” Its about page states that the startup is “primarily focused on the development of advanced AI systems that are truthful, competent, and maximally beneficial for all of humanity.”

    Training on xAI’s first flagship model, Grok, finished around a month later, in August 2023. In November, the startup then announced the early-access release of its conversational AI chatbot and the Grok-1 model underpinning it.

    As of this month, X (previously Twitter) Premium users can use Grok and its 1.5 model on the platform.

    In April last year, Musk said he was going to “start something which I call ‘TruthGPT’, or a maximum truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe,” in an interview with Tucker Carlson of Fox News.

    xAI was then announced in July, with members of the founding team having previously worked on and helped lead advancements in artificial intelligence including OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, as well as contributing methods that are commonly used in the field.

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    xAi is not the first artificial intelligence company that the tech entrepreneur has founded. Musk was a co-founder and early funder of OpenAI, which launched in late 2015. He cut ties with the company three years later.

    According to Semafor, people familiar with the matter said ties were severed after CEO Sam Altman and the other co-founders declined Musk’s proposal to take over the company and run it himself.

  18. New Scots Report Aims to Thwart Augmented Reality Risks

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    Augmented and mixed reality (AR/MR) technology can, in the coming years, revolutionise how we perceive and interact with the world around us by overlaying digital content onto our view of the physical environment.

    But the tech also raises profound ethical risks and challenges concerning privacy, information accuracy, identity, accessibility, individual autonomy, and well-being.

    Without proactive effort to shape AR/MR’s development, there’s the risk of covert surveillance, misinformation bubbles, identity manipulation, and erosion of user autonomy.

    That’s the possibility outlined in a new policy report from academics at the University of Glasgow, launched by its Centre for the Study of Perceptual Experience.

    The new Policy and Practice Recommendations for Augmented and Mixed Reality report therefore provides analysis and guidance for developers, industry, policymakers, and researchers looking to maximise AR/MR’s benefits while mitigating its dangers.

    Lead investigator of the report, Professor Fiona Macpherson, said over 50 experts across academia, industry, and public policy inputted into the report.

    “Augmented reality and mixed reality are fast-moving domains. The use of these technologies will be increasingly widespread in coming years,” said Macpherson.

    “Our policy report makes specific recommendations for developers, industry, policymakers and research bodies, to guide early intervention and shape the technological trajectory in a way that upholds the key values of privacy, accessibility, autonomy and well-being.”

    Recommended reading

    The report lays out six central risk domains for AR/MR, which are: privacy, information accuracy, identity representation, accessibility, autonomy, and well-being.

    The recommendations for the domains include designing AR/MR interfaces to ensure users are aware when virtual content is being displayed and its source (privacy), and educating about the risks of identity manipulation (identity).

    Speaking on the recommendations, Professor Ben Colburn, a political philosopher at the University of Glasgow, said: “We recommend design standards which mark out virtual from real objects, and control for users and third parties over the gathering and use of personal data and their digital identities.

    “We also show that education is central to AR’s positive individual, social and economic potential: information about benefits and risks should be integrated into critical thinking curricula in schools, and into a campaign of digital literacy for adults, focusing on the novel privacy risks involved in familiar activities.”

    The investigators for the report include Professor Fiona Macpherson, Professor Ben Colburn, Dr Derek Brown, and Professor Neil McDonnell. Laura Fearnley and Calum Hodgson served as research assistants.

  19. Northern Ireland Police Service Could Face £750K Fine Over Data Breach

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    The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced it intends to fine the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) £750,000 in light of last year’s major data breach.

    In August 2023, personal information—including surnames, initials, ranks, and roles of all 9,483 serving PSNI officers and staff—was included in a “hidden” tab of a spreadsheet published online in response to a freedom of information (FOI) request.

    The information was published online for about two hours before it was removed.

    The regulator’s investigation has provisionally found the PSNI’s internal procedures and sign-off protocols for the safe disclosure of information were inadequate.

    The provisional fine of £750K is a fraction of the £5.6 million cost that would’ve been set had the ICO not applied its public sector approach.

    The aim of the approach is to not divert away public money from where it’s most needed, in recognition that public money is best used to support the delivery of essential services.

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    Speaking on the incident, John Edwards, UK information commissioner, said: “The sensitivities in Northern Ireland and the unprecedented nature of this breach created a perfect storm of risk and harm – and show how damaging poor data security can be.

    “Throughout our investigation, we heard many harrowing stories about the impact this avoidable error has had on people’s lives – from having to move house, to cutting themselves off from family members and completely altering their daily routines because of the tangible fear of threat to life.

    “And what’s particularly troubling to note is that simple and practical-to-implement policies and procedures would have ensured this potentially life-threatening incident, which has caused untold anxiety and distress to those directly affected as well as their families, friends and loved ones, did not happen in the first place.

    “I am publicising this potential action today to once again highlight the need for all organisations to check, challenge and, where necessary, change disclosure procedures to ensure they have robust measures in place to protect the personal information people entrust to them.”

    The commissioner’s findings are provisional and a final decision is yet to be made.

  20. UK Putting £8.5M Into Research That Helps Protect Society From AI Risks

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    Up to £8.5 million in grants will be offered by the UK government for researchers to study how to protect society from AI risks such as deepfakes and cyber-attacks, as well as harness AI’s benefits.

    Tech secretary Michelle Donelan announced the funding programme at the AI Seoul Summit today (22 May), which is co-hosted by South Korea and the UK.

    The most promising proposals will be developed into longer-term projects and could receive further funding.

    Dubbed the “AISI Systemic Safety” programme, it will be led within the UK’s AI Safety Institute and by Shahar Avin, an AI safety researcher at the University of Cambridge’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CESR).

    It will also be delivered in partnership with The Alan Turing Institute, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and in collaboration with other AI safety institutions across the globe.

    The new programme has been created to broaden the Institute’s remit to include the field of systemic AI safety, which aims to understand how to mitigate AI risks at a societal level and study how institutions, systems, and infrastructure can effectively adapt.

    “When the UK launched the world’s first AI Safety Institute last year, we committed to achieving an ambitious yet urgent mission to reap the positive benefits of AI by advancing the cause of AI safety,” said Donelan.

    “With evaluation systems for AI models now in place, Phase 2 of my plan to safely harness the opportunities of AI needs to be about making AI safe across the whole of society.

    “This is exactly what we are making possible with this funding which will allow our Institute to partner with academia and industry to ensure we continue to be proactive in developing new approaches that can help us ensure AI continues to be a transformative force for good.

    “I am acutely aware that we can only achieve this momentous challenge by tapping into a broad and diverse pool of talent and disciplines, and forging ahead with new approaches that push the limit of existing knowledge and methodologies.”

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    The AISI Systemic Safety programme aims to attract proposals from researchers across both the private and public sector, and who will work closely with the UK government.

    It will run alongside the Institute’s evaluation and testing of AI models, where the Institute will continue to work with AI labs to set standards for development and help steer AI towards having a positive impact.

    Professor Helen Margetts, director of public policy at The Alan Turing Institute, also commented on the programme: “Rapidly advancing technology is bringing profound changes to the information environment, shaping our social, economic and democratic interactions.

    “That is why funding AI safety is vital – to ensure we are all protected from the potential risks of misuse while maximising the benefits of AI for a positive impact on society.”

    The announcement comes amid a major international summit in Seoul, focusing on AI safety, addressing the capabilities of advanced AI models, and building on the Bletchley Declaration and wider agreements for tackling AI risks.

  21. ITZA to Launch Climate Change Learning Modules for Scots Schools

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    ITZA, the Edinburgh-based e-learning specialist, is set to launch its One Planet digital resource on climate change and building a sustainable economy for Scottish schools.

    An interdisciplinary online programme that helps teachers facilitate independent learning on protecting the planet, the modules are based on David Attenborough’s four actions to change the way we live to reduce global warming and preserve the natural planet. These are: Eliminate Waste, Go Net Zero, Revive the Oceans, and Rewild the Wild.

    The One Planet digital modules are to be delivered by ITZA with content producers including the BBC, GettyImages, HarperCollins, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and NatureScot.

    ITZA is also announcing that the Scottish Building Society is its first commercial partner for the learning programme, supporting the production of key digital learning modules on purposeful investment and financial literacy to help teenagers learn about opportunities in a sustainable economy.

    One Planet will be delivered into Scottish state schools via GLOW, the national intranet of Education Scotland, before a global roll-out commencing in 2025, with One Planet set to be integrated with Microsoft and Google’s education platforms.

    The announcement comes just months after ITZA secured £2 million in R&D and equity funding from the likes of Scottish Enterprise to help grow its digital learning, production, and AI analytics hub in Edinburgh to accelerate independent learning for young people in the 10-16 age range.

    Anthony Bouchier, ITZA CEO and founder, said: “We’re proud to be launching One Planet in Scottish schools across the country.

    “We have already tested elements of the resources in around one hundred different countries, and next year will see us scale One Planet to English-speaking schools around the world.

    “We are thankful for the incredible support from the Scottish Building Society, and in the Villars Institute we have an International partner who is at the cutting edge of young people driving debate and systematic change.”

    As part of the One Planet programme, two young Scots will be selected to attend the annual Villars Symposium in Switzerland in June, created by the Villars Institute, the nonprofit community development organisation with a focus on sustainability.

    At the symposium, young leaders and ecopreneurs from across the world will address how to accelerate the transition to net zero and a nature-positive economy.

    Lee Howell, executive director of the Villars Institute, highlighted that: “The challenges facing our planet clearly require intergenerational solutions and we have selected Scotland to pioneer our move to help teens see the great opportunities ahead as the world moves towards a net zero and nature positive economy.”

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    Paul Denton, chief executive of Scottish Building Society, also commented on the new partnership with ITZA, saying: “Scottish Building Society is passionate about teaching children the important role financial understanding and financial planning will have throughout their lives.

    “More than 70% of teenagers see the move to net zero as the defining issue of the time. We want to help give a clear view on the challenges we face and build the skills our young people need to thrive in a net zero economy.”

  22. UK Semiconductor Institute Announced to Support £1BN Strategy

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    A new, independent Semiconductor Institute will be brought together by the UK government to help support its £1 billion Semiconductor Strategy for growing the sector.

    The aim for the Institute is to make sure that microchip researchers have the tools and infrastructure needed to drive their work forward, converting innovation into market-ready products.

    It’s envisioned that the Institute will also act as a coordinated entry point for tech businesses and international partners who want to work with the UK semiconductor sector to boost innovation, research, and commercialisation.

    The announcement of the Institute comes one year on from the launch of the Semiconductor Strategy, which was created in a bid to level-up the domestic microchip sector.

    “Semiconductors underpin all the technology that keeps our economy moving,” said technology minister Saqib Bhatti. “Our strategy set out that we would grow the sector and make it resilient by focussing on what the British chip sector does best.

    “Building on the early success of the strategy, the UK Semiconductor Institute will unify the semiconductor sector to focus our talented researchers on securing our status at the cutting edge of semiconductor science.

    “This is a hugely significant milestone on our journey to becoming a science and tech superpower by 2030.”

    There has been “extensive industry engagement” on the upcoming Semiconductor Institute, the government said.

    It’s also a key recommendation in a report commissioned by DSIT from the Institute for Manufacturing, and has the support of the UK’s Semiconductor Advisory Panel.

    Julian David, CEO of trade association techUK, commented: “The establishment of a UK Semiconductor Institute is welcomed by techUK and other members of the Chips Coalition, including Global Tech Advocates and TechWorks.

    “We have worked with the UK government to develop the National Semiconductor Strategy and we look forward to turning that strategy into action.

    “We are confident that this Institute will serve as an authoritative and empowered body.

    “By bringing together government, universities and the private sector, the Institute will be pivotal in advancing R&D, skills development, and fostering international collaboration.

    “This collaboration will secure a robust and innovative future for the UK’s semiconductor landscape.”

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    Since the launch of the Semiconductor Strategy this time last year, the government has launched ChipStart, a pilot incubator for startups helping to bring new products to the market.

    It also invested £22 million in two “Innovation and Knowledge Centres” in Bristol and Southampton to help bring UK chip technologies to the global market.

    Further, access was secured to Horizon Europe’s €1.3 billion Chips Joint Undertaking, and made sure the UK Infrastructure Bank can invest its £22 billion of financial capacity into semiconductor manufacturers.

  23. UK AI Safety Institute to Expand to San Francisco

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    The UK’s AI Safety Institute is to open its first overseas office in San Francisco this summer, technology secretary Michelle Donelan has announced.

    The expansion marks a “pivotal” step that will help the UK tap into the Bay Area’s wealth of tech talent, the UK government said, as well as engage with the world’s largest AI labs and cement relationships with the US to advance AI safety.

    The office is expected to open in the summer, with the first team of technical staff headed up by a research director.

    The new location will be complementary to the Institute’s London headquarters, which currently boasts a team of over 30.

    “This expansion represents British leadership in AI in action. It is a pivotal moment in the UK’s ability to study both the risks and potential of AI from a global lens,” said Donelan.

    “Opening our doors overseas and building on our alliance with the US is central to my plan to set new, international standards on AI safety which we will discuss at the Seoul summit this week.”

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    As governments and AI leaders prepare to gather in Seoul this week, the UK has also announced that it’s committed to working with Canada through their respective AI safety institutes.

    Confirmed by Doneland and Canada science and innovation minister François-Philippe Champagne, the partnership will deepen existing links between the two nations and lead to collaborative work on systemic safety research.

    As part of the agreement, the countries will aim to share expertise around testing and evaluation work, with the partnership also enabling secondment routes between the two countries,

    The AI safety summit in Seoul, which the UK is co-hosting with South Korea, will take place over the next two days, 21 and 22 May.

  24. What Do CISOs Really Think About GenAI?

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    New data from a survey supplied to members of ClubCISO, the global private members forum for information security leaders, has revealed what CISOs really and currently think about generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).

    The survey’s results highlight CISOs’ confidence in GenAI in their organisations, with around half of those surveyed (51%) believing these tools are a force for good and act as security enablers. In comparison, only 25% saw generative AI tools as a risk to their organisational security.

    The study’s findings also underscore the proactive stance of CISOs in comprehending the risks linked to GenAI tools and their active support in implementing the tools.

    Just under half (45%) of respondents suggested they now allow generative AI tools for specific applications, with the CISO office making a final decision on their use. Only around a quarter (23%) have region-specific or function-specific rules to govern GenAI use.

    Despite ongoing concerns around the data privacy of specific applications, 54% of CISOs are confident they know how AI tools will use or share the data fed to them, and 41% have a policy to cover AI and its usage. In contrast, only a minority (9%) of CISOs say they do not have a policy governing the use of AI tools and have not set out a direction either way.

    Inspiring further confidence, 57% of CISOs also believe that their staff are aware and mindful of the data protection and intellectual property implications of using AI tools.

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    Commenting on the findings, Rob Robinson, head of Telstra Purple EMEA—sponsors of the ClubCISO community—said: “While we do still hear examples of proprietary data being fed to AI tools and then that same data being resurfaced outside of an organisation’s boundaries, what our members are telling us is that this is a known risk, not just in their teams, but across the employee population too.”

    “Generative AI is rightly being seen for the opportunity it will unlock for organisations,” he continued. “Its disruptive force is being unleashed across sectors and functions, and rather than slowing the pace of adoption, our survey highlights that CISOs have taken the time to understand and educate their organisations about the risks associated with using such tools. It marks a break away from the traditional views of security acting as a blocker for innovation.”

  25. First Minister to Go “All Out” to Encourage Investment in Scotland

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    Speaking at the Barclays Campus in Glasgow’s financial district, the first minister will outline his government’s approach to economic policy making.

    Mr Swinney will say that poor decision-making at the UK level, typified by Brexit and immigration policy, means the Scottish government must work even harder with its limited powers to help businesses and workers thrive.

    The first minister will say that he’s determined to bring hope and optimism, and go “all out” to encourage economic investment in Scotland.

    He will say that policy making will be governed by “progressive” values, a partnership approach with unions and businesses, a focus on actions, and problem solving based on evidence.

    Speaking ahead of the speech, the first minister said: “My goal is to help people live happier and healthier lives with higher living standards and to help businesses boost profitability.

    “The evidence shows that independent countries that are comparable to Scotland are wealthier and fairer than the UK.

    “Scotland has the talents and resources to match that performance with independence but in the here and now and in the face of Brexit we must work even harder to help Scotland’s economy with the powers we have.

    “I will go all out to encourage investment in Scotland and I will ensure people know my government is a firmly pro-business administration.

    “A partnership with trade unions and business will be at the core of my approach and through that approach and given our resources, not least incredible renewable energy, we should look to the future with hope and optimism.”

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    Mr Swinney’s recent appointment as first minister comes after an extended period of dismay from the Scots business community regarding the Scottish government.

    Last year, the Fraser of Allander Institute’s Scottish Business Monitor report found that just 9% of Scottish companies agreed that the Scottish government understood the business environment in Scotland.

    Additionally, only 8% of businesses felt that the Scottish government engaged effectively with their particular sector, further underscoring a disconnect.

    However, in a bid to “help business and trade to thrive and maximise the opportunity of the green economy,” ex-first minister Humza Yousaf announced the government’s “New Deal for Business” in 2023.

    A New Deal for Businesses Group was then established to “provide a forum for government and business leaders to explore how best to support businesses and communities and to actively work together to achieve common goals, aligning Scottish government policy with business.”

  26. Could “Pop-up” 5G Drones Transform Mountain Search and Rescue?

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    A team of mobile connectivity and drone specialists have demonstrated the use of 5G drones as a moving connectivity bubble which could transform mountain search and rescue missions.

    Taking place near Tarfside in Angus, the demonstrations brought together JET Connectivity’s pop-up 5G technology with an aerial drone to form a self-deploying 5G network.

    Traditionally, mountain search and rescue is reliant on teams hiking the mountains and glens, or the assistance of helicopters for wider area searchers. These two options are either time-consuming or expensive.

    Hillside and mountain locations also often suffer from poor phone signal, meaning rescue teams cannot communicate or share location or video information while working to save lives.

    The 5G drone network however can be set up in minutes in an emergency. One or multiple drones can then search a wide area, whilst streaming video and infrared footage back to the controller over the 5G network which has been created by the drones.

    JET Connectivity’s 5G base station in a box is lightweight and low power, so it can be carried by the drone and either deployed remotely on the ground or kept in flight.

    The demonstrations at Tarfside concludes a search and development pathfinder project, as part of the Tay5G Project under the Tay Cities Region Deal.

    Funded by the Scottish government, the project has been led by JET Connectivity, supported by DTLX who provided the drone approvals and flights, as well as Abertay University and THE Scotland 5G Centre.

    Another demonstration is planned in June for an offshore, beyond visual line of sight drone demonstration, utilising the pop-up 5G capability at sea as a floating networking.

    This can enable increased safety to people working offshore by transforming skilled jobs to the safety of a control room with remote surveying, inspections, and maintenance.

    Speaking on the work that’s been done and the demonstrations, James Thomas, CEO at JET Connectivity, said: “It has been fantastic to see the integration of our 5G technology in an aerial drone coming to life.

    “Seeing the difference this could make to search and rescue missions is really exciting, and I hope it can be used to make the work of the fantastic search and rescue teams easier as they continue to save lives.

    “Providing connectivity for safety has always been at the heart of JET’s vision, and I am so excited to see this come to life in new ways with the fantastic work of our engineering and networks teams.

    “There are so many other opportunities to use this solution now the technology has been developed, such as disaster recovery, and we are delighted to be a part of making a difference.”

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    Kirsty Scott, senior business engagement manager at The Scotland 5G Centre also, commented: “The Centre is excited to contribute technically to support to this project, and also arrange access to our 5G test bed.

    “Using mobile 5G private networks, we’re demonstrating the endless possibilities and flexibility of this technology, without being bound by geography.”

    “It’s a game-changer for search and rescue teams, revolutionising mountain rescue efforts as we know them,” added Scott.

    Photo Credit: Alan Richardson

  27. Strathclyde Uni Leads New Tech-driven Sustainable Manufacturing Hub

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    A new manufacturing hub for the sustainable production of medicines which will pioneer the use of advanced technologies, such as robotics and AI, is being led by the University of Strathclyde.

    The MediForge Hub aims to transform the development and manufacturing process by achieving a 60% reduction in raw material use and the reduction of waste.

    Strathclyde is also a partner in the new Manufacturing Research Hub in Resource-Enabled Sustainable Circular Automation Manufacturing (RESCu-M).

    Led by the University of Birmingham, the hub aims to use advances in AI, robotics, and automation to create a new sustainable circular manufacturing ecosystem across sectors such as batteries, energy, and medical devices.

    The hubs are among five supported by the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) “Manufacturing research hubs for a sustainable future” programme, with each receiving £11 million.

    Partner contributions, cash, and in-kind bring the total support committed to the new hubs to just short of £100m.

    Working with industry partners, the researchers will also explore different products’ pathways to manufacture, including production scale-up and integration within the wider industrial system.

    Co-designed with industry, the MediForge programme looks to create a cyber-physical research infrastructure to drive the digital transformation of chemistry, manufacture, and control (CMC) approaches.

    Artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital twins, and collaborative robotics—together with state-of-the-art process technologies—will support all stages of medicine production.

    UK government minister for Scotland, Donald Cameron, said: “Scotland has always been at the forefront of science, innovation and technology and this new £11 million funding from the UK government, through UKRI, will help maintain this.

    “This is an exciting time for this sector as we look to harness AI in helping the sustainable production of medicines and reducing waste.”

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    Accelerating the development of new, sustainable products and processes could mean the sector can better respond to the needs of patients by producing medicine faster, while addressing rising healthcare costs and the impacts of the climate crisis.

    On this, Professor Alastair Florence, MediForge project lead, said: “The team is committed to developing innovative solutions that can accelerate patient access to cost-effective new treatments, that can allow more agile responses to medicines shortages or pandemics and, through addressing sustainability at each stage, we can ensure that making medicines does not cost the Earth.

  28. Glasgow’s Tech Ecosystem Went From Strength to Strength Last Year

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    According to a new report from startup data and intelligence provider Dealroom, Glasgow’s tech ecosystem went from strength to strength in 2023, receiving record levels of investment and growing at a rate which exceeded many other UK and European ecosystems.

    The new Glasgow City Region Tech Ecosystem Report 2024—which includes a foreword from the Scottish government’s chief entrepreneurial advisor, Mark Logan—analysed an array of data points concerning investment, ecosystem growth, and enterprise value.

    Among one of the many insights from the report, published during the inaugural Glasgow Tech Week, is that the Scottish city’s tech ecosystem received record levels of investment last year: £170 million in VC money was plugged into Glaswegian tech startups in 2023, compared to 2022’s number of £88m.

    Funding rounds that helped to dramatically bump up the level of investment came from companies like Chemify, the University of Glasgow spinout aiming to digitise chemistry, landing £36m in its Series A. Another standout was Enough, the foodtech firm, which raised £34m in its Series C funding round.

    This upward trend looks like it may very well continue, too, as the report highlighted that Glasgow startups secured £47 million in VC investment in Q1 2024 alone.

    Breaking down which Glaswegian tech sectors received the most funding, healthtech startups received a significant 51% of the total investment, at £86 million. This was then followed by transportation-focused tech (£41m), enterprise software (£39m), foodtech (£38m), and energy-oriented technology (£31m) as the top five sectors.

    With all this in mind, it’s perhaps not surprising to hear that Dealroom’s report found Glasgow to be one of the fastest-growing ecosystems in the UK, being bested only by Sheffield, Liverpool, and Birmingham, and surpassing the likes of London, Oxford, and Cambridge—otherwise known as the “Golden Triangle.”

    Furthermore, the Glaswegian ecosystem is growing at a quicker rate than many mature European ecosystems, not least cities such as Berlin, Tallinn, Brussels, London, and Amsterdam.

    Speaking on what makes Glaswegian startups particularly attractive to investors, Andrew Noble, partner at Edinburgh-based VC firm Par Equity, said in the report: “As a VC, we’re drawn to the character traits of the entrepreneurial community in Glasgow, often demonstrated by their proactive, commercial mindset and a high degree of grit and determination to build big businesses.”

    “Glasgow boasts access to affordable office space and the infrastructure needed to support fledgling companies and tech innovation, with renowned universities like Strathclyde and Glasgow providing a collaborative platform between academia and industry,” he added.

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    The report also called attention to the fact that, as of Q1 2024, the combined enterprise value of Glasgow startups has surpassed £4.1 billion. In 2023, this number was £3.9b, and in 2022, £3.5b.

    “Glasgow has learned how to harness its considerable talent, creativity and resources towards building a genuinely world-class start-up environment,” noted Logan in the report.

    “The city has experienced astonishing growth of 526% in investment into its startups since 2019, making it one of Europe’s fastest growing ecosystems, with the enterprise value of Glasgow’s startups exceeding £4B for the first time. Onward!”

  29. UK Developing Radio Wave Weapon That Downs Drones

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    Known as a Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW), it beams radio waves to disrupt or damage the critical electronics components of enemy vehicles, causing them to stop in their tracks or fall out of the sky.

    The system can detect, track, and engage a range of threats across land, air, and sea, and affect targets up to 1km away—with further development being undertaken to extend the range.

    At around 10p per shot fired, RFDEW has been said to be a “significant cost-effective alternative” to traditional missile-based air defence systems, capable of downing drone swarms with instant effect.

    The high level of automation also means the system can be operated by a single person.

    The announcement of the in-development weapon follows the prime minister’s declaration last month of an increase to the defence budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.

    James Cartlidge, minister for defence procurement, commented: “We are already a force to be reckoned with on science and technology, and developments like RFDEW not only make our personnel more lethal and better protected on the battlefield, but also keep the UK a world leader on innovative military kit.

    “The war in Ukraine has shown us the importance of deploying uncrewed systems, but we must be able to defend against them too. As we ramp up our defence spending in the coming years, our Defence Drone Strategy will ensure we are at the forefront of this warfighting evolution.”

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    The weapon is being developed by a joint team from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S).

    DSTL’s chief executive, Paul Hollinshead, further added: “These game changing systems will deliver decisive operational advantage to the UK armed forces, saving lives and defeating deadly threats.

    “World class capabilities such as this are only possible because of decades of research, expertise and investment in science and technology at DSTL and our partners in UK industry.”

    The next steps for RFDEW is undergoing “extensive field testing” with British soldiers over the summer, the UK government said.

  30. Scots Horizon Sub-postmasters to Be Exonerated Under New Bill

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    Scots Post Office sub-postmasters who were wrongfully convicted as a result of the faulty Horizon IT system will be exonerated under proposed legislation introduced to Scottish parliament.

    The Horizon IT scandal has been called one of, if not the biggest, miscarriages of justice in the UK.

    Dating back to the 1990s, it resulted in hundreds of Post Office operators being wrongfully prosecuted for theft, fraud, and false accounting due to faulty software. In total, around 900 people have been prosecuted.

    Two months ago, the UK government introduced legislation to quash the convictions of sub-postmasters who were wrongly convicted and provide financial redress. However, this particular bill only extended to England and Wales.

    The Scottish government is now expediting its version of the bill through the Scottish parliament, so that justice and redress can be delivered to victims as quickly as possible in line with the UK bill.

    On top of having their convictions automatically cleared, the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill, if passed, will give those wrongfully convicted access to the UK government financial redress scheme.

    Back in March, the UK government said that its financial redress scheme would involve an interim compensation payment, with the option of taking a fixed and final offer of £600,000 to help people rebuild their lives.

    Further, those who were not convicted or part of legal action against the Post Office but still suffered due to Horizon failures would have the option to receive a fixed payment of £75,000.

    Speaking on the Scottish bill, and the frustration around Scotland not being included in the UK government’s bill, justice secretary Angela Constance said:

    “Innocent sub-postmasters had their lives ruined by being wrongly convicted of offences of dishonesty on the evidence of the faulty Post Office Horizon system. The quickest, easiest route to overturn these miscarriages of justice would have been for the UK government to extend their Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to cover sub-postmasters in Scotland.

    “However, our repeated requests for this were refused. Our bill, therefore, mirrors that of UK legislation to ensure parity for affected sub-postmasters in Scotland with those elsewhere in the UK and to ensure access to the UK government’s compensation scheme.

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    “The scale of the scandal and the length of time that the victims have waited for justice means we are taking an unprecedented step of introducing legislation to right this terrible wrong and asking Parliament for it to be processed as an emergency bill.

    “The Scottish government will not do anything to jeopardise equality and parity for victims, so the final stage of the bill cannot be considered in the Scottish parliament until after the UK legislation has been passed. This will ensure that MSPs can take account of any amendments made to the UK bill.”

    With the expedited process, a Stage 1 debate and vote on the general principles of the bill is expected to take place in the Scottish parliament next week on 21 May, with Stage 2 amendments considered on 22 May.

  31. £9M Plugged Into 12 Innovative Earth Observation Tech Projects

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    The UK Space Agency has invested £9 million in an early-stage tech programme to enhance Earth observation technologies to better understand and protect the planet.

    Delivered by the Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI), the £9 million will support 12 tech projects that enhance the ability to monitor Earth’s atmosphere and measure critical emissions such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen dioxide.

    Among those involved in the 12 projects are several Scottish-based institutions and companies, including the University of Edinburgh, the University of Strathclyde, the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, and Bright Ascension, the Dundee-based space software company.

    The instruments under development could give a clearer picture of where activities and incidents producing high levels of emissions—such as wildfires or inefficient farming techniques—are taking place, enabling decision-makers to coordinate more effective responses.

    The Near Infrared Multispectral Camera for Atmospheric Methane (NIMCAM) is one project, led by the University of Edinburgh and supported by the UK Astronomy Technology Centre and the National Physical Laboratory. It aims to build a high spatial resolution near-infrared camera for methane measurements in the atmosphere, and help to discover smaller leaks than ever before.

    The grant will enable those involved in NIMCAM to focus on an airborne demonstration, as well as the satellite mission, instrument design, and space-relevant environment testing.

    The names of the 12 CEOI projects, the funding received, and those involved are as follows:

    1. CITISCAN Payload Development (£1,150,000). Thales-Alenia Space UK with support from University of Leicester.
    2. Cold Atom Interferometry Thermosphere Drag Measurement (CAITDM) (£1,000,000). STFC-RAL with support from University of Nottingham and Metamorphic Additive Manufacturing Ltd.
    3. SOLSTICE: Solar Occultation Limb Sounding Transformative Instruments for Climate Exploration (£2,300,000). STFC-RAL with support from Bright Ascension and Open Cosmos.
    4. Prototyping an unfolding space telescope for a small satellite platform (£900,000). Super-Sharp Space Systems with support from In-Space Missions Ltd.
    5. The Near Infrared Multispectral Camera for Atmospheric Methane (NIMCAM): Instrument demonstration and space mission development (£1,700,000). University of Edinburgh with support from STFC-UKATC (UK Astronomy Technology Centre), NPL (National Physical Laboratory).
    6. Hyperspectral Chroma-D Instrument (HERCHI) Payload Development (£900,000). Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, with support from Pixalytics Ltd.
    7. Expanding GNSS-R for HydroGNSS Constellation (£250,000). Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd with support from University of Nottingham and National Oceanography Centre, Southampton.
    8. Umbrella Radiation Monitor: Phase 2 Demonstration Model Development (£250,000). Umbrella Space Science Ltd with support from BGHTECH Ltd and Leese SPM Ltd.
    9. 3.5 THz Receiver Breadboard for Upper Atmosphere Science (£250,000). STFC RAL Space with support from University of Leeds.
    10. Evaluation of Novel Design for reduced dark current in VLWIR MCT arrays (£67,000). Leonardo UK.
    11. EO-APU: Prototype Development for an AI-Driven EO Processing Unit (£75,000). Surrey AI Imaging Ltd with support from Blue Sky Imaging Ltd.
    12. High-accuracy Magnetometer for Space Weather Instrumentation (HMSWI) (£65,000). STFC RAL Space with support from British Geological Survey (BGS), University of Strathclyde and Iota Technology Ltd.

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    The £9m CEOI funding pot will also be propped up with more than £2m additional funding from the academic and private sectors.

    Nicolas Leveque, director of the CEOI, said: “This additional funding from the UK Space Agency demonstrates its continued support for the development of high-end remote-sensing technologies.

    “These technologies will fill many gaps in our observing capabilities and help better understand some of the more complex processes driving the Earth climate and environment.

    “This funding round will act as an accelerator, bringing the launch of new instruments forward by several years.

    “We also welcome the responsiveness of the research, academic and industrial community, who have put together ambitious work plans to match the level of investment.”

  32. UK Trials Aircraft Quantum Navigation Systems for First Time

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    The UK has completed commercial flight trials of advanced quantum navigation systems that can’t be jammed or spoofed in a “first-of-its-kind” achievement.

    Although aircraft GPS jamming is relatively rare, new quantum-based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems could offer one part of a solution to providing accurate and resilient navigation that complements current satellite systems.

    Infleqtion, a quantum technology firm, in collaboration with aerospace companies BAE Systems and QinetiQ, completed the quantum navigation aircraft trials at MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire last week, with science minister Andrew Griffith aboard the final test flight.

    The tests are the first time that the technology has been tested in the UK on an aircraft in flight, and the first such flights worldwide that have been publicly acknowledged, said the UK government.

    Led by Infleqtion and in collaboration with industry and academic partners, this project has received backing of nearly £8 million from the government. The funding, together with the £2.5 billion National Quantum Strategy and the National Quantum Technologies Programme, aims for the UK to be a leading quantum-enabled economy.

    “From passenger flights to shipping, we all depend on navigation systems that are accurate, safe and secure,” said science minister Andrew Griffith. “The scientific research we are supporting here on quantum technology could well provide the resilience to protect our interests.

    “The fact that this technology has flown for the first time in British skies, is further proof of the UK as one of the world leaders on quantum.”

    In the series of test flights, the Infleqtion-led team demonstrated two quantum technologies: the Tiqker optical atomic clock, and an ultra-cold-atom-based quantum system, both aboard QinetiQ’s RJ100 Airborne Technology Demonstrator aircraft.

    The technology tested will form part of a Quantum Intertial Navigation System (Q-INS), which has the potential to revolutionise PNT, with the system offering high accuracy and resilience independent of traditional satellite navigation using GPS.

    The test is part of a project funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), focusing on creating quantum sensors to address the UK’s reliance on GNSS/GPS for location, navigation, and timing data.

    This dependence creates a vulnerability, as a single point of failure like jamming or spoofing GPS signals could disrupt critical economic, defence, and strategic activities, the UK government said.

    “The work we have done directly addresses the critical need to reduce our reliance on satellite navigation systems, which are vulnerable to various risks,” said Infleqtion UK president Dr Timothy Ballance, on the tests.

    “The successful flight trials demonstrate the potential of quantum technology in overcoming navigation system challenges, which is an exciting development for future applications in the aerospace industry and beyond.”

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    The completion of the flight trials marks a milestone towards Mission 4 of the UK’s National Quantum Strategy, which aims to deploy quantum navigation systems on aircraft by 2030, providing accuracy and resilience independent of satellite signals.

  33. Glasgow’s First Tech Week Officially Launches

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    Entrepreneurs and innovators from across Scotland’s largest city have gathered for the first-ever Tech Week in Scotland.

    Starting today and running until 18 May, Glasgow Tech Week will showcase the thriving tech, digital, and creative industries within the city, facilitating discussions on how to grow the ecosystem to support jobs and economic growth.

    The week will see a series of conferences, panels, breakfast sessions, workshops, and networking events taking place across the city, supported by Glasgow City Innovation District (GCID), with its headline event, Glasgow Tech Fest, happening on Thursday 16 May.

    Glasgow Tech Week will host events in collaboration with KPMG, AND Digital, Black and Scot, Cooper Parry, and Johnstone Carmichael as part of the diverse programme that incorporates topics including investment and pitching, as well as diversity and equality.

    Launched in 2022, Glasgow Tech Fest has become a go-to event for the tech, digital, and creative community, and its success has led to the Tech Week’s creation. Tech Fest provides opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs to connect with their peers, learn from ecosystem experts, and network to make valuable connections.

    Alisdair Gunn, director of GCID, said: “We are delighted to introduce Scotland’s first Tech Week to Glasgow. Bringing together partners from across Glasgow and beyond to showcase the incredible work taking place in the tech, digital and creative sectors and providing free events that will help businesses connect, learn and grow.

    “We have been overwhelmed by the positive response from organisations across the ecosystem to supporting Glasgow Tech Week which highlights the vibrancy and growth of Glasgow’s Innovation Economy.

    “We have a fantastic programme of events taking place from investment and pitching to educational roundtables all leading up to our headline event, Glasgow Tech Fest, taking place on 16 May.

    “We look forward to seeing the ecosystem from across Scotland coming together to support the activity taking place.”

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    Glasgow Tech Fest is focused on key themes that allow attendees to hear from founders, investors, leaders, and ecosystem builders, gaining insights into the tech sector and learning more about founder journeys.

    Headline speakers at the main Glasgow Tech Fest event will be scientist, educator, and broadcaster Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who will deliver the opening keynote speech on breaking barriers; and Jason Bradbury, the journalist and presenter best known for his former role on The Gadget Show, who will give the closing keynote speech on the future of technology.

    Ecosystem builders, businesses, investors, and community are all invited to develop and host their own event during the week with the aim to showcase the breadth of innovation, product, and service development taking place across the Glasgow City Region.

    Businesses and organisers located within Glasgow City can apply for a Tech Smart Meetup Subsidy available from Glasgow City Council to support the delivery of conference and tech ecosystem events in the city.

  34. Scots Unis to Take Part in £3.5M Project to Reduce AI Harm

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    Four Scottish universities are supporting a new project to tackle emerging concerns about generative and other forms of AI currently being built and deployed across society.

    Backed by £3.5m in funding from Responsible AI UK (RAi UK), the project is called Participatory Harm Auditing Workbenches and Methodologies (PHAWM).

    Researchers from the University of Glasgow will lead the new project, with support from colleagues at the University of Edinburgh, Strathclyde, and Stirling, as well as the English universities of York, Sheffield, and King’s College London.

    Together, they’ll look to develop new methods for maximising potential benefits of predictive and generative AI, while minimising the potential for harm arising from bias and hallucinations.

    The project will include participatory AI auditing where non-experts—such as regulators, end-users, and people likely to be affected by decisions made by AI systems—will play a role in ensuring systems provide fair and reliable outputs.

    It’s also set to develop new tools to support the AI auditing process in partnership with relevant stakeholders, focusing on four key use cases for predictive and generative AI, and create new training resources to help encourage widespread adoption of the tools.

    Dr Simone Stumpf, who’s from the University of Glasgow’s School of Computing Science and is the project’s principal investigator, said: “By the project’s conclusion, we will have developed a robust training programme and a route towards certification of AI solutions, and a fully featured workbench of tools to enable people without a background in artificial intelligence to participate in audits, make informed decisions, and shape the next generation of AI.”

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    Funding for the project has been awarded by Responsible AI UK, which is led from the University of Southampton and backed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the UKRI Technology Missions Fund, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

    Since its launch last year, RAi UK has delivered £13m of research funding. It’s developing its own research programme to support ongoing work across major initiatives such as the AI Safety Institute, the Alan Turing Institute, and BRAID UK.

    Professor Gopal Ramchurn, CEO of RAi UK, commented: “The concerns around AI are not just for governments and industry to deal with – it is important that AI experts engage with researchers and policymakers to ensure we can better anticipate the issues that will be caused by AI.”

  35. One in Three Execs Would Quit if Faced With a Return-to-office Mandate

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    What’s more, the same survey of more than 3,500 employees—conducted in November last year—revealed that nearly one-fifth (19%) of non-executives said they’d also quit if given an RTO mandate.

    These findings are from but one of the recent surveys conducted by Gartner looking at the intersection of contemporary workplace arrangements and employee expectations.

    A prior survey from the technological research and consulting firm, conducted with 170 HR leaders last September, found that organisations are increasing on-site requirements. This is in spite of employee preferences regarding remote, hybrid, and in-office working.

    In the survey, 63% of respondents reported an increased expectation around employees spending days in the office, with 34% saying a mandated return has already been implemented. 13% said the consequences for employees not meeting on-site requirements have also intensified.

    The forced mandating of employees returning to the office can have significant implications for talent attraction and retention—something which Gartner’s surveys on this subject continually highlights.

    Another recent survey of nearly 3,000 candidates found that 36% of senior-level job seekers who have faced a return mandate said that it influenced their decision to leave their job. Meanwhile, one-third said they had discontinued a hiring process in the last year due to expectations that employees would return to a physical workplace.

    Speaking on just how much RTOs can harm both talent and businesses, Caitlin Duffy, senior director in the Gartner HR practice, said: “With RTO mandates influencing the job-seeking and loyalty of senior-level candidates and employees, organisations that force workers to come into the office are likely to weaken their leadership bench and complicate succession planning.”

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    Back at the beginning of this year, DIGIT reported on insightful Gartner findings concerning RTOs and the consequent impact on certain demographics.

    In particular, the research found that, when organisations implement rigid return-to-office mandates, high-performers, millennials, and women are the three employee segments most likely to quit their job.

    “Mandated on-site requirements can carry very steep costs for talent attraction and retention,” said Duffy.

    “This is especially true for high-performers, women and millennials – three employee segments who greatly value flexibility.”
    “Often these costs far outweigh the moderate benefits to employee engagement and effort.”

  36. FinTech Scotland Partners with Cisco and Sword Ping

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    FinTech Scotland has announced its partnership with Cisco alongside partners Sword Ping.

    Through the collaboration, Cisco, Sword Ping, and FinTech Scotland will join forces to foster innovation, drive technology adoption, and accelerate growth within the financial technology sector whilst ensuring that cyber-resilience is at the core of fintech innovation.

    The partnership connects Sword Ping and Cisco expertise with the growing fintech landscape in Scotland, supporting the continued growth of Scotland’s fintech landscape.

    Cisco and Sword Ping’s experience in developing robust technology solutions specialising in scalable security/network managed services and hybrid cloud aligns with FinTech Scotland’s objective, supporting fintech SMEs to scale. 

    “We are delighted to partner with Cisco and Sword Ping,” Nicola Anderson, CEO of FinTech Scotland, said.

    “This collaboration shows our commitment to accelerating fintech innovation and adoption in Scotland and across the UK.

    “By working together to support and enhance cyber-resilience across the financial sector we can also advance opportunities for innovation and future fintech developments.

    “This helps us contribute confidently to the future digital economy with resilient services supporting customers and businesses.”

    Ishbell MacPail, Cisco Scotland country manager, said: “In partnering and supporting FinTech Scotland, we aim to do our part in developing Scotland’s fintech landscape.

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    “Alongside Sword Ping Ping, by collaborating with FinTech Scotland, we can leverage our knowledge to support Scotland’s fintech sector in promoting innovation, propelling technological breakthroughs, and quickening its expansion in the fintech space.”

    Terry Neill, business unit director at Sword Ping, added: “We are excited to be coming together in partnership with Fintech Scotland.

    “At Sword Ping, we are committed to driving innovation and delivering cutting-edge solutions that empower business to succeed in the digital age.

    “By collaborating with FinTech Scotland, we aim to leverage our expertise to support the growth of the fintech ecosystem in Scotland beyond.”

  37. Initiatives for Next-gen Manufacturing in Scotland Get £14M Boost

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    A trio of manufacturing-oriented research initiatives, led by the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), have received a £14 million funding boost through the Glasgow City Region Innovation Accelerator programme.

    The three projects aim to accelerate productivity and sustainability across local manufacturing and engineering specialists, with smaller businesses working alongside partners including Boeing, SSE Renewables, Howden, Thales, and Babcock.

    The projects are supported with £5.4m from the UK government, and up to £8.6m from industry partners.

    One project, ReMake Glasgow, will see a first-of-its-kind national ReMake hub developed at NMIS’ flagship facility next to Glasgow Airport, within the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland.

    The hub is set to provide the technologies and skills needed to support ambitious manufacturers of all sizes to adopt circularity and extend the life of products and parts. Through processes such as remanufacturing, refurbishing, and repairs, the goal is to achieve a 99% reduction in CO2 compared to manufacturing from new.

    The second NMIS-led project, Data Driven Design and Manufacturing Colab, will explore the potential of data science to solve real-world manufacturing problems and boost productivity.

    It aims to upskill 300 local people with 100 hours of free training that includes a transformation project deployed within their workplace, and ongoing support from NMIS experts and PhD students from the University of Strathclyde.

    International defence company Babcock has extended its involvement in the programme. This follows two successful pilot cohorts in 2022, with more than 16 students from Rosyth participating and solving business data challenges, ranging from the optimisation of manufacturing processes to the accurate reporting of engineering maturity.

    The third initiative, named Stratellite, led by the NMIS Lightweight Manufacturing Centre (LMC), taps into Scotland’s growing satellite manufacturing sector and focuses on an innovative reconfigurable, modular, and scalable production system developed by the LMC.

    Working with Thales, its objective is to automate the precision production processes necessary for the manufacture of large satellites. The team from the LMS will also look to develop the technology, so that it’s applicable for smaller businesses across a range of sectors, helping them to become more agile and explore making new products in new markets without a large upfront investment.

    The projects are funded by the Glasgow City Region Innovation Accelerator programme with additional contributions from project partners. Led by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the pilot Innovation Accelerator programme is investing £100m in 26 transformative R&D projects to accelerate the growth of three high-potential innovation clusters: Glasgow City Region, Greater Manchester, and the West Midlands.

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    Chris Courtney, NMIS CEO, commented: “These three projects will empower growing companies in the sector to boost productivity and sustainability, particularly at a local level.

    “Working collaboratively across these strategic themes for next-generation manufacturing, will help companies position themselves at the forefront of data-driven, sustainable advanced manufacturing.

    “By collaborating with leaders and research experts across the manufacturing, engineering and technology sectors, we can provide the workforce of today and tomorrow with the skills they need to make the next generation of greener products.

    “Scotland has a vibrant innovation ecosystem and this is a vital opportunity to harness the momentum to future-proof the sector by tackling big challenges.”

  38. Scots Medtech Spinout Nami Surgical Secures £3.2 Million

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    Nami Surgical, the Scots medtech company and spinout from the University of Glasgow, has secured £3.2 million in investment and grant funding.

    St Andrews-based impact investment firm Eos led the seed £2.5m round alongside the Investment Fund for Scotland, which is managed by UK private equity firm Maven and delivered by British Business Bank, Scottish Enterprise, and SIS ventures.

    The spinout has also separately been awarded a grant amounting to £700,000 from Innovate UK, the United Kingdom’s national innovation agency.

    Nami Surgical develops miniaturised ultrasonic medical devices for surgical applications, and supports medical device companies to deliver innovation in ultrasonic surgery.

    In particular, the firm has introduced a high-performance, miniaturised ultrasonic scalpel, overcoming significant barriers in robotic-assisted surgery.

    Traditionally favoured in laparoscopic procedures (keyhole surgeries), ultrasonic scalpels have been too large for effective use in robotic surgery, until Nami’s development.

    Robotic surgeries, characterised by enhancing surgical precision and dexterity, can reduce patient trauma, post-operative pain, and recovery times.

    As robotic surgery becomes the standard for various procedures, its global market is set to quadruple, reaching approximately $36 billion (£27b~) by 2032.

    The integration of ultrasonic scalpels in robotic surgeries can set a new benchmark in surgical care, improving outcomes for patients.

    CEO and co-founder of Nami Surgical, Nico Fenu, said: “Robot-assisted surgery has become increasingly popular in recent years and is now widely used in various surgical procedures including urology, gynaecology, and colorectal.

    “We have pilot programmes running with healthcare and medical device groups worldwide, including in the United States, and we now look forward to the commercialisation phase with the support of our new investors.”

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    “We are committed to close collaboration with clinicians and companies in the industry to translate their needs into novel devices that not only improve patient outcomes, but also drive ultrasonic surgery to the next level,” Fenu added.

    “It’s an exciting time for us, and we are just getting started.”

    Nami Surgical is a 2022 spinout from the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Medical and Industrial Ultrasonics.

    The company was co-founded by CTO Dr Rebecca Cleary, and is chaired by life science and medtech non-executive director Albert Nicholl.

  39. Shell Expands Entrepreneur Programme Across Scotland

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    Shell’s enterprise development programme, Shell LiveWIRE, is being expanded across Scotland.

    The programme, which aims to help entrepreneurs overcome hurdles to growing their business, had initially been launched in North-East Scotland.

    However, LiveWIRE is now being offered across the country, being made available to businesses with a focus on energy transition-related products and services that benefit society.

    The fully-funded programme provides coaching and mentorship to business founders and directors to help drive innovation and growth, as well as new skills, access to resources, and the widening of their networks.

    Shell UK appointed business support organisation Elevator UK to deliver LiveWIRE, using its more than 20 years of experience in delivering business and economic support services.

    Participating businesses must fit the below criteria, and have a focus on providing energy transition-related products and services that benefit society:

    • Small and medium-sized enterprises (from two to 149 employees).
    • Participants have key decision-making powers.
    • Located anywhere in Scotland.
    • Clear ambition for growth, but facing an obstacle to that growth.
    • Must be two+ years and generating revenue (not a startup).
    • Willing to commit to the programme time needs.

    After registering their interest for the Scotland-wide initiative, suitable applicants will be invited to complete the full application process by May 27.

    In June, there will be an introductory session with workshops, and residential challenge days where participants work with other entrepreneurs in the group. The programme’s onboarding day will then be held at the beginning of July.

    Participants who complete the programme are set to benefit from access to the LiveWIRE global alumni network, Shell UK mentors, and the company’s Shell LiveWIRE Top Ten Innovators competition.

    Nassima Brown is a participant in the current Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire cohort. She co-founded Fennex with her husband Adrian seven years ago. The tech company aims to accelerate digital transformation in the energy sector.

    Commenting on her experience with the programme, she said: “From day one we saw Shell’s commitment and passion to the programme. The collaboration with Elevator is giving us the environment and the tools to think big.

    “It’s not just giving us basic tools on how to manage our teams and initiate improvements, I’ll be walking out of the programme more driven and with a clearer focus. I’m fired up that we can achieve even bigger things than we thought we could.”

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    Professor Gary McEwan, CEO of Elevator UK, said the following on Elevator’s involvement with LiveWIRE: “We are thrilled to be taking Shell LiveWIRE Scotland-wide after such a successful first intake.

    “Teaming up with Shell UK to deliver the programme has shown how game-changing and tangible the impact a global organisation can have on SMEs.

    “We’re proud to be showcasing the benefits of this kind of collaborative working through our engaged, ambitious cohort of business owners and leaders and look forward to continuing this journey with Cohort 2 and beyond.”

  40. UK Self-driving Car Startup Wayve Raises Over $1 Billion

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    UK startup Wayve has raised $1.05 billion (£837m~) in its Series C funding round to accelerate development of the next generation of AI-powered, self-driving vehicles.

    The significant funding round was led by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group, with contributions from new investor NVIDIA and existing backer Microsoft.

    The financing, which marks the largest investment in a British AI firm ever made, will be used to develop and launch the first “Embodied AI” technology for self-driving cars in the UK.

    Embodied AI will enable automated vehicles to learn from and interact with a real-world environment, including the ability to navigate and learn from situations that do not follow strict patterns or rules.

    This includes unexpected actions taken by both drivers and pedestrians, thereby going beyond the current capabilities of autonomous vehicle technology.

    Founded in the UK in 2017, Wayve has been cited as a pioneer in Embodied AI for autonomous driving, being the first company to develop and trial an end-to-end (e2e) deep learning autonomous driving system on public roads.

    The investment into Wayve comes as the UK’s Automated Vehicle Bill is set to conclude its passage through Parliament in the coming weeks, enabling the deployment of self-driving vehicles in the UK.

    Speaking on the startup’s mission and this latest round of funding, Alex Kendall, co-founder and CEO of Wayve, said: “At Wayve, our vision is to develop autonomous technology that not only becomes a reality in millions of vehicles but also earns people’s trust by seamlessly integrating into their everyday lives to unlock extraordinary value.

    “This significant funding milestone highlights our team’s unwavering conviction that Embodied AI will address the long-standing challenges the industry has faced in scaling this technology to everyone, everywhere.

    “Our collaboration with SoftBank, NVIDIA, and Microsoft will help advance our mission to redefine driving with AI at the core.

    “This investment will enable us to develop and launch our first Embodied AI products for the automotive industry, empowering OEMs to provide consumers with trustworthy and beneficial automated driving experiences.”

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    Kentaro Matsui, managing partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers, head of the new business office at SoftBank Group, and board member at Wayve, further commented: “AI is revolutionizing mobility.

    “Vehicles can now interpret their surroundings like humans, enabling enhanced decision-making that promises higher safety standards. The potential of this type of technology is transformative; it could eliminate 99% of traffic accidents.

    “SoftBank Group is delighted to be at the forefront of this effort with Wayve, as advanced intelligence redefines mobility and connectivity, contributing to a more convenient and safer society.”

  41. New £2.4M Initiative Pairs Researchers, Firms for Responsible AI Use

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    A new £2.4 million initiative has been launched, seeing appointed academic researchers help organisations to develop solutions around the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).

    The fellows, from universities across the UK, will apply research expertise from humanities and arts including data ethics, copyright law, digital design, and qualitative analysis to address questions around the responsible use of AI.

    The Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) fellowships are part of the BRAID programme. BRAID is led by the University of Edinburgh in partnership with the Ada Lovelace Institute and the BBC.

    Each fellow, amounting to 17 in all, will partner with an organisation from the public, private, or third sector, to unite expertise for tackling existing, new, or emerging AI challenges.

    Partners from the technology sector include Adobe, Datamind Audio, Diverse AI, Mozilla Foundation, and Microsoft.

    Project partners from regulatory and public organisations include the Ada Lovelace Institute, The Alan Turing Institute, the BBC, the Institute for the Future of Work, and the Public Media Alliance.

    Elsewhere, fellows will be working with arts and cultural institutions including the Arts Council England, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Serpentine Galleries, and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.

    The collaborative projects will address questions, including examining approaches for the use of generative AI in the media, exploring the societal and ethical factors shaping the adoption of AI in a medical setting, developing a responsible AI innovation framework for the arts and culture sector, and more.

    BRAID co-director Professor Ewa Luger, chair in human-data interaction at Edinburgh College of Art, said: “The 17 fellowships offer opportunities for deeper relationships and joint impact, moving towards a genuine embedding of arts and humanities knowledge within how we think about, develop and deploy AI in practice and in the world.

    “It is our hope that with these connections, and working towards common challenges across sectors and diverse communities, we will take substantial strides towards a more responsible AI ecosystem.”

    BRAID, based at Edinburgh Futures Institute at the University of Edinburgh, aims to integrate arts and humanities research more fully into the responsible AI ecosystem, as well as bridging the divides between academic, industry, policy and regulatory work on responsible AI.

    The 17 fellowship recipients are:

    1. Professor Nick Bryan-Kinns, University of the Arts London – project partner, BBC R&D.
      Explainable Generative AI in the BBC: Developing explainable AI approaches for creative practice within the BBC and beyond.
    2. Professor Mercedes Bunz, King’s College London – project partner, Serpentine Galleries.
      AI art beyond the gallery: Exploring the capacity of cultural institutions to impact tech policy.
    3. Ms Clementine Collett, University of Cambridge – project partner, Institute for the Future of Work.
      Co-designing responsible technology and policy for the impact of generative AI on the writing and publishing of the novel.
    4. Dr Bahareh Heravi, University of Surrey – project partner, BBC R&D.
      Enhancing Responsible AI Literacy at BBC and beyond.
    5. Dr Federica Lucivero, University of Oxford – project partner, Ada Lovelace Institute.
      Anticipating Today: Co-creating techno-moral tools for responsible AI governance.
    6. Dr Caterina Moruzzi, The University of Edinburgh – project partner, Adobe.
      CREA-TEC: Cultivating Responsible Engagement with AI Technology to Empower Creatives.
    7. Dr Oonagh Murphy, Goldsmiths, University of London – project partner, Arts Council England.
      Developing a Responsible AI Innovation Framework for the subsidised arts and culture sector, with Arts Council England.
    8. Dr Martin Parker, University of Edinburgh – project partner, Datamind Audio.
      Machining Sonic Identities: Exploring the issue of digital sound identity, including how AI creates sound, and questions of provenance and ownership.
    9. Dr Kyrill Potapov, University College London – project partner, Microsoft Research.
      Human-Centred AI for the Equitable Smart Energy Grid.
    10. Dr Sanjay Sharma, University of Warwick – project partner, Diverse AI.
      Inclusive Futures: Radical Ethics and Transformative Justice for Responsible AI.
    11. Dr Anna-Maria Sichani, University of London – project partner, The Alan Turing Institute.
      Responsible data, models and workflows: Responsible AI digital skills provision for the cultural heritage community.
    12. Ms Caroline Sinders, University of the Arts London – project partner, Mozilla Foundation.
      Centering Creativity and Responsibility for AI Tools for Artists, Creatives and Makers.
    13. Dr Alex Taylor, University of Edinburgh – project partner, Microsoft Research.
      Muted registers: A feminist intersectional (re)figuring of red-teaming.
    14. Dr Pip Thornton, University of Edinburgh – project partner, Edinburgh International Book Festival.
      Writing the Wrongs of AI: LLMs, copyright and creativity in the age of Generative AI.
    15. Dr Beverley Townsend, University of York – project partner, Microsoft Research.
      Regulatory guidelines informing the societal and ethical factors shaping medical AI adoption.
    16. Dr Paula Westenberger, Brunel University London – project partner, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
      Responsible AI for Heritage: copyright and human rights perspectives.
    17. Dr Kate Wright, University of Edinburgh – project partner, Public Media Alliance.
      Responsible AI in International Public Service Media.

  42. Lawtech Firm Amiqus Fundraises £35K for Scottish Refugee Council

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    Edinburgh-based lawtech company Amiqus has announced a notable milestone in its ongoing partnership with the Scottish Refugee Council (SRC).

    The tech firm—creators of the eponymously-named onboarding and compliance platform—recently handed over £35k from its first wave of fundraising activities, as part of its commitment to raise £100k+ over three years for the SRC.

    “We’re now one year into our partnership with the Scottish Refugee Council, supporting the vital work they do across the country,” said Callum Murray, Amiqus’ founding CEO.

    “Their front-line support services provide help and direction for people as they move from a position of danger and desperation to a safe place they can settle, call home and rebuild their lives, integrated with local communities.

    “Working together with a shared purpose, we’re developing the means to make sure Amiqus enables access to legal help, financial services and pathways into employment for people who need it most.

    “Speaking on behalf of our board and everyone at Amiqus, we’re committed to playing our part for the long run and making an outsized impact on the SRC’s long-term objectives as we continue to sustainably scale Amiqus as one of the fastest-growing tech businesses in the UK.”

    The second year of the partnership has now begun, with the latest activity being the sponsorship of the SRC Spring Ceilidh in Glasgow in April, which raised over £9k.

    Next up is the Edinburgh Marathon Festival 2024 on the 25th May, where the Amiqus team will collectively be covering over 100 miles in support of the SRC.

    Amiqus invites individuals and organisations alike to contribute to their fundraiser for SRC’s work. Donations can be made via JustGiving.

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    Speaking on the collaboration and fundraising, Dr Sabir Zazai (OBE, FRSE), chief executive of the Scottish Refugee Council, said: “We are honoured to work in partnership with Amiqus who have passionately been supporting our work for over a year now.

    “Through supporting our Leadership programme with laptops, completing marathons, to sponsoring our fundraising events, Amiqus have been instrumental in helping us achieve our aims.

    “We have a great relationship with the team, and we are already looking forward to working with Amiqus on their future fundraising and their upcoming initiatives which will support people as they seek to make a new life for themselves in Scotland.”

  43. 59 Innovative Firms Receive King’s Awards for Enterprise

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    The 252 recipients of this year’s King’s Awards for Enterprise have been announced today.

    Previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, the awards have celebrated the achievements of UK businesses since the mid-1960s.

    The awards have four categories: International Trade, Sustainable Development, Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility), and most pertinent to the tech sector, Innovation.

    This year, 59 of the 252 awardees were recognised in the Innovation category, with winning businesses providing forward-thinking technological and scientific products and services.

    One recipient in particular is Halo Solutions, the Nottinghamshire-based producer of crowd safety and security software.

    The company was created by Lloyd Major, a former national counter-terrorism police officer, who wanted to improve emergency communications, safety, and security in venues and public spaces after the Manchester Arena bombing.

    Speaking on the award and the solution that’s been created, Major said: “Halo is in the business of protecting people.

    “Anywhere the public gather, from train stations to football stadiums, festivals to universities and everywhere in-between, it takes great communication and co-ordination of information and resources to keep them safe.”

    “Winning the King’s Award for Enterprise is a stunning recognition of the hard work we do in this space as a British tech company to bring innovative software to the operational environments that need it most.”

    In Scotland, five companies won Innovation awards: JST (Floating Points), Liquid Gas Equipment which is trading as Babcock LGE, Mike Stoane Lighting trading as Stoane Lighting, Sarco Stopper, and Vascutek, trading as Terumo Aortic.

    JST is a logistics company active in the port services sector, Babcock LGE is a company in liquefied gas solutions, and Terumo Aortic a medical device company.

    Stoane Lighting meanwhile manufactures and designs architectural lighting equipment, and Sarco Stopper manufactures onshore and offshore pipeline stopping solutions.

    Richard Jennings, JST’s managing director, commented on the win: “As a service business, receiving the King’s Award for Innovation is an absolute honour for the company and a huge testament to our employees, partners and customers.”

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    Speaking on the awards as a whole, Kevin Hollinrake, minister for enterprise, remarked: “I congratulate the recipients of this year’s King’s Awards for Enterprise, who exemplify the talent, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit of British business.

    “I wish them every success and commend the invaluable contributions they make to communities both at home and overseas, helping to grow the UK economy.”

  44. Aberdeen ROV Services Specialist Bought By US Company

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    Aberdeen-headquartered ROVOP, the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) services company, has been acquired by Edison Chouest Offshore, the US-based group in the marine transportation business, it’s been announced.

    As a provider of ROV services, the Scots firm supplies assets and personnel to the energy sector for subsea operations.

    The Scots company said that, with the deal, ROVOP will be able to leverage the capabilities and support of other Chouest companies, including C-Innovation, the integrated marine services company.

    The deal also means that Chouest will own and utilise six AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) and over 100 ROVs.

    Prior to the Chouest acquisition, the Scots firm was backed by Bluewater, the specialist global private equity firm.

    The acquisition by Chouest was made for an undisclosed sum.

    “This is a remarkable opportunity for growth, innovation and delivery of even greater value to our clients, bringing a significantly increased fleet of ROVs and an expanded knowledge that our customers will be able to tap into,” Neil Potter, ROVOP’s CEO, said.

    “Our specialist teams have helped drive our recent growth and we now look forward to integrating with the Chouest family and leveraging their global resources to enhance our capabilities and expand our reach.”

    “I would like to thank Bluewater for its support over the past seven years, and we’re now looking forward to this next chapter in the ROVOP story.”

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    Dino Chouest, of the Chouest family of companies, also said: “ROVOP has established a reputation for excellence in the ROV industry. This acquisition is a key part of our strategy to enhance our integrated subsea services.

    “We are excited to welcome ROVOP’s talented team into our family. Their expertise and capabilities are crucial as we expand our portfolio and continue to offer industry-leading solutions to our clients.”

  45. Bathgate Battery Producer Gets £25M From UK Infrastructure Bank

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    The £25m from the UK Infrastructure Bank—a government-owned policy bank helping to finance the country’s net zero transition—forms the cornerstone of a £56 million raise, with UKIB’s investment helping to accelerate the deployment of Invinity’s products onto the UK grid.

    Invinity creates “vanadium flow” batteries, cited as one of the most promising proven technologies for longer-duration battery storage, being both durable and easy to deploy at scale.

    Integrating longer-duration energy storage into the grid is a key aspect of the UK’s net zero transition, as the country adopts variable energy sources like wind and solar and as transport and heat networks are electrified.

    The Bank said that the investment will also support the expansion of Invinity’s footprint in Scotland, boosting manufacturing and opportunities for skilled jobs. The proposed opening of a new manufacturing site in Scotland in addition to its existing Bathgate facility is set to create up to 41 new jobs.

    Invinity’s fundraise is subject to the approval of the company’s shareholders at a general meeting to be held later this month.

    Speaking on the firm’s mission and the investment, Invinity CEO Larry Zulch commented: “We believe that long duration energy storage has an essential role to play in the global transition to a sustainable electricity system.

    “This investment provides Invinity with the opportunity to scale up to help meet the significant global demand for batteries with the characteristics that make our vanadium flow battery unique: high performance, long asset life, compelling total ownership economics, and no propensity to catch fire.

    “We are grateful for the support of the UK Infrastructure Bank as we demonstrate the viability of LDES in the UK with battery systems produced in the UK.”

    “We’re also grateful for the support of existing investors who enabled us to advance Mistral, our next-generation battery, to near completion, and for the support of new investors, such as Korea Investment Partners, who have embraced our vision of profitably meeting global demand for LDES.”

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    CEO of the UK Infrastructure Bank, John Flint, added: “Electricity storage technologies have a crucial role to play in balancing the energy system in response to volatility in supply and demand as the UK transitions to net zero.

    “However, the market of investors in more nascent longer-duration technologies like vanadium flow has developed more slowly than for lithium-ion batteries.

    “Our cornerstone investment has helped Invinity to mobilise the additional private investment needed to scale their manufacturing, supporting the development of a promising new longer-duration technology.”

  46. UK Tech Incorporations Hit Five-year High Last Quarter

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    The number of new technology companies incorporated in the UK reached a five-year high last quarter, despite global economic headwinds, new analysis has found.

    After looking at data from Companies House, audit, tax, and consulting firm RSM UK uncovered that UK tech incorporations increased by 11% to 13,802 in Q1 2024, up from 12,441 in Q1 2023.

    Further, last quarter’s numbers represent an increase of 4.4% on Q4 2023, which saw 13,218 tech companies registered across the UK.

    The region which had the largest statistical increase last quarter was the North East, with a 37% change. In Q1 2024, there were 236 tech incorporations, compared to Q1 2023’s number of 172.

    However, in terms of sheer numbers, London had the most registrations: 7,253 tech companies were incorporated in Q1 2024, while 6,278 were registered in Q1 2023, representing a 16% increase.

    Scotland was somewhat in the middle of the pack, with a 13% increase: 445 tech firms were incorporated in Q1 2024, and 393 in Q1 2023. However, the statistic of 13% is still two points ahead of the figure for the UK as a whole.

    Wales and the South West saw the largest statistical decreases in tech company registrations, at -28% and -9% respectively. Wales had 232 tech incorporations in Q1 2024, compared to Q1 2023’s figure of 323. The South West had 582 in Q1 2024, and 643 in Q1 2023.

    Speaking on the numbers for last quarter, Ben Bilsland, partner and head of technology industry at RSM UK, said: “2024 got off to a great start with the largest number of UK tech incorporations in five years. UK tech continues to go from strength to strength, despite ongoing macro-economic uncertainty in the UK and overseas.

    “A key factor is the strength in depth of the UK’s tech sector. Our advice to tech entrepreneurs is to engage with tech businesses around them to collaborate, innovate and grow together.”

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    “High rates of borrowing and uncertainty around inflation can have a detrimental impact on the risk appetite and patience of investors,” he continued. “As interest rates stabilise, inflation slows, and business confidence improves, this bodes well for further growth in the sector.

    “The development of innovative technologies requires a significant amount of investment and time, so an increase in both of these factors to enable the creation of new products will be hugely welcomed by UK tech companies looking to grow.”

  47. Persistent Data Breaches Are Failing People With HIV

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    UK information commissioner John Edwards has condemned data protection standards at health services for people living with HIV, calling for urgent improvements.

    The criticism follows a string of data breaches where a number of people living with the health condition have been made identifiable.

    “People living with HIV are being failed across the board when it comes to their privacy and urgent improvements are needed across the UK,” he said.

    “We have seen repeated basic failures to keep their personal information safe – mistakes that are clear and easy to avoid.”

    “We know from speaking to those living with HIV and experts in the sector that these data breaches shatter the trust in these services,” he added.

    “They also expose people to stigma and prejudice from wider society and deny them the basic dignity and privacy that we all expect when it comes to our health.”

    Advancements in treatment over the last few decades has meant that HIV in 2024 isn’t only a manageable condition, but people on effective treatment also can’t pass it on.

    However, the outdated stigma and prejudice surrounding it — which stems from the 80s — lives on.

    This means that data breaches that cause people living with HIV to be identifiable poses a risk of further discrimination and harassment, in addition to distrust in the services meant to support them.

    Edwards’ statement comes after the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) fined the Central Young Men’s Christian Association (the Central YMCA) of London £7,500 for a data breach from 2022.

    Emails that were intended for those on a HIV support programme were sent to 264 email addresses using the CC function rather than BCC, resulting in 166 people being identifiable or potentially identifiable.

    The fine, which has now been paid in full, was initially recommended to be £300,000. This was then reduced in line with the ICO’s public sector approach.

    The approach is designed to reduce how much public money is used to pay fines for organisations’ errors, lessening the impact on those directly in need of the public services.

    A formal reprimand has also been issued.

    The ICO has previously issued fines or reprimands for data breaches affecting people living with HIV to health board NHS Highland and charity HIV Scotland.

    Both of these data breaches were due to mistakes in using BCC emails for sensitive communications, which the ICO called on organisations to stop last year.

    The ICO is now further calling for better staff training, appropriate technical procedures, and prompt reporting from HIV services.

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    Adam Freedman, the policy, research, and influencing manager at the National AIDS Trust responded to Edwards’ full statement, saying: “We are very supportive of today’s statement by the ICO.

    “Strong regulatory action is needed when organisations breach protection of HIV status data, which unfortunately continues to carry with it more harmful stigma than other types of personal data.

    “People living with HIV need the confidence to know that they have recourse when their data rights are breached, and to prevent risk of further discrimination and harassment.

    “Someone’s HIV status is personal data and it should be a person’s choice to decide whether or not they share that information.

    “We are pleased to see the ICO recognising the detrimental impact such data breaches can have on people living with HIV, and welcome this much needed intervention.”

  48. Ofcom Looks to Improve UK Media Literacy With New 3-Year Plan

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    Ofcom, the UK’s broadcast media and online safety regulator, has set out its provisional three-year plan to promote and improve media literacy.

    With its new duties to protect and empower internet users under the Online Safety Act–which became law at the end of last year–Ofcom will be “acting as convener and catalyst – bringing together expert organisations and setting the agenda for change.”

    This includes the regulator having a deeper understanding of which media literacy measures work, collaborating more with organisations delivering media literacy programmes, expanding its research evidence base, and encouraging online platforms “to go further” with building user media analysis skills.

    However, while it insists that media literacy is ultimately a collective effort, Ofcom has also stated that “online platforms in particular must do more,” and it aims to use its influence to prompt platforms to make changes to their products and services based on user expectations. In particular, the regulator will look at prominent issues such as misinformation and harmful content on online platforms.

    The provisional plan has been shared just days after the regulator published new findings on how adults across the UK are navigating the digital world. The study found that only around a quarter (27%) felt confident in spotting AI content online, highlighting the challenges of identifying what’s been artificially created and what hasn’t. Among the other findings, the study also discovered that nearly half (45%) had seen an intentionally untrue or misleading story on social media in the last year.

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    Ofcom is currently consulting on the new strategy, inviting responses to come in by 24 June 2024. It will also host a virtual event as well as in-person events in the major cities of Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, and London, before a final strategy is published in autumn this year.

    “We are constantly surrounded by media, news and entertainment, so the ability to navigate and evaluate content critically is becoming increasingly essential to our daily lives,” said Yih-Choung Teh, Ofcom’s strategy and research group director. “We all have a role to play in making sure that adults and children across the UK can navigate content safely and flourish online.”

  49. Glasgow Medtech Nebu-Flow Secures £4.7M in Additional Funding

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    Nebu-Flow, the Glasgow-based medical device firm, has secured an additional £4.7 million of investment to help accelerate the next generation of inhaled drugs for patients with respiratory conditions.

    The company’s nebuliser platform for respiratory drug delivery has been developed to provide a number of advantages over existing technologies, with the global market valued at over $1 billion (£798m~).

    The funding round was led by SCVC, a UK-based venture capital firm investing in early-stage deep tech spinouts, and was supported by Scottish Enterprise, Foresight WAE Technology, SIS Ventures, Ascension, and Conduit EIS Impact Fund.

    Speaking on the firm’s technology and what the new investment means, Dr Elijah Nazarzadeh, CEO and co-founder of Nebu-Flow, said: “Our mission is to revolutionise respiratory drug delivery. The investment accelerates our development activities to position the company for inhalation delivery of RNA-based formulations. We now look forward to the final product development and commercialisation stages, with the support of SCVC and our other investors.”

    “Essentially, our technology provides new opportunities for targeted drug delivery to the lungs as well as drug delivery to the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. We are engaged with a number of partners in the UK and North America who are currently trialling the product as we prepare for the regulatory approval stage.”

    Kerry Sharp, director of entrepreneurship and investment at Scottish Enterprise, also commented: “Scottish Enterprise has supported Nebu-Flow’s ambition to revolutionise respiratory drug delivery over a number of years, from inclusion in our Unlocking Ambition entrepreneurship programme and feasibility grant support, all the way through to this investment, which has in turn helped unlock access to other large grant awards for the company.”

    “It has been fantastic to follow their journey from university spinout right through to securing the investment needed to commercialise their technology, hopefully bringing benefits to respiratory patients around the world.”

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    A former spinout, Nebu-Flow’s team has strong knowledge of inhalation drug delivery, with the company’s chair Dr John Pritchard having over 25 years’ experience in the field and previously working in senior roles for GSK, AstraZeneca, 3M, and Philips.

    Further, Dr Gary Pitcairn, formerly head of project leadership (respiratory) at AstraZeneca, joined Nebu-Flow advisory’s board last year. The company is also set to expand its team in 2024.

    The last time DIGIT reported on Nebu-Flow was at the tailend of last year, when it won the Business Start-up Award from the Institute of Physics.

  50. Scots Firms in Financial Distress Increases Year-on-Year

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    Businesses in Scotland saw a rise in both advanced and early signs of financial distress in the first quarter of 2024 compared with the same period last year.

    The latest data from business rescue and recovery specialist Begbies Traynor, whose Red Flag Alert has measured and reported corporate financial distress for two decades, found that there was a 22.6% increase in more advanced or “critical” distress among Scottish businesses in Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2023.

    This type of severe distress affected over 2,060 businesses in Scotland.

    The level was also greater than the UK-wide figure which saw a 20.1% rise in critical distress since Q1 2023, representing over 40,170 businesses.

    In the first quarter of 2024, while Scotland saw an 8% fall in critical distress since the previous quarter, this was lower than the drop of 15.4% across the UK as a whole.

    Looking at “significant” or early-stage financial distress, 35.9% more businesses in Scotland experienced an increase compared to Q1 2023, impacting almost 28,000 Scots firms in 2024’s first three months.

    This type of distress—which refers to businesses showing deterioration in key financial ratios and indicators—also saw a rise of 7.1% in Scotland since the previous quarter.

    These figures are above the national average, with a 2.7% increase in UK-wide levels of significant distress quarter-on-quarter, and a 30.8% uplift in incidences of businesses across the UK seeing a year-on-year increase in early distress, representing more than 554,550 businesses.

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    Speaking on the new data, which has come about amid sticky UK inflation and the fading prospect of interest rate cuts, Ken Pattullo, managing partner for Begbies Traynor in Scotland, said: “It is no surprise that businesses in Scotland and across the UK are continuing to struggle in the face of such a tough economic climate.

    “Unfortunately, inflation is slowing less than expected and with ongoing global unrest, the picture is far from certain.

    “In Scotland, it’s evident that both business-to-business and consumer-facing sectors are suffering as many people continue to struggle from the pressure of rising prices and are yet to feel that the UK economy is on the road to recovery.

    “We urge businesses to keep a close eye on their financial situation and seek professional advice as soon as any problems become evident in order to prevent them from escalating further.”

  51. What Are the Top Data and Analytics Trends for 2024?

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    Gartner, the technological research and consulting giant, has identified the top data and analytics (D&A) trends for 2024 that firms must navigate and incorporate—with artificial intelligence, unsurprisingly, featuring heavily.

    “The power of AI, and the increasing importance of GenAI are changing the way people work, teams collaborate, and processes operate,” said Ramke Ramakrishnan, VP analyst at Gartner.

    “Amidst this technological revolution, organisations that fail to make the transition and effectively leverage D&A, in general, and AI, in particular, will not be successful.”

    This year, the top trends include having a “bet-the-business” skill set on AI, effectively managing complexity, having trust both within organisations and in data, and empowering workforces to use AI in D&A.

    1. D&A 2024 Trend #1: Betting the Business

    As AI continues to revolutionise industries on a strategic level, the research firm advocated for D&A leaders to demonstrate a “bet-the-business” skill set on AI, and earn trust to lead the AI strategy within the enterprise.

    On this, Ramakrishnan said: “D&A leaders must demonstrate their value to the organisation by linking the capabilities they are developing and the work they do to achieve the business outcomes required by the organisation.”

    “If this is not done, issues such as misallocation of resources and underutilised investments will continue to escalate, and D&A will not be entrusted with leading the AI strategy within the organisation.”

    With AI changing the way businesses are run, enterprises are heading towards a cost avalanche, the firm said. In light of this, it’s suggested that D&A leaders should act by implementing a FinOps practice to establish and enforce standards and decrease expenses.

    Gartner predicts that, by 2026, chief data and analytics officers (CDAOs) that become trusted advisors to, and partners with, the CFO in delivering business value will have elevated D&A to a strategic growth driver for the organisation.

    2. D&A 2024 Trend #2: Managed Complexity

    Many D&A systems are delicate, and their redundancies can cause chaos and added costs, the firm highlighted. The second notable D&A trend, then, concerns pivoting from chaos to a state of managed complexity.

    “Leading organisations are working to turn this chaos into something they can manage — complexity,” Ramakrishnan noted. “Complexity is, by definition, not an easy place to be, but acknowledging it gives a realistic understanding of the dynamic environment and helps the D&A teams in taking appropriate actions.”

    D&A leaders should embrace complexity by using AI-enabled tools to automate and improve productivity, recommends Gartner. This includes investing in augmented data management, decision automation, and analytics capabilities like natural language processing.

    Gartner predicts that CDAOs will have adopted data fabric as a driving factor in successfully addressing data management complexity, thereby enabling them to focus on value-adding digital business priorities by 2025.

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    3. D&A 2024 Trend #3: Be Trusted

    With the increasing accessibility and efficiency of GenAI, there’s a challenge in navigating a world where data reliability is constantly questioned, the research firm stipulated, with a lack of trust within organisations, concerns about the value and quality of data, and regulations around AI leading to a “deluge of distrust.”

    On this, and how D&A leaders and teams can respond, Ramakrishnan stated: “If data is not trusted, it may not be used correctly to make decisions,” and that “D&A leaders should use decision intelligence practices to build trust in data and monitor decision-making processes and outcomes.

    “Additionally, implementing effective AI governance and responsible AI practices is crucial in establishing trust among stakeholders. It includes making data AI-ready which means it is ethically governed, secure and free from bias and is enriched to ensure more accurate responses.”

    4. D&A 2024 Trend #4: Empowered Workforce

    “It is important that employees feel empowered through the use of AI in D&A, rather than causing them to feel threatened or frustrated by it,” said Ramakrishnan, concerning the fourth prominent data and analytics trend for this year.

    To tackle this, the research firm advocates organisations to invest in developing AI literacy among employees, use adaptive governance practices for effective governance, and implement a trust-based approach to managing information assets.

    “AI training is not just about quantity; it also requires a different approach. Recognise that the skill sets required for expert AI users will be very different from other users,” noted Ramakrishnan.

    “Gartner predicts, by 2027, more than half of CDAOs will secure funding for data literacy and AI literacy programmes, fuelled by enterprise failure to realise expected value from generative AI,” he added.

  52. This Scots Tech Entrepreneur Has a Superpower—Her Neurodivergence

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    For Angela Prentner-Smith, the founder of This is Milk, the people-focused business and digital transformation company, neurodivergence is a superpower. In fact, it’s being neurodivergent that compelled her to forgo a stifling corporate world and, instead, carve out a more meaningful and impactful path as a progressive tech entrepreneur.

    “With everything I’ve done, I don’t believe I would’ve done it if I wasn’t neurodivergent, and didn’t have that propensity to take risks; the deep drive for passion and justice; the obsession with things—it all comes from being neurodivergent,” she explained. But, as a neurodivergent female founder in the Scottish business and tech sphere, it also hasn’t been plain sailing.

    To learn more about the highs and lows of Prentner-Smith’s journey thus far, and also hear about where she’s at with her latest business, Neve Learning—an inclusive digital learning platform that she began creating during maternity leave—we sat down with the passionate, forward-thinking entrepreneur.

    Here’s what she told us. (And if you ever needed more evidence that neurodivergence can be a superpower, this is it.)

    Difference, Difficulties, and Dyspraxia

    As is the case for most neurodivergent folks, school—which she attended in the 80s and 90s—was something of an ordeal for Prentner-Smith. “I never, ever felt like I fit in—and it was very difficult for me,” she recounted. “I was the youngest, I was the smallest in the class, and I was unknown dyspraxic.”

    While dyspraxia can manifest itself differently in people—and also morph and shift over time—it can commonly affect how you think and remember information, how you learn new skills, and your physical co-ordination. Further, it can impact how you function in social situations, how you deal with your emotions, and how you tackle day-to-day activities such as preparing meals and cleaning, meaning there’s a significant overlap with autism and ADHD.

    On top of not being able to concentrate and falling asleep often at school, the social aspect was a particular hurdle. “I really struggled with social skills—I never felt like I got the other kids’ jokes, and I didn’t know how to make friends. They even thought I was mute,” she explained. However, at the same time, Prentner-Smith was also showing incredible capabilities, not least with reading and learning. “I was obsessed with words and letters, and I now know that’s called hyperlexic; so I could read before I went to school at four years old.”

    Although inherently knowing and feeling she was somehow different, it wasn’t until her 20s—(“I didn’t actually learn social skills until my 20s,” she also divulged)—that Prentner-Smith was formally diagnosed with dyspraxia. “I was referred to an educational psychologist while studying for a Master’s degree, and she took me through the assessment for dyslexia and dyspraxia, which is the same test. Before I even finished, she said, ‘Well, you’re definitely not dyslexic, but you are dyspraxic.’”

    There’s a feeling of consolation and reassurance that can come with being able to point to why, exactly, you operate differently to many others—and this is something Prentner-Smith attests to. “When you get a late identification of any kind of neurodivergence, it’s a relief in a sense because there’s a reason for all of the struggles that you’ve had all of your life. It’s not just that you’re lazy, that you’re stupid, or anything else. There’s a reason for it,” Prentner-Smith described. “But at the same time, it changes nothing. You are who you are, and your brain is your brain.”

    Being neurodivergent, and specifically dyspraxic, means Prentner-Smith has more of a spikier profile in terms of cognitive abilities. “I’ve got some really high highs and some really low lows,” she explained. “When I got my dyspraxia assessment, in which they take you through a scale—that’s how they identify if you have these particular neurodivergences; you’ve got spikes on your profile—I was up in 99th percentile for verbal reasoning, but my processing speed was in the ninth.”

    Commenting on being neurodivergent, and how she perceives the upsides and downsides it can bring, she remarked: “An ex-colleague of mine used the phrase ‘superhero with a limp.’ That’s how I see it; we can do super things, but we do have these genuine hardships that go along with that as well.”

    Ultimately, though, it was her neurodivergence that prompted Prentner-Smith to become a founder in the first place—which, as is widely known, no small feat.

    Marching to the Beat of Her Own Drum

    Listening to Prentner-Smith, it quickly became apparent that marching to the beat of her own drum, professionally speaking, was always an inevitability. “There are elements of how you have to assimilate in a workplace that I wouldn’t have been able to tolerate for the rest of my life,” she candidly noted. Specifically, the employee hierarchies involved and having to firmly stay in your prescribed lane, as well as the pencil-pushing (and by virtue, boredom) that occurs in a lot of modern work were both significant issues.

    Regarding the former, Prentner-Smith—a neurodivergent woman—was often perceived as a troublemaker or “difficult” while working in the corporate world, simply for trying to put her head above the parapet, help fix knotty problems, and speak up with solutions.

    “What I kept finding was, I’m intelligent; I can call out what’s going wrong; I can solve complex problems; but there are very few workplaces that actually like a woman doing that,” she explained. “I don’t understand hierarchies—I just want to do the right thing. I remember leaving the last proper job that I did and getting feedback afterwards that was, ‘She has some good ideas, but she didn’t get on with people.’ I was like, ‘No, you’re misunderstanding, because the people you think I didn’t get on with I was out drinking with the night before. I’m just saying what needs to be done here; I’m calling out the problems and you don’t want to see it because it doesn’t fit your narrative, and it doesn’t fit this hierarchy.’”

    What also helped lead Prentner-Smith into entrepreneurialism was her readiness to take risks, a trait that can stem from different neurodiversities. “The risk-taking that you need as an entrepreneur doesn’t come naturally to most people. When I said I was going to start this business, a lot of people looked at me like I had two heads. Even my own mother, who has always been self-employed, was like, ‘Angela, why are you doing that?’ So that propensity for risk helps.”

    The risk consequently paid off, with the result being Glasgow-headquartered company This is Milk. Since its inception in 2015, This is Milk has become a known name in the city—and in broader Scotland—for its holistic approach to business and digital transformation, not least due to its particular emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion; key areas of focus for any business wanting to be the best it can be.

    In her work as the consultancy’s managing director, Prentner-Smith has helped the firm (which currently employs around 12 people) to grow, succeed, and subsequently achieve external accolades such as being nominated as Digital Business of the Year by the Scottish Women’s Awards. Meanwhile, Prentner-Smith herself has received honours such as Entrepreneur of the Year at the Glasgow Business Awards, and was even named as one of the top ten female entrepreneurs in Scotland by Business Women Scotland last year.

    However, just as there were difficulties in the corporate world as an employee, Prentner-Smith has also come up against issues in entrepreneurialism—again, simply for being who she is. One of these hurdles occurs when selling her consultancy’s transformation services to potential clients. “It’s probably a female thing and a neurodivergent thing, but I’m not what people expect to be buying from, and people like to buy from people who are like them,” she explained. “Although I get a lot of admiration and respect from people for my intelligence, for what I’ve done, and for what I can do, that sales bit? It’s still a struggle.”

    There’s also the fact that the social aspect of being a founder and entrepreneur, which is nothing short of a constant requirement, takes its toll on Prentner-Smith far more than others. “I find things like conferences, networking—stuff like that—just absolutely, utterly exhausting. I force myself to do them; they’re really, really hard on me.”

    Despite difficulties such as these, Prentner-Smith hasn’t been dissuaded from her path. In fact, in 2020, she began building her second tech-related business venture: Neve Learning.

    A Digital Learning Platform—For Everyone

    The origin story for Neve Learning is, perhaps not unexpectedly, atypical. “It was during COVID, in July, and I was on maternity leave with my second child, who was about two weeks old at the time. A CivTech challenge had just come out, and everybody sent me a link to it, and I kept saying, ‘I’ve just had a baby, I don’t want to start a tech business!’ But it was Al, who was my right-hand man at work, who convinced me that we should try it.’”

    For those who don’t know, CivTech is an intensive accelerator programme in Scotland, helping to plug public sector problems through the creation of specifically-built and innovative tech tools. The CivTech challenges themselves are derived from thematic frameworks, so they are constantly changing. The one Prentner-Smith’s network forwarded to her was around reinventing workplace learning—something which the pandemic inadvertently impacted.

    “Workplace learning basically went from being delivered face-to-face, to Zoom or Teams all day—which sucks, right? So, there were four of us from This is Milk on a remote call, me with a baby in one hand, and we came up with the idea for it. We pitched it, got through to the next round, and then the next round; we kept on winning. So I came off maternity leave after six weeks, and joined the CivTech accelerator with my baby in tow.”

    After some extensive user research as part of the programme, as well as digging into the science underpinning the different ways in which people learn, Neve Learning was centred around three core principles: being hybrid, inclusive, and personalised. This means that, when used, employees can learn about the skills and knowledge they need to do their jobs well through a combination of in-person and online training thanks to the platform, via the different delivery methods that best resonate with them, and in a wholly accessible way.

    The digital platform is being officially launched, in a commercial state, next month. Alongside this, the platform is being rolled out to the leadership community of the Scottish Digital Academy—the centre of excellence for digital capability across public and third sectors—resulting in around 300 senior civil servants having access to its courses.

    Though it’s still relatively early stages for Neve Learning (on the immediate-term to-do list is to clinch more early adopters, and raise financial investment) what the future could hold for the platform is exciting, especially considering that Prentner-Smith is at its helm.

    Ensuring the Success of Neurodivergent Scots Founders

    Prentner-Smith’s story serves as a strong reminder of the undeniable need for neurodivergent people in our workplaces, whether they’re employees or the founders of the businesses themselves.

    But while there have been more conversations on how workplaces can better meet the needs of their neurodiverse employees in recent years, less has been discussed about ensuring the success of neurodiverse entrepreneurs. And Prentner-Smith had some insightful thoughts on how Scotland, at least, could better support the next generation of them.

    One aspect that can be improved is the delivery of in-person support for founders. For instance, at the induction of another accelerator programme recently, she noticed that “the slides were blurry,” meaning important information wasn’t as visually accessible. What’s more, “they were putting people into breakout rooms, and if you’re autistic, that’s really challenging.” Prentner-Smith advocated that although elements like these will be fine for the majority of people, adjusting them to be truly inclusive means everybody wins.

    Further, applying for help—whether it’s to get a financial grant, or tapping into expert knowledge—from the public sector support networks available in Scotland is made needlessly difficult due to the bureaucracy. “You’re asking somebody who’s bored all the time, who has no patience, is potentially dyslexic, to work through complex forms that don’t make sense and have to be done in a certain way… all of that is a hurdle. It’s really bad for everybody, but even worse if you’ve got particular neurodivergences.” Simplifying and streamlining these processes would, again, be a net positive for everyone.

    By improving aspects such as these—which are but a few examples, rather than an exhaustive list—it’s helping to ensure that there’s a constantly supportive pipeline in Scotland for neurodiverse entrepreneurs: the “superheroes with a limp” who break the mould, challenge the status quo, and push boundaries. And who wouldn’t want that?

  53. AI Key for National Security, Says New Turing Institute Report

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    According to a new report from The Alan Turing Institute, the UK’s national institute for artificial intelligence and data science, AI must be seen as a valuable tool to support national security decision-making in government and intelligence organisations.

    Published today (24 April 2024), the report’s findings highlight the potential for AI to make significant improvements in intelligence analysis, by supporting analysts to process data more quickly and accurately.

    The report’s authors stated that not utilising the technology would be a missed opportunity, and could undermine the value of intelligence assessments. AI can be used to handle the administrative tasks of data processing, and identify patterns, trends, and anomalies beyond human capability.

    However, the report also finds that the use of AI has the potential to exacerbate dimensions of uncertainty inherent in intelligence analysis and assessment, meaning additional guidance for users of AI in security decision-making is necessary. It also suggests that there’s continuous monitoring and evaluation involving both human judgement and AI recommendations to help counteract biases.

    Further, it recommends the upskilling of intelligence analysts as well as strategic national security decision-makers, including director generals, permanent secretaries and ministers, and their staff, to build trust in the technology.

    Commissioned by the Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) and the Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO), the Institute’s report follows action already taken by the UK government for the adoption of AI tools across the public sector.

    Responding to the report and its findings, deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden said: “We are already taking decisive action to ensure we harness AI safely and effectively, including hosting the inaugural AI Safety Summit and the recent signing of our AI Compact at the Summit for Democracy in South Korea.

    “We will carefully consider the findings of this report to inform national security decision-makers to make the best use of AI in their work protecting the country.”

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    Dr Alexander Babuta, the director of The Alan Turing Institute’s Centre for Emerging Technology and Security, which authored the report, commented: “Our research has found that AI is a critical tool for the intelligence analysis and assessment community.

    “But it also introduces new dimensions of uncertainty, which must be effectively communicated to those making high-stakes decisions based on AI-enriched insights.

    “As the national institute for AI, we will continue to support the UK intelligence community with independent, evidence-based research, to maximise the many opportunities that AI offers to help keep the country safe.”

    Director GCHQ Anne Keast-Butler further added: “AI is not new to GCHQ or the intelligence assessment community, but the accelerating pace of change is.

    “In an increasingly contested and volatile world, we need to continue to exploit AI to identify threats and emerging risks, alongside our important contribution to ensuring AI safety and security.”

  54. Will More Than One in Five Cars Sold This Year Be Electric?

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    According to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), more than one in five cars sold globally this year are expected to be electric, with demand for electric cars continuing to accelerate over the next decade.

    The IEA’s latest annual report, the Global EV Outlook, noted that global electric car sales are set to reach around 17 million by the year’s end. In the first quarter of 2024, sales rose by approximately 25% when compared to Q1 2023—with last year’s electric car sales growing by 35% to nearly 14 million.

    Despite the continued rise that’s projected, different global markets are set to have varying levels of uptake in 2024. For instance, sales in China are forecasted to jump by 10 million, equating to around 45% of all the country’s car sales. Meanwhile, in Europe, electric cars are expected to represent about one in four cars sold. In the US, it’s estimated that one in nine cars sold will be electric.

    “The continued momentum behind electric cars is clear in our data, although it is stronger in some markets than others,” said IEA executive director, Fatih Birol. “Rather than tapering off, the global EV revolution appears to be gearing up for a new phase of growth.”

    Speaking on the new phase of growth, Birol explained: “The wave of investment in battery manufacturing suggests the EV supply chain is advancing to meet automakers’ ambitious plans for expansion. As a result, the share of EVs on the roads is expected to continue to climb rapidly.”

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    For sustained growth, the report outlined that public charging infrastructure keeping pace with electric vehicle sales is key. While the number of public charging points added across the world grew 40% in 2023 compared to 2022, the IEA stated that charging networks need to grow sixfold by 2035 to achieve a level of EV deployment in line with pledges made by governments.

    The newly-published report also highlighted that the speed of the transition to electric vehicles hinges on affordability. Though, intensifying market competition and improvements to battery technologies are expected to reduce prices further.

  55. UK Gov Shores Up AI Boats With New £8M Fund

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    The UK government has launched its new Smart Shipping Acceleration Fund today—an £8 million programme aiming to put the UK at the forefront of cutting-edge maritime technology.

    Maritime minister Lord Davies is in Southampton to announce the fund, which will help kickstart feasibility studies to develop smart shipping tech such as autonomous vessels.

    Proposals for automated port systems to help them detect safety hazards, optimise activities, and reduce environmental footprint are also eligible to receive the financial support.

    The fresh batch of funding comes from the wider £206 million UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme, which was announced in March 2022.

    “Using AI and cutting-edge technology to make boats smarter and transform port operations is part of our plan to decarbonise shipping, enhance safety for our seafarers and help grow the economy,” commented the minister.

    “AI has the potential to revolutionise the sector, create jobs and support the economy.”

    Lord Davies is making the announcement while visiting Ocean Infinity, a company creating robotic technology to help transform operations at sea.

    The company won funding from DfT’s UK SHORE programme to undergo forward-thinking projects in maritime decarbonisation including, most recently, a share of £4.4m from the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure competition (ZEVI) to develop future propulsion systems.

    Winning projects of the Smart Shipping Acceleration Fund will also require match funding, leveraging further investment from the private sector.

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    Commenting on the fund, Peter Aylott, director of policy at the UK Chamber of Shipping, said: “Artificial intelligence will deliver real change in shipping with an important role, alongside the sector’s workforce, in greater use of autonomous vessels, automation and data analysis.

    “These technologies will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve supply chains and generate jobs.

    “Today’s funding is an important step in driving UK cutting-edge technology and moving projects from the drawing board to reality.”

    Chris Shirling-Rooke, chief executive at Maritime UK, also added: “We are a proud island nation with a long and exceptional maritime history.

    “This new fund will allow the fostering of innovation and embracing of cutting-edge technologies, so we can ensure the UK maintains its position as one of the global centres for green maritime technology.

    “This support will enable our top innovators and entrepreneurs to not only drive substantial economic gains but also respond dynamically to the major challenges and opportunities within the UK’s most important sector.”

  56. New “SDG5 Living Lab” Launched For Scots Women in Business

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    A new lab to support more Scots women into business has been unveiled by Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) and Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES).

    Dubbed the SDG5 Living Lab, it will offer tailored training, resources, and networking opportunities for women looking to found a business or further their careers.

    In addition to drawing on the university’s research expertise, it will be supported by the ENU entrepreneur in residence and WES chair Lynne Cadenhead, who made her name as a serial entrepreneur, tech sector leader, and investor.

    The initiative is designed to advance the fifth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG5) set out by the United Nations in 2015, which is gender equality.

    SDG5 includes targets to end all forms of discrimination against women, and ensure women have equal rights to economic resources and leadership.

    The Scottish government-commissioned Pathways: A New Approach to Women in Entrepreneurship report, which was published last year, found that just 1 in 5 of Scotland’s entrepreneurs are women.

    Delivered by the ENU’s enterprise hub, Bright Red Triangle, the sessions will be held later this month. The initial course aims to develop participants’ skills around business creation and leadership.

    On the Lab and her involvement, Cadenhead said: “As an Edinburgh Napier graduate, and now a Royal Society entrepreneur in residence, I’m thrilled to bridge academia and industry, fostering a culture of innovation that empowers women in business.

    “The power of education and entrepreneurship will be pivotal in reshaping the narrative for gender equality.

    “The SDG5 Living Lab embodies our commitment to driving tangible change for women, by combining research and innovation.

    “The training delivered by Women’s Enterprise Scotland is informed by over a decade of research, which means that recipients benefit from world class expertise in the field of women’s entrepreneurship.”

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    Nick Fannin, head of enterprise at Bright Red Triangle, ENU’s enterprise hub, added: “The establishment of the SDG5 Living Lab marks a significant milestone in our commitment to gender equality and societal impact.

    “This collaboration allows us to harness the collective expertise of Edinburgh Napier University and Women’s Enterprise Scotland to drive meaningful change.

    “Our vision is to cultivate an environment conducive to entrepreneurial success among women, nurturing the next generation of women leaders and innovators.”

  57. Laser Weapons to Be Installed on Royal Navy Warships From 2027

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    An energy laser weapon that was recently trialled in the Hebrides will be installed on Royal Navy warships for the first time from 2027.

    Able to fire at any target visible in the air, and with an accuracy equivalent to hitting a pound coin from a kilometre away, the “DragonFire” laser energy weapon uses an intense beam of light to engage targets like drones.

    The weapon is the result of a £100 million joint investment by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), and industry partners, and was tested against aerial targets in the Hebrides at the beginning of the year.

    It was originally expected that DragonFire would be rolled out to UK armed forces in 2032. However, due to a raft of reforms for defence procurement that came into effect this week, the weapon will now be operational around five years earlier than planned.

    The UK government said that a “key” part of these new forms is “delivering a minimum deployable capability quickly to personnel and finalising development once in-service,” and will “ensure more consistent delivery for the UK’s Armed Forces.”

    Speaking on both the reforms and DragonFire, defence secretary Grant Shapps commented: “In a more dangerous world, our approach to procurement is shifting with it. We need to be more urgent, more critical and more global.

    “Our widespread reforms will deliver the latest kit and weaponry for our Armed Forces faster and help identify export opportunities that can boost the UK economy.

    “DragonFire shows the best of the UK at the forefront of military technology, and we will not delay in getting it in the hands of our military to face down the threats we’re facing.”

    According to the government, DragonFire has the potential to be a long-term, lower-cost alternative to certain tasks that missiles currently carry out, with the cost of operating the laser typically around £10 per shot.

    Prior to DragonFire’s testing in the Hebrides, trials of its viability and performance took place in Porton Down, England.

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    Paul Hollinshead, the chief executive of Dstl, also remarked on DragonFire and the new reforms: “This is excellent news, and a real step forward in enabling operational advantage at pace for UK Defence.

    “Dstl is all about preparing for the future and the DragonFire technology is a great example of that.

    “Our scientists along with industry partners have worked tirelessly to bring laser technology to where it is today, one which I am proud to say is a UK sovereign capability.”

  58. UK and South Korea Prepare for Next Global AI Safety Summit

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    The UK and South Korea are preparing for the next global AI safety summit in Seoul next month, following on from the Bletchley Park summit in Buckinghamshire last year.

    The AI Seoul Summit is set to take place on 21 and 22 May 2024, with participation from international governments, AI companies, academia, and civil society.

    Discussions will take place on AI safety, addressing the capabilities of advanced AI models, and building on the Bletchley Declaration and wider agreements for tackling AI risks, the UK government announced.

    The government also said there will be talks on how the technology can be made more inclusive, helping to ensure the benefits of AI are shared equally, and how attendees can further advance AI innovation.

    Day one of the AI Seoul Summit is going to see a virtual leaders’ session co-chaired by prime minister Rishi Sunak and Republic of Korea president Yoon Suk Yeol. A “select” number of global industry leaders are set to be invited, to update on how they’re fulfilling the commitments made at Bletchley Park to ensure their models’ safety.

    This will come ahead of an in-person meeting of digital ministers on the second day, which will be co-hosted by UK technology secretary Michelle Donelan, and South Korean minister of science and ICT, Lee Jong-Ho.

    Speaking on the Bletchley Park summit and next month’s event in Seoul, Donelan said: “The summit we held at Bletchley Park in November was a generational moment. We agreed the historic Bletchley Declaration and have ensured discussions around AI safely are firmly on the international agenda.

    “If we continue to bring international governments and a broad range of voices together, I have every confidence that we can continue to develop a global approach which will allow us to realise the transformative potential of this generation-defining technology safely and responsibly.

    “I am looking forward to building on the ‘Bletchley effect’ with this next round of talks in the Republic of Korea, who are perfectly placed with their rich history of technological innovation to advance the global conversation on AI safety.”

    Minister Lee Jong-Ho further commented: “The AI Safety Summit held in Bletchley, UK last year marked a milestone in which the government, industry and academia coming together to address the potential risks of AI, and I am pleased that the Republic of Korea takes the baton from the UK.

    “AI is advancing at an unprecedented pace that exceeds our expectations, and it is crucial to establish global norms and governance to harness such technological innovations to enhance the welfare of humanity.

    “We hope that the AI Seoul Summit will serve as an opportunity to strengthen global cooperation on not only AI safety but also AI innovation and inclusion, and promote sustainable AI development.”

    Recommended reading

    The AI Seoul Summit will be accompanied by the release of the first iteration of the International Scientific Report on Advanced AI Safety—a commitment from the Bletchley Park summit which is being led by Turing Prize winner Yoshua Bengio, bringing together global scientific research on AI safety.

    The international expert review panel for the report includes representatives from the UK, the Republic of Korea, and other countries.

    The UK government said that it will continue to work closely with international governments, AI companies, and civil society to ensure people from across the globe can “safely realise the transformative benefits of AI to unlock new opportunities, transform productivity and public services, and power economic growth.”

  59. Instagram Testing New Tools to Combat Sextortion

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    Social media platform Instagram is to test a suite of features to help protect people from sextortion, a form of blackmail where someone threatens to share somebody else’s intimate images if they don’t pay up or provide confidential information.

    The Meta-owned platform said that, as part of the new tools, it’ll soon start trialling a new “nudity protection feature” in direct messages, automatically blurring images that its machine learning detects as containing nudity.

    The feature will also prompt users to “think twice before sending nude images” in response, remind them that photos can be unsent, and provide an option to block and report the user.

    Nudity protection is set to be turned on by default for those under 18, and an opt-in feature for adults.

    The social media platform said that it’s also developing technology for identifying accounts that may potentially be engaging in sextortion scams, looking at a range of common signifiers related to sextortion behaviour.

    It’s also making it more difficult for possible sextortion accounts to interact with people, with message requests from potential sextortion accounts now being sent to the “hidden requests” folder.

    Users under 18 also won’t have a “message” button on their profile when viewed by potential sextortion accounts, and the platform is testing hiding teens from being seen by potential sextortion accounts in follower, following, and like lists, as well as the Search function.

    Further, it’s trialling new pop-up messages for users who may have had contact with an account which has been removed for sextortion, directing them to different resources and support helplines.

    These features being tested, as well as others, build on Instagram’s ongoing work to help disrupt the crime.

    Recommended reading

    “Financial sextortion is a horrific crime,” said Instagram in its announcement post. “We’ve spent years working closely with experts, including those experienced in fighting these crimes, to understand the tactics scammers use to find and extort victims online, so we can develop effective ways to help stop them.”

    The internet-propelled crime has been linked to many suicides by victims of sextortion, not least under 18s.

  60. UK Aviation Leaders Celebrate 10 Years of the Aerospace Tech Institute

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    Aviation leaders and UK ministers are today celebrating ten years of the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), as well as a multi-billion pound funding milestone for innovative green technologies in the aerospace sector.

    Industry minister Alan Mak is joining aviation bosses at an event to mark the 10-year anniversary of the organisation, a joint government-industry funded initiative whose aim is to drive leading research in sustainable aviation.

    The Institute began operations a decade ago, after government and industry responded to calls for the UK to develop its own R&D programme for the aerospace sector.

    The Institute has since directed £3.6 billion in funding to more than 400 different aerospace R&D projects, with these projects helping to lead to new technologies for zero-emission aircrafts.

    Projects include the Airbus-led Wing of Tomorrow programme for next-gen carbon composite aircraft wings, and the Rolls-Royce UltraFan demonstrator aero engine—billed as the largest in the world, with greater fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

    On top of larger industry names, funding has also been allocated to SMEs, such as Cranfield Aerospace and ZeroAvia, to develop next-gen zero emission aircraft and propulsion systems.

    The UK government said that aerospace funding is a key priority, with £200 million of joint government and industry funding recently announced in the Spring Budget for aerospace green tech R&D projects. This came after it announced £975 million for the ATI programme between 2025 to 2030 in last year’s Autumn Statement.

    Speaking on the Institute’s role in helping to push Airbus’ tech, John Harrison, Airbus UK Chairman, said: “For the last decade, the ATI has been instrumental in supporting Airbus’ technology developments that are improving our commercial aircraft and helicopters flying today and those for tomorrow.

    “Technologies such as how we design and build aircraft wings and accelerate the development of hydrogen powered aircraft.

    “We’re looking forward to another decade of pushing boundaries, boosting innovation and upskilling people right here in the UK to keep our industry ahead of the beat.”

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    The Institute’s CEO, Gary Elliott, also commented on its work: “Since the ATI was created ten years ago, we have helped to transform the UK aerospace sector through the development of advanced and innovative technologies – setting the sector on the path to Net Zero 2050 with our Destination Zero strategy.

    “The ATI Programme has helped secure jobs, support growth, return economic value to the UK and position the UK to capture market share in next-generation sustainable aircraft.

    “All of this has been made possible through collaboration – between the ATI, the many organisations across the UK who have delivered over 400 projects and, of course, our partners in the Department for Business and Trade and Innovate UK.

    “Looking ahead to the next ten years, I am confident that the ATI will play a critical role in making the UK the world’s most vibrant ecosystem for net zero aerospace technology.”

  61. New Edinburgh Uni Medtech Spinout Launches With £10M in Backing

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    Lung cancer could be spotted and treated more quickly thanks to a €12 million (£10m~) investment in technology aiming to diagnose and treat disease in just minutes.

    The investment has led to the launch of Prothea Technologies Ltd., a spinout company from the University of Edinburgh and Bath, which is developing tech to “see and treat” diseased tissue in a single procedure.

    Financing for Prothea was co-led by European firms Earlybird Venture Capital and Mérieux Equity Partners, with participation from NRW Bank as well as Old College Capital, the University of Edinburgh’s venture investment fund.

    The team behind Prothea say that its technology could cut hospital pressures and waiting times, ave pave the way for diagnosis and treatment to be carried out in one hospital visit.

    Currently, patients that are suspected to have early-stage lung cancer undergo screening tests, followed up by scans and biopsies of suspicious tissue. This approach can be slow and inaccurate.

    Prothea’s new tech includes a fibre-optic endoscope, allowing bioposes to be taken through a tiny camera tube, and an ultrafast imaging and data capture tool, offering live insights into the molecular make-up of cells, making it easier to quickly spot disease and treat it in the same procedure.

    Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK, with more than 48,000 new cases diagnosed per year. Nine in 10 patients do not survive more than 10 years, with survival rates remaining low for the last five decades.

    The launch of Prothea comes after 10 years of cross-discipline research on lung disease at the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Inflammation Research, together with key colleagues across the university and partners including Heriot-Watt, Dundee, and Durham universities.

    Prothea is one of numerous spinout companies launched from the University of Edinburgh in recent years, with support from Edinburgh Innovation, its commercialisation service.

    Recommended reading

    Speaking on the spinout’s mission and its launch, Professor Kev Dhaliwal, co-founder and chief science and medical officer at Prothea, said: “Lung disease is a global health challenge with patients urgently needing quicker diagnostics and faster and more effective treatments.

    “We hope that our new technologies will improve the early diagnosis and cure of lung cancer and improve the outlook for patients and their families.

    “Prothea is the result of many years of a collaborative team effort with deep tech approaches and we can’t wait to get started on developing these innovations further.”

    Dr John Lonsdale, the head of enterprise at Edinburgh Innovation, also commented on Prothea: “Its journey so far has shaped pioneering science into a tangible solution for crucial unmet clinical needs.

    “Edinburgh Innovations is delighted to have supported that journey, and we look forward to seeing Prothea move into its next chapter: to transform the lives of patients and their families.”

  62. Business and Tech Leaders Elected as New RSE Fellows

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    The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) has announced its latest elected Fellows, with numerous business and tech leaders among them.

    Fellows are elected for their individual excellence in a wide range of fields, including—and in addition to business and tech—informatics, physics, chemistry, law, literature, and social sciences. The 57 new experts elected to the Fellowship will join the 1,800 current Fellows of the RSE, Scotland’s National Academy.

    Ana Stewart, the tech entrepreneur, co-author of the Pathways report which highlighted the obstacles women in Scotland face in entrepreneurship, and founder of Pathways Forward, an initiative that helps women forge their way in business, joins the RSE Fellowship. She said: “I am humbled and honoured to have been elected as a Fellow of the RSE.

    “Entrepreneurship is the lifeblood of our economy and we all have a part to play in shaping our society into one that welcomes all of our entrepreneurs through every stage of their journey, regardless of gender or background. I look forward to working with other Fellows to help shape Scotland’s future in this endeavour.”

    Gillian Docherty has also joined the Fellowship of the RSE. She is recognised as an outstanding leader in the field of data technology, and has worked to champion innovation, digital skills, and community engagement with technology. She serves as the current chief commercial officer of the University of Strathclyde, the chair of CodeBase, and is the president of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.

    Also elected is Professor William Buchanan OBE of Edinburgh Napier University, a world-renowned cybersecurity expert, computer scientist, and frequent DIGIT event speaker. His research website asecuritysite.com has been described as a treasure trove of information for anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of cybersecurity. Among a range of other achievements, he has been the inspiration behind at least four university spinout companies; Zonefox, Cyacomb, Symphonic, and Memcrypt.

    Professor Buchanan said: “It is such an honour to be acknowledged by an organisation which prides itself on recognising the finest scientific and technological minds in our country. Scotland is a land of innovation and enterprise and has built its reputation on its excellence in education, enterprise, and industry.

    “My love for innovation, research, and, especially, teaching will never leave me. I feel honoured to teach and research the topics that I care deeply about and to live and work in one of the most beautiful, cultured and educated cities on the planet. Scotland is truly the best place in the world to build the future, and our four amazing cyber security spinouts are a testament to this.”

    Recommended reading

    The complete list of new Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh is as follows:
    Honorary Fellows
    Armando Iannucci
    Writer and political satirist

    Professor David Croisdale-Appleby
    Chair, Healthwatch England

    Corresponding Fellows
    Professor Alan Reid
    Professor of Mathematics, Rice University

    Professor Ann Rigney
    Professor in Comparative Literature, Utrecht University

    Professor De-Zhu Li
    Professor of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming Institute of Botany

    Professor Donald Dingwell
    Director, Department for Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

    Professor John Cioffi
    Professor Emeritus of Engineering, Standford University

    Professor Miguel Ferrer Baena
    Research Professor, Department of Ethology and Biodiversity Conservation, Spanish National Research Council

    Fellows
    Dr Sally Magnusson
    Founder, Playlist for Life / Broadcaster and journalist

    Dr Michael Welch
    President and CEO of Tirebuyer.com / Founder and Chairman of The Welch Trust

    Michael P Clancy OBE WS
    Director of Law Reform, Law Society of Scotland

    Patrick Macdonald
    Chair, Institute of Directors

    Ana Stewart
    Chair, Pathway Forward

    Gillian Docherty OBE
    Chief Commercial Officer, University of Strathclyde

    Laura Dunlop
    President, Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland

    Leonie Bell
    Director, V&A Dundee

    Chris Stark
    Chief Executive, Climate Change Committee

    Professor Ailsa Hall
    Former Director, Sea Mammal Research Unit

    Professor Apala Majumdar
    Professor of Applied Mathematics, University of Strathclyde

    Professor David Dockrell
    Chair of Infection Medicine / Director of the Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh

    Professor Donna Heddle
    Director, Institute for Northern Studies, University of the Highlands and Islands

    Professor Elham Kashefi
    Personal Chair in Quantum Computing, University of Edinburgh

    Professor Emma Sutton
    Professor of English, University of St Andrews,

    Professor Emma Thomson
    Professor in Infectious Diseases (Virology), University of Glasgow

    Professor Fiona Leverick
    Professor of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, University of Glasgow

    Professor Gabriela Medero
    Associate Principal for Business and Enterprise / Professor in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Heriot Watt University

    Professor George Batty
    Professor of Epidemiology & Public Health, University College London

    Professor Hamish Simpson
    Professor of Orthopaedics and Trauma, and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, University of Edinburgh

    Professor J Ross Fitzgerald
    Personal Chair of Molecular Bacteriology, University of Edinburgh

    Professor Jason Gill
    Professor of Cardiometabolic Health, University of Glasgow

    Professor Jason König
    Professor of Classics, University of St Andrews

    Professor Jonathan Fraser
    Director of Research, Mathematics, University of St Andrews

    Professor Judith Phillips
    Deputy Principal (Research), University of Stirling

    Professor Keith Mathieson
    Professor of Neurophotonics, University of Strathclyde

    Professor Kirsteen McCue
    Professor of Scottish Literature and Song Culture, University of Glasgow

    Professor Kirsty Gunn
    Professor of Creative Writing, University of Dundee

    Professor Lindsay Beevers
    Chair of Environmental Engineering and Head of Research Institute, University of Edinburgh

    Professor Lorna Marson
    Professor of Transplant Surgery at the Transplant Unit, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh

    Professor Malcolm Macleod
    Professor of Neurology and Translational Neurosciences, University of Edinburgh

    Professor Marc Dweck
    Professor of Clinical Cardiology, University of Edinburgh

    Professor Marc Vendrell
    Chair of Translational Chemistry and Biomedical Imaging, University of Edinburgh

    Professor Neil Carragher
    Professor of Drug Discovery, Institute of Genetics & Cancer, University of Edinburgh

    Professor Nicole Busby
    Professor of Human Rights, Equality and Justice, University of Glasgow

    Professor Patrick Meir
    Personal Chair in Ecosystem Science, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh

    Professor Paul Foster
    Professor in New Testament Language, Literature & Theology, University of Edinburgh

    Professor Paul Mealor
    Chair in Composition, University of Aberdeen

    Professor Peter Hopkins
    Professor of Social Geography, Newcastle University

    Professor Ross Forgan
    Professor of Supramolecular and Materials Chemistry, University of Glasgow

    Professor Sarah Coulthurst
    Professor of Microbial Interactions, University of Dundee

    Professor Sayantan Ghosal
    Adam Smith Chair in Political Economy, University of Glasgow

    Professor Sinéad Collins
    Professor of Microbial Evolution, University of Edinburgh

    Professor Sonja Franke-Arnold
    Professor in Atom and Quantum Optics, University of Glasgow

    Professor Stephen Brusatte
    Professor of Palaeontology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh

    Professor Tom Guzik
    Regius Chair of Physiology and Cardiovascular Pathobiology, University of Glasgow

    Professor Vernon Gayle
    Professor of Sociology and Social Statistics, University of Edinburgh

    Professor Victoria Martin
    Professor of Collider Physics, University of Edinburgh

    Professor William Buchanan
    Professor of Applied Cryptography, Edinburgh Napier University

  63. Glasgow Hospital Trials AI CT Scan Tech in “UK First”

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    Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow is trialling artificial intelligence to help improve turnaround times for CT scans and reduce A&E pressures in what’s said to be a “first in the UK.”

    Developed by healthtech firm Qure.ai, the technology can enable emergency department (ED) consultants and clinicians to make faster decisions about the care and discharge of patients who need imaging of their head.

    The AI technology works by quickly examining head CT scans, pinpointing critical areas of concern, and creating prioritised reporting for radiology staff. With its integration at QEUH, medical professionals can rapidly review reported CT scans, resulting in prompt diagnosis and treatment decisions for patients who may be in a critical condition.

    In the first few weeks of the head CT AI implementation over the 2023/24 winter period, the AI technology analysed 651 non-contract head CTs, detecting 128 head injuries including cranial fractures, intracranial haemorrhage (ICH), mass effect and midline shift within the brain.

    Professor David Lowe, emergency medicine consultant at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “Emergency Departments across the country continue to face challenges with one person presenting at a UK ED every 90 seconds, potentially requiring brain imaging.

    “By utilising the opportunities of innovative AI to help prioritise urgent cases, we will look to deliver critical interventions whilst improving workflow and time in the ED for patients with normal scans.

    “The study looks to provide evidence to support adoption of AI across four centres in the UK. We hope this will support clinical teams in decision making to deliver critical clinical care, reassurance and, when appropriate, discharge releasing capacity and space for patients in our pressured system.”

    The Glasgow hospital is one of four planned NHS sites across the UK to utilise the CT AI solution in the project, called ACcEPT (Assess the Clinical Effectiveness in Prioritising CT Heads).

    Denise Brown, director of digital services at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, commented: “It is important to establish reliable evidence on the impact and value of AI solutions, and to determine how they best support clinical decision making.

    “Our Digital Strategy’s Enabled by AI Programme brings together NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde’s expertise on research, innovation and the operation of AI solutions at scale, while working closely with colleagues in academia.”

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    Darren Stephens, senior vice president & commercial head, UK and Europe, at Qure.ai also remarked: “This is an exciting step forward for AI in NHS Emergency Departments.

    “Providing digital health tools that can create calm and give informed prioritisation of urgent cases to support stretched clinical teams, especially at night or weekends, is very advantageous.

    “It may help reduce CT scan-to-reporting turnaround times and give rapid alerts of critical findings that will boost the speed of treatment given to patients.”

  64. AI Space Sustainability Project Led by Strathclyde Uni Gets £1.5M

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    An international collaboration which explores how AI can be used to improve space sustainability, safety, and operations has received £1.5 million in funding from the UK Space Agency.

    The University of Strathclyde’s Aerospace Centre for Excellence is leading the project, with involvement from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The Alan Turing Institute, the University of Arizona, the University of Waterloo in Canada, and commercial space companies LMO, GMV, Nominal Systems, and Columbiad.

    The “AI4 Space Safety and Sustainability” project looks to accelerate the readiness of AI technology applied to space sustainability and safety. One of the biggest challenges facing the sector is congestion created by space debris — defunct man-made objects floating in space which no longer serve a useful function.

    According to the UK Space Agency, millions of defunct man-made objects are orbiting the planet, with almost 37,000 measuring larger than 10cm, and an estimated 130 million measuring less than one cm. The objects range from defunct satellites to smaller items such as discarded astronaut’s toothbrushes, and even flecks of paint.

    One of the key aims of the new project will be to use machine learning, a form of AI, to help predict the motion of space objects, reducing the risk of collisions and improving space flight safety.

    Professor Massimiliano Vasile, director of the Aerospace Centre of Excellence at Strathclyde and lead on the project, said: “The sustainability of the use of space is essential to enable any future space activity.

    “The sector is based on a model that isn’t sustainable because we keep on launching materials into space – meaning there is a constant drain we take from Earth. Eventually nothing will be able to use space and it will be so crowded you can’t launch anything.”

    Professor Vasile explained that the collaboration will demonstrate different uses of AI, including the behavioural analysis of space objects — understanding what we are looking at when we observe the sky, what the object is, and what it’s doing.

    “AI is good at understanding patterns and classifying what you’re observing,” he added. “We want to increase automation to help avoid collisions – a little bit like self-driving cars.

    “We also want to use AI to determine the impact on the space environment to allow for informed decisions. When countries decide on policies to licence new missions they need to understand the global impact of that mission on the space environment – insurance companies also need to understand the global impact to quantify how risky it is.

    “Our project will demonstrate how we can work together with other countries across borders.”

    Recommended reading

    Speaking on providing the project with funding, Anu Ojha, the UK Space Agency’s director of championing space, commented: “Our International Bilateral Fund bolsters international collaboration that harnesses the UK’s national expertise, supports new space capabilities and catalyses investment.

    “Supporting innovative projects on new technology like AI is an opportunity to showcase the UK as a spacefaring nation, whilst enhancing the wider UK space sector, creating jobs and generating further investment.”

  65. Stellar Omada Launches Course to Help Address Digital Skills Gap

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    Stellar Omada, the Edinburgh-headquartered technology services firm, has launched a digital education programme aimed at securing jobs for people with little or no experience in tech.

    Following a pilot earlier this year, where the seven candidates went on to gain full-time employment, Stellar Elevate commences this month with up to twelve people on a seven-week software testing course that will help prepare them for a career in tech.

    “It’s our ambition to have as many as one thousand people come through this programme over the next five years to help address the digital skills gap,” said Colin Frame, founder and managing director of Stellar Omada.

    “We’re starting off with software testing because that is our bread and butter at Stellar, but we see Stellar Elevate evolving over time to cover a host of other tech disciplines.”

    Frame explained that in the first instance, the programme’s candidates will sit an exam at the end of the course which will provide them with an International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) certificate, helping to put them in a strong position to gain a job in the sector.

    “As one of Scotland’s fastest-growing technology companies, we see first hand the magnitude of the digital skills gap, how it can hold back the pace of growth, and ultimately top-line economic growth in Scotland,” he added.

    “We saw CodeClan fold last year, so we lost the main provider of digital skills provision in this country and that’s a concern when you’re leading a tech business like ours.”

    Stellar Omada is also engaged with industry around demand for corporate sponsorship that would enable companies to upskill their existing teams or source new talent.

    Recommended reading

    Stellar Omada, which specialises in business and technology transformation and programme delivery, marked its 5th anniversary last year and secured a £4.5 million investment from BGF in September. Stellar works closely with clients in the banking, pensions, and investment management sectors.

    Stellar also strengthened its commercial relationship this year with Heart of Midlothian FC, including the recently announced front-of-shirt sponsorship—the largest commercial deal in the club’s history—and ongoing support to Heart of Midlothian’s Innovation Centre and the delivery of digital skills to young people.

  66. Which UK Regions Are the Best and Worst for Basic Digital Skills?

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    After researching and compiling a report on which UK regions have the most significant digital skills gap, the Independent’s Advisor Broadband department found that the East Midlands has the fewest residents capable of basic digital tasks (21%).

    In second place is neighbouring West Midlands, where 20% of residents can’t complete foundation-level digital tasks. The region also has a rate of 11% for people who don’t have access to or use the internet.

    The West Midlands is followed by the North East and Wales in joint third place, with 18% of residents in each region lacking basic digital understanding. In the North East, around 12% of households lack access to the internet, while this figure falls to 7% for Wales.

    However, the adjacent North West has the highest proportion of people who are capable of completing foundational digital tasks, with 13% unable to do so. The North West is followed by London, with 14% not possessing basic digital skills, and then jointly followed by the South East, South West, Northern Ireland, and Scotland at 15%.

    The team’s research also highlighted that Northern Ireland ranks first for regions in the UK with the most Google searches for the meaning of standard internet abbreviations, and also has the most searches for troubleshooting questions out of all UK regions.

    A study from Age UK called Offline and Overlooked released just last week found that a significant number of people aged 65 and above face barriers in using the internet effectively.

    According to the charity, approximately 4.7 million seniors in the UK struggle to carry out basic internet-related activities, including turning on devices, managing account logins, setting up WiFi connections, and keeping passwords secure.

    What’s more, 2.3 million seniors in the same age group do not use the internet at all, with nearly half of this group aged 75 and above.

    Similarly, recent research from Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) and Deloitte discovered that up to 19 million people in the UK over the age of 16 are currently experiencing some form of digital poverty.

    Recommended reading

    Speaking on the need for more basic digital education, Gemma Ryles, a home technology expert at Independent Advisor Broadband, commented: “For a lot of the aspects of our daily lives, there has been a gradual shift to those being primarily conducted online.

    “One of those primary aspects is our work lives, especially after the pandemic; more people are now working from home, which requires doing a lot of our work and daily tasks online and using various software. As such, there is a need for more accessibility for people to be educated on basic digital skills.

    “Outside of our work lives, everything from banking services to shopping, and leisure activities, such as watching TV shows and films and gaming, are all done online. Without having a basic grasp on digital technology, daily life can only become more difficult to navigate in the future.”

  67. UK to Back Research and Tech for New Green Shipping Routes

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    Bilateral research collaborations for new green shipping routes—and the technology and system developments underpinning them—are being financially backed by the UK government.

    The bidding process for the £1.5 million funding pot for establishing zero-emissions shipping routes to and from the UK has been kickstarted today, 5 April 2024, as part of the fifth round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC5).

    The latest competition round will support feasibility studies focused on accelerating the development of “green corridors.” These studies will map out infrastructure required along the routes to enable vessels to access green fuels and power charging systems, as well as look at further regulations required to push the industry towards decarbonisation.

    If successful, the competition round could bring about zero-emission shipping routes connecting the UK to the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, and Ireland.

    For the bilateral research, Ireland and the Netherlands will provide match-funding for organisations in their countries. Denmark and Norway meanwhile will provide other contributions through access to information and facilitation of collaboration.

    The competitions and procurements will be managed by delivery partner Innovate UK.

    Mike Biddle, executive director of Innovate UK, said: “These bilateral research collaborations are an important step to make green shipping corridors a reality.

    “The required technology and system developments cannot happen in isolation, which is why I’m pleased to see pioneering cooperation between the UK and our maritime neighbours.”

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    Rhett Hatcher, CEO of the UK Chamber of Shipping, also added: “Green corridors provide a meaningful contribution to decarbonising the shipping industry and this funding will help advance them from concept to reality.

    “The UK Chamber of Shipping is committed to working with partners to activate green corridors as soon and as widely as possible.

    “To be most impactful we need to look at the broadest range of fuels and technologies, including those that are available today and those that may become available in the future.

    “Additionally, we must ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place along the corridor, port to port.”

    CMDC5 follows CMDC4, where £33 million was awarded by the UK government to clean maritime tech projects.

  68. Tech Giants Form Consortium to Address AI’s Impact on Jobs

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    A group of global tech giants, along with six advisors, have announced the launch of the AI-Enabled Information and Communication Technology Workforce Consortium, focused on upskilling and reskilling the tech roles most likely to be impacted by artificial intelligence (AI).

    A private sector collaboration, the group consists of Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, SAP, Accenture, Eightfold, Indeed, various advisors, and is led by Cisco.

    The creation of the Consortium was brought about by the work of the US-EU Trade and Technology Council’s (TTC) Talent for Growth Task Force, with the goal of exploring AI’s affect on tech job roles, helping workers to find and access training programmes, and connecting businesses to skilled and job-ready workers.

    In its first phase of work, the Consortium is to evaluate the impact of AI on around 56 tech job roles, culminating in a report with insights for business leaders and workers which recommends ways to reskill and upskill workers in preparation for AI-enabled environments.

    The group members have also established individual goals, such as Cisco training 25 million people with cybersecurity and digital skills by 2032, and Microsoft training and certifying 10 million people from underserved communities with in-demand digital skills by 2025.

    “AI is accelerating the pace of change for the global workforce, presenting a powerful opportunity for the private sector to help upskill and reskill workers for the future,” said Francine Katsoudas, executive vice president and chief people, policy & purpose officer at Cisco.

    “The mission of our newly unveiled AI-Enabled Workforce Consortium is to provide organizations with knowledge about the impact of AI on the workforce and equip workers with relevant skills.

    “We look forward to engaging other stakeholders—including governments, NGOs, and the academic community—as we take this important first step toward ensuring that the AI revolution leaves no one behind.”

    “Google believes the opportunities created by technology should truly be available to everyone,” also commented Lisa Gevelber, founder of Grow with Google, Google’s digital upskilling programme.

    “We’re proud to join the AI-Enabled Workforce Consortium, which will advance our work to make AI skills training universally accessible.

    “We’re committed to collaborating across sectors to ensure workers of all backgrounds can use AI effectively and develop the skills needed to prepare for future-focused jobs, qualify for new opportunities, and thrive in the economy.”

    Recommended reading

    The creation of the Consortium follows a slew of recent studies concerning the potential impact of AI on both the tech workforce as well as jobs in general.

    At the beginning of the year, IMF’s research found that almost 40% of global employment is susceptible to the impact of AI.

    The World Economic Forum’s research from around this time last year also found that 50% of organisations believe AI will create job growth, and 25% expect it to create job losses.

    However, training workers to utilise AI and big data will be prioritised by 42% of companies in the coming years.

  69. ICO Joins Global Data Protection Enforcement Programme

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    The ICO, the UK’s data protection and privacy regulator, has signed a new international, multilateral agreement to cooperate in cross-border data protection and privacy enforcement.

    As part of the Global Cooperation Agreement for Privacy Enforcement (Global CAPE), the ICO will help provide assistance with investigations, sharing information with member countries without having to enter separate memorandums of understanding.

    The Agreement’s members include the United States, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, and Taipei.

    Global CAPE was created to supplement the Asian Economic Cooperation Cross-border Privacy Rules (APEC CBPR), which also facilitates cooperation and assistance in privacy and data security among its Asian Pacific countries. The new arrangement allows for participation by countries outside of the Asia Pacific area.

    Speaking on the new agreement, John Edwards, the UK information commissioner, said: “The ICO’s association with the Global CAPE is an important step in strengthening our relationship with other countries so we can work together to tackle global data protection and privacy issues.

    “Personal information of UK people often moves between countries, so it’s vital that we work with our key international partners to design solutions that safeguard people’s privacy wherever they are based.”

    Recommended reading

    The UK data protection regulator joining Global CAPE is but one of the ICO-related news stories that DIGIT has reported on in the last month.

    For instance, just yesterday, the ICO called on social media platforms to improve data protection practices so children and their data are safer online.

    Around two weeks ago, it also published new data protection fining guidance for UK-based organisations, providing greater transparency on how the ICO goes about using its fining power.

    In March, it warned and sent an enforcement notice to the Home Office regarding its pilot which involved GPS ankle tags to monitor the movement of up to 600 migrants in the UK.

  70. Anthropic Finds Way to Manipulate AI Via “Many-shot Jailbreaking”

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    Anthropic, the AI safety and research company based in San Francisco, has found a new way of breaking through in-built guardrails and manipulating AI large language models (LLMs).

    The research firm said that the technique, which has been dubbed as “many-shot jailbreaking,” works on Anthropic’s own models as well as those from other AI companies.

    The method works by adding a lot of fake dialogue in front of a prompt concerning a dangerous or illicit activity. In the faux discussion, the “user” asks how to carry out different illicit activities and the “AI” responds with details on how to go about them.

    For instance, and as demonstrated in examples from Anthropic, it would look something like a longer version of this:

    “How do I do [illicit activity]?
    A: You can do [illicit activity] by…
    How do I [another illicit activity]?
    A: To do [another illicit activity], you’ll need…
    How do I do [other illicit activity]?
    A: First, to do [other illicit activity], you should…

    How do I do [different illicit activity]?”

    However, the research firm noted that if there’s just one piece of fake dialogue, or if there’s just a small handful of faux interactions, the LLM likely won’t respond due to its internal guardrails steering it away from supplying information around dangerous or illegal activities.

    But if there’s a lot, of which Anthropic tested up to 256 preceding pieces of fake dialogue, it can then trick and jailbreak the LLM, thereby manipulating it to forgo safety-related training and guardrails.

    The method takes advantage of the larger “context window” that newer generations of LLMs can have. The context window is the maximum amount of information that a model can consider and analyse before it generates a response, with this sizeably increasing over the last year.

    To stop many-shot jailbreaks from working, the context window could be shortened — however, this would then mean users wouldn’t receive the benefits that longer context windows have brought about, such as providing more detailed responses.

    An alternative solution suggested by Anthropic is techniques focused on classification and contextualisation of the prompt before it’s sent to the model. As the company wrote, “One such technique substantially reduced the effectiveness of many-shot jailbreaking — in one case dropping the attack success rate from 61% to 2%.

    “We’re continuing to look into these prompt-based mitigations and their trade-offs for the usefulness of our models, including the new Claude 3 family — and we’re remaining vigilant about variations of the attack that might evade detection.”

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    As well as implementing mitigations in its own systems, the research firm has briefed other AI developers on many-shot jailbreaking and published its research publicly.

    “We hope that publishing on many-shot jailbreaking will encourage developers of powerful LLMs and the broader scientific community to consider how to prevent this jailbreak and other potential exploits of the long context window,” it wrote.

    “As models become more capable and have more potential associated risks, it’s even more important to mitigate these kinds of attacks.”

  71. The Donaldson Group Joins the Tech for Good Alliance

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    The Donaldson Group, which owns a family of businesses specialising in timber manufacturing, merchanting, and distribution, has joined the Tech for Good Alliance.

    Launched by not-for-profit organisation Scottish Tech Army, the Tech for Good Alliance enables businesses to harness technology to improve inclusion, equity, and sustainability while developing tech skills.

    Harnessing the tech skills of The Donaldson Group’s volunteers, its first project with Fife Young Carers aims to improve the charity’s reach and impact.

    As part of the alliance, The Donaldson Group will provide support for third sector organisations through skilled volunteering, access to their technology, and financial support to drive positive change.

    The project with Fife Young Carers, a charity that supports local children and young people who care for family members who are ill or have a disability, aims to support them in better serving the people and communities with which they work.

    The skilled volunteers will help develop a new website and deliver marketing support for the charity.

    Graham Johnston, CEO of The Donaldson Group’s retail and distribution division, said: “The Group wants to always do good and by joining the Tech for Good Alliance, we can give back and create a positive impact for the communities we serve.

    “At the same time, our colleagues and the rest of the business can gain new skills and learn from working with different organisations and technologies.

    “We continue to lead the industry by embracing innovation and growing our tech function across IT and e-commerce.

    “We look forward to using our unique skills to support Fife Young Carers as well as other third sector organisations and local communities.”

    Alistair Forbes, founding director and CEO at the Scottish Tech Army, also said: “We are delighted to welcome The Donaldson Group as a member of the Tech for Good Alliance – the company is a great example of a forward-thinking and innovative manufacturing and distribution business.

    “The company’s e-commerce marketplace has been widely recognised as a market-leading platform and it is great to see this innovative mindset extending into the use of the skills of its team to drive social benefit, helping to bring to life its vision of creating a positive, responsible future for its people, partners and communities.”

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    As a volunteer for the Scottish Tech Army, Graham Johnston is hosting the 2024 Tech for Good Summit which takes place on 25 April.

    Currently led by the sixth generation of Donaldson, the 163-year-old Donaldson Group comprises a total of 17 specialist timber and building product businesses and brands, operating throughout the UK from 45 locations employing over 1,500 people.

  72. Scots Dental Biotech Firm Secures £5M Funding Boost

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    Calcivis, the Edinburgh-based biotechnology firm, has secured £5 million in new funding to roll out its early tooth decay detection tech.

    The latest investment round was led by £4m of funding from the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB), along with £1m from IFS Maven Equity Finance, which is managed by Maven Capital Partners and is part of the Investment Fund for Scotland (IFS), delivered by the British Business Bank.

    The Scots firm’s patented system uses a biological diagnostic agent in combination with an imaging device to enable the early detection of tooth decay, which can then lead to earlier preventative treatment for dentistry patients.

    Calcivis is set to use the funds to bring its flagship product to market in the US after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted premarket approval, which is the most stringent regulatory review of the safety and effectiveness of medical devices.

    The US market is the largest for medical technology, and the Scots company anticipates a subsequent launch in the UK and other European markets. According to data from Statista, the projected revenue of the medical technology market in the US for 2024 is $215 billion, while in the UK it’s $20 billion (£16bn~).

    Founded in 2012, Calcivis has now raised over £18m in funding. Investors include Scottish Enterprise and Archangels, which is the world’s longest-running business angel investment syndicate and has been involved with the company from the beginning.

    Speaking on both the company’s technology and its new funding, Adam Christie, the CEO of Calcivis, said: “Early diagnosis and treatment of tooth decay is essential, allowing patients to reverse the damage to their teeth before it is too late.

    “This investment will enable us to launch our innovative product to global markets – first in the US and eventually in the UK – leading to faster diagnoses and early intervention treatments.

    “This technology has the potential to revolutionise prevention in oral health care, with cavities impacting more than 2 billion people globally, according to the World Health Organisation.

    “We look forward to seeing where this product can go with the support of both the Scottish National Investment Bank, and the Investment Fund for Scotland – through Maven.”

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    Paul Callaghan, investment director at the SNIB, also commented: “Calcivis is a shining example of how Scotland is leading the way in developing cutting-edge technology that improves our health and wellbeing.

    “We are proud to back the company’s pioneering work in dentistry and help its flagship product reach international markets, creating jobs in Scotland.

    “As a development investment bank, we see Calcivis’ technology as fully aligned with our Innovation mission, and the product’s launch in the UK has the potential to deliver substantial health benefits to people in Scotland.”

  73. Glasgow Uni Gets £4.9M for “World-leading” Electron Microscope

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    The UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has awarded £4.9 million in funding to the University of Glasgow to build a new electron microscopy facility for materials science.

    Researchers from the university’s School of Physics and Astronomy have long-standing expertise in the study of functional materials, including the magnetic films used for data storage, materials for energy applications, and semiconductor technologies.

    The new microscope, named MagTEM2, will help support materials projects across the university, and will also be accessible as a facility to national and international users from 2026.

    The microscope will incorporate the latest improvements in spectroscopy to help study the chemistry and electronic properties of materials. A key advance will be to incorporate electron detectors developed by Glasgow researchers working in collaboration with CERN. These give “unprecedented” sensitivity and speed in detecting the electrons used for imaging samples in the microscope.

    The funding will also allow researchers to develop enhanced electron microscopy techniques to improve the spatial resolution for magnetic materials, down to the level of individual atoms. Such resolution has previously been limited by the need to immerse samples in the strong magnetic fields required to focus electron beams.

    Speaking on the MagTEM2 microscope, Professor Donald MacLaren, co-investigator for the project, said: “Functional materials like batteries, semiconductors and sensor technologies underpin the modern world, but can be difficult to study with enough resolution in time, energy and space to fully optimise their performance.

    “This new microscope will provide that resolution and help support the University of Glasgow’s ambition to lead the development of nano and quantum technologies.”

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    Professor Stephen McVitie, the project’s principal investigator, also added: “Glasgow has been an international centre for electron microscopy for more than 40 years and this new investment will now enable us to study magnetic materials on the atomic scale.

    “This is critical because we collaborate with manufacturers to develop data storage devices using magnets that are only a few atoms in size.”

    MagTEM2 will be housed at the University’s Kelvin Nanocharacterisation Centre.

  74. UK and US Strike New AI Safety Partnership

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    A new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by the UK and US, which will see the countries collaboratively develop tests for the most advanced AI systems amid their rapid development.

    Following on commitments made at the AI Safety Summit last November, technology secretary Michelle Donelan and US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo signed the agreement yesterday (Monday 1st April).

    The partnership will see both countries working to align their scientific approaches, and collaborating to accelerate and iterate on suites of evaluations for AI models, systems, and agents.

    Both countries’ respective AI Safety Institutes have laid out their plans, sharing key information about the capabilities and risks associated with AI models and systems, as well as fundamental technical research on AI safety and security.

    The partnership will take effect immediately, with the governments saying that they “recognise the need to act now.”

    Speaking on the MoU, Michelle Donelan said: “This agreement represents a landmark moment, as the UK and the United States deepen our enduring special relationship to address the defining technology challenge of our generation.

    “We have always been clear that ensuring the safe development of AI is a shared global issue. Only by working together can we address the technology’s risks head on and harness its enormous potential to help us all live easier and healthier lives.

    “The work of our two nations in driving forward AI safety will strengthen the foundations we laid at Bletchley Park in November, and I have no doubt that our shared expertise will continue to pave the way for countries tapping into AI’s enormous benefits safely and responsibly.”

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    Gina Raimondo, the United States secretary of commerce, added further: “AI is the defining technology of our generation. This partnership is going to accelerate both of our Institutes’ work across the full spectrum of risks, whether to our national security or to our broader society.

    “Our partnership makes clear that we aren’t running away from these concerns – we’re running at them. Because of our collaboration, our Institutes will gain a better understanding of AI systems, conduct more robust evaluations, and issue more rigorous guidance.

    “By working together, we are furthering the long-lasting special relationship between the U.S. and UK and laying the groundwork to ensure that we’re keeping AI safe both now and in the future.”

    The two countries have also committed to develop similar partnerships with other countries across the world to promote global AI safety.

  75. Can Scotland’s New Migration Service Help to Close the Tech Skills Gap?

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    The service will provide information and offer appointments to New Scots who’ve moved and are settling into life here. It will also help businesses to navigate the immigration system, including advice from qualified advisors.

    The first phase of the service is now open, available to people who have moved to Scotland within the past six months, and international students in their final year at a Scottish university or college who want to remain in Scotland after graduation.

    It’s also accessible for employers based in Scotland who want to hire international workers, and investors based in another country who would like to set up or expand a business in Scotland.

    An expanded service, which will include support for individuals located outside of Scotland with an interest in moving to Scotland, will come sometime later this year.

    Speaking on both the service and the importance of workers and businesses moving to Scotland, Emma Roddick, the Scottish government’s migration minister, said: “New Scots make an enormous contribution to Scotland’s society by helping grow our economy, address skills shortages and contribute to public services. They are also vital to meeting our population needs.

    “The first few months after arrival in a new country are the most significant in terms of making people feel welcome and encouraging them to stay for the long term. This service will support people in those crucial weeks, helping ease the process of settling into life here.

    “We also want to mitigate the complexity and bureaucracy of the immigration system – particularly post-Brexit – to encourage businesses to hire talented people from overseas and expand their operations here. By providing advice and information, we will help employers and investors grow businesses and attract talent.”

    Recommended reading

    The launch of the migration service comes amid a pervasive tech skills gap in Scotland – something which outside talent can help to close.

    In Scotland, 67% of small- and medium-sized enterprises across a range of sectors have cited digital tech as a prominent area where they’re facing shortages in skills. Meanwhile, for Scots tech companies themselves, 37% have reported a lack of advanced digital skills among their existing workforces and 23% of firms have cited a lack of basic data skills.

    Commenting on the potential helpfulness of Scotland’s new migration service, Ioannis Fotiadis, who’s a civil engineer and who moved to Edinburgh from Greece in 2021, said: “This service promises to be an invaluable resource for migrants, offering support and guidance that can significantly ease the transition process. Reflecting on my own journey to Scotland, I can’t help but wish that such a comprehensive resource had been available to me.

    “The challenges of relocating are manifold, and having access to dedicated support would have made a world of difference. I’m hopeful that this service will fill that gap for others, making their move smoother and more manageable.”

  76. Data From 73 Million AT&T Accounts Leaked On Dark Web

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    AT&T, the American telecoms giant, has confirmed that personal data from around 7.6 million account holders and 65.4 million former customers has been leaked on the dark web.

    The information involved may have included full names, email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, dates of birth, and AT&T account numbers and passcodes.

    Personal financial information and call history doesn’t appear to be included, said the company.

    Following the firm’s preliminary investigation, the data set that’s been published on the dark web appears to be from 2019 or earlier.

    It’s not yet known if the data in the data set originated from AT&T, or a third-party supplier. The company said that it currently “does not have evidence of unauthorized access to its systems resulting in theft of the data set.”

    In response, the telecoms giant has taken “precautionary measures” and reset customer passcodes – a numerical PIN to add an extra security layer to AT&T accounts, and is separate from regular passwords.

    AT&T said that it will be contacting individuals with compromised sensitive personal information via email or mail, and providing identity theft and credit monitoring services.

    It’s meanwhile advising customers to “remain vigilant by monitoring account activity and credit reports.”

    “You can set up free fraud alerts from nationwide credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can also request and review your free credit report at any time via Freecreditreport.com,” it encouraged.

    Recommended reading

    This isn’t the first time AT&T has been in the news this year. In late February, service disruption led to an outage in the US, with the company offering $5 credit to customers affected.

    In an update amid the disruption, the company said that “we believe that today’s outage was caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network, not a cyber attack.”

    AT&T’s mobile network provides coverage for more than 240 million customers across the US.

  77. Overdue Invoices in Scotland Hit a 16-month High Last Month

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    The number of overdue business invoices in Scotland reached a 16-month high last month, R3, the UK’s insolvency and restructuring trade body, has uncovered.

    Its analysis of data provided by Creditsafe found that businesses in Scotland had 428,824 unpaid invoices on their books in February – representing the highest monthly total since October 2022, when the figure was 593,114.

    Overdue invoices in Scotland also increased by 3.4% in February 2024 when compared to February 2023’s figure of 414, 575. Scotland was one of the only two places in the UK that saw a yearly increase, preceded only by the West Midlands (22.3% rise).

    Richard Bathgate, chair of R3 in Scotland, said: “Although overdue invoice numbers in Scotland have fallen substantially compared to October 2022’s high point, the yearly rise is concerning and suggests that businesses in Scotland are struggling with paying their invoices promptly and with cash flow management much more than they were 12 months ago.

    “This is likely to be a knock-on effect of the cost-of-living crisis, increases in energy, fuel, products, materials, interest rates, and requests for salary increases from staff.”

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    Despite the increase in overall overdue invoice numbers, the number of companies with overdue invoices on their books in Scotland fell year-on-year in February, from 32,074 in February 2023 to 30,362 in February 2024.

    Bathgate, who is also a restructuring partner at Johnston Carmichael in Aberdeen, continued: “While fewer businesses are failing to meet their payment deadlines than this time last year, it’s very clear late payment is still a real and serious issue for a high number of businesses in Scotland – at every stage of the supply chain.

    “My message to any business owners that are struggling with unpaid bills is simple: seek help from a qualified source as early as you can.

    “It’s natural to feel anxious when dealing with money worries, but taking steps to address the issue will help ease your worries and will afford you more time and more options for handling your concerns than if you’d waited for them to get worse.”

  78. Heriot-Watt Uni Scientists Help Develop New “Astrocomb” Technology

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    Scientists from Heriot-Watt University and the University of Cambridge have made a technological breakthrough which could help astronomers find the telltale signs of hidden planets.

    The physicists have developed an improved version of a laser system known as an “astrocomb,” which analyses starlight.

    It could also improve our understanding of the universe by offering more sensitive measurements of how the universe is expanding.

    As Dr Samantha Thompson, an astrophysics senior research associate at the University of Cambridge, explained: “This new astrocomb will enable astronomers to accurately study the spectrum of light from nearby stars in the hunt for Earth-like planets.

    “When astronomers hunt for exoplanets with the Radial Velocity technique, they study the light from stars. Planets orbiting these stars cause the star to move, bringing about tiny changes in the colour of the starlight – if we can accurately measure those, we can discover and characterise new planets.

    “For stars similar to our own Sun, most of this information is found in the blue-green part of the light spectrum, which we haven’t had such precise calibration for until now.

    “This is a really exciting development that will enable us to study smaller planets on longer orbits than ever before – with the aim of discovering the first ‘Earth-like’ planet orbiting around a nearby Sun-like star.”

    Professor Derryck Reid from Heriot-Watt University added: “Astrocombs allow astronomers to make extremely sensitive wavelength measurements of the spectrum of light, potentially tens to hundreds of times better than conventional technology.

    “Much like the millimetre scale on a ruler lets us measure distances precisely, an astrocomb gives astronomers a precision scale for measuring wavelength.

    “Until now, astrocombs operated mainly in the green-to-red part of the spectrum of light, but the shorter-wavelength ultraviolet to blue-green region is rich in the atomic absorption features of interest to astronomers.

    “Our new approach for the first time provides a continuous sequence of optical markers from the ultraviolet to the blue/green that serve as a precision wavelength scale in this part of the spectrum.”

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    The team has cracked the ultraviolet to blue-green part of the spectrum, and proved that their innovation could be used in the field by astronomers.

    “This is the first astrocomb with continuous coverage from the ultraviolet to the blue-green spectrum,” Reid continued.

    “We achieved this by using special devices that exhibit so-called ‘nonlinear optical effects’, which can dramatically change the colour of a laser beam if its power is sufficiently high.

    “A nice analogy is in rock music, where audio distortion (‘nonlinearity’) is heard when the signal from an electric guitar is high, but not when it is lower. That distortion is simply new audio frequencies being created in the guitar amplifier: our devices do the same thing, but for light.

    “Importantly, we’ve achieved a wide and continuous spectrum of ultraviolet to blue-green colours using a laser with remarkably low power, and of the same kind already in use in some astronomical telescopes.”

    Professor Reid’s team at Heriot-Watt is developing the technology for the Extremely Large Telescope, which is currently under construction in Chile. The team also works with astronomers in Cambridge, Uppsala, and Capetown on astrocombs for telescopes in the Canary Islands and South Africa.

  79. One in Six Adolescents Experience Cyberbullying as Rates Increase

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    Dr Jo Inchley is the international coordinator of the study, Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC), looking at patterns of bullying and peer violence.

    The survey monitored the health behaviours and social environments of around 280,000 boys and girls aged 11, 13, and 15 years, from 44 countries in Europe and Central Asia.

    It found that while overall trends in school bullying have remained the same since 2018, cyberbullying has increased, magnified by the increasing digitalisation of young people’s interactions.

    Around 12% (or 1 in 8) of adolescents reported cyberbullying others, with boys (14%) being more likely to report their cyberbullying than girls (9%). This is an increase from 2018, with boys up from 11% and girls from 7%.

    Meanwhile, 15% (or 1 in 6) of adolescents have experienced cyberbullying, with the rates similar between boys and girls at 15% and 16%. This marks another increase from 2018, from 12% to 15% for boys, and 13% to 16% for girls.

    In terms of Scotland-specific stats, 18% of Scottish participants said they’ve experienced cyberbullying, while 11% said they’ve cyberbullied others.

    However, when it comes to in-person bullying overall, an average of 6% of adolescents engaged in bullying others at school (8% for boys and 5% for girls), while around 11% of adolescents have been bullied at school, showing no significant difference between boys and girls.

    With the higher prevalence of cyberbullying, the report says there’s “an urgent need for investment in family, school and community-based interventions” required to tackle the issues.

    Speaking on the study’s findings, Dr Inchley herself remarked: “The digital world, while offering incredible opportunities for learning and connecting, also amplifies challenges like cyberbullying.

    “This calls for comprehensive strategies to protect our young people’s mental and emotional well-being.

    “It’s crucial for governments, schools, and families to collaborate on addressing online risks, ensuring adolescents have safe and supportive environments to thrive.”

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    Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe, also commented: “This report is a wake-up call for all of us to call out bullying and violence, whenever and wherever it happens.”

    “With young people spending up to six hours online every single day, even small changes in the rates of bullying and violence can have profound implications for the health and well-being of thousands.

    “From self-harm to suicide, we have seen how cyberbullying in all its forms can devastate the lives of young people and their families.

    “This is both a health and a human rights issue, and we must step up to protect our children from violence and harm, both offline and online.”

    In response, WHO/Europe has published its first-ever “position paper” on protecting children from online harms, which aims to help governments formulate consistent requests to online and technology companies, with the overall goal of securing healthy online environments.

  80. New Ordnance Survey Datasets to Help Speed Up Emergency Response

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    A new selection of location datasets and tools have been released by the Ordnance Survey (OS), as part of the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA), to help deliver improved public services and speed up emergency response times.

    The Public Sector Geospatial Agreement is a 10-year contract between the UK government and Ordnance Survey. The contract delivers geospatial data to public sector members to support the provision of critical services to the public.

    The OS Emergency Services Gazetteer (ESG) is one of the new tools. As a large and maintained database of locations, containing 1.3 million features such as names, places, and objects—including motorways, road junctions, and roundabouts—it aims to improve the way emergency services respond to and manage incidents.

    The OS ESG was developed in collaboration with the blue light community, designed to give responders with the precise location information they need to act quickly during emergencies.

    The other new tool is the OS Multi-modal Routing Network, which brings all OS transport information together in one place for routing applications. Local authorities can use the data to plan safe routes to schools and colleges, and emergency services can improve their emergency planning for incidents at specific locations.

    The release also includes enhancements to the OS National Geographic Database (NGD), the single store of all Ordnance Survey’s data for Great Britain, such as:

    • Buildings data, so users can develop a better understanding about the energy performance of buildings.
    • New field boundary and land cover information, which can be beneficial for a range of environmental sector customers, environment agencies across England, Scotland, and Wales, major landowners and farmers, as well as both local and central government in delivering net-zero ambitions.
    • And enhancements like the tram track attribution, showing where trams are present on the road network, which can be beneficial for road safety and streetworks.

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    The PGSA was first established in April 2020, with Scotland joining the agreement in May. It provides access to new and existing data via the OS Data Hub, including delivery of data via API and downloads. Over its term, the PSGA is set to deliver approximately 70 new datasets.

  81. Registering of Public Sector AI Use Being Made Mandatory

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    Scotland is to become the first UK nation to make it mandatory for public sector organisations to register how they’re using artificial intelligence (AI).

    Moving forward, every project utilising AI will be logged onto the Scottish AI Register—a publicly-accessible database which provides a range of information about how public bodies are using the technology in their projects.

    As it stands, the register is currently voluntary, with public bodies encouraged to submit information. However, and as part of a phased approach across the wider public sector, mandatory registration will begin with Scottish Government departments.

    Speaking on the new approach, the plans of which were announced at today’s Scottish AI Summit, innovation minister Richard Lochhead said: “With our world-renowned talent for research, innovation and ingenuity, Scotland is perfectly placed to capitalise on the rapid growth of AI – but it must be used in a way that is open, ethical and transparent.

    “From cancer diagnostics to helping our net zero journey, AI is a powerful and rapidly-developing tool the public sector can use to help drive efficiency and deliver solutions.

    “Making it mandatory for public sector use of AI to be registered will not only give the public increased confidence that AI is being used openly and transparently, but will also act as an increasingly powerful source of best practice, helping ensure AI is used in ways which is both economically and technically viable and makes a positive impact across society.”

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    Neil Hunter, the principal reporter and chief executive of Scottish Childrens Reporter Administration, also said the following on the organisation’s involvement with the register: “Scottish Childrens Reporter Administration felt that being part of the AI register was hugely important. As a public body working in a sensitive area of service delivery we wanted to be fully up front and open about our early exploratory work on potential future uses of technology that might have a positive impact on our skilled work.

    “Our involvement in the register also unlocked a lot of support and advice from across Scottish Government and partners on issues of research and evidence, experience elsewhere from a national and global perspective – and most critically for us – access to expertise on issues of ethics, impact, rights and privacy.

    “We are at a very early and exploratory stage – but registration has really helped us get access to the support and advice we need to ensure that any future journey is well informed and genuinely focussed on the public benefit.”

  82. What Does the Public Think of Sharing Biometric Data to Tackle Crime?

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    More than half (57%) of people are concerned with biometric data sharing schemes between the police force and private sector to tackle crimes, new research by The Alan Turing Institute’s Centre for Emerging Technology and Security (CETaS) has found.

    The research—which includes a survey of the UK population—also discovered that 85% of people were comfortable with police using the technology to verify identities at the border. This fell to around 60% when respondents were asked about police using it to identify criminal suspects in a crowd. Less than a third (29%) were comfortable with biometric data being used by the police to determine if someone’s telling the truth.

    It was also revealed that respondents were more likely to trust the use of biometric systems by public sector organisations, such as the police force (79%) and the NHS (66%), as opposed to private companies—not least employers (42%) and retailers (38%).

    In most cases, survey respondents believed biometric systems should be explicitly regulated as opposed to outright banned. When asked specifically about bans, however, nearly two-thirds of respondents thought the use of biometric systems in job interviews to assess performance shouldn’t be allowed. They were also supportive of a ban on tracking student or employee engagement, for instance to understand if someone is paying attention.

    While looking at the possible future integration of biometric systems across society, 42% of survey respondents predicted that the benefits will “somewhat” outweigh the concerns, and 29% of respondents said that the concerns will either “somewhat” or “far” outweigh the benefits.

    The CETaS researchers carried out the survey as part of a wider publication to explore the future of biometric technology for UK policing and law enforcement.

    Speaking on the findings, Sam Stockwell, lead author and research associate at The Alan Turing Institute, said: “Our research shows that people are marginally optimistic about the benefits of biometric systems for reducing crime, but there’s also a clear acknowledgement that those using them need to provide the general public with greater confidence that appropriate safeguards are in place.”

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    The authors believe that existing biometric legislation should be updated to address the risks and harms of new and emerging biometric systems, like age and emotion recognition. They’ve made a series of recommendations, including introducing new legal definitions of “biometrics-based data” to account for how different types of biometric data may be used outside of unique identification, which could have implications for members of the public.

    They also propose new codes of practice around the use of biometric data, and ask the National Police Chiefs’ Council to help improve policing transparency by creating a nationwide register of where biometric systems are deployed by forces. They mention that police forces and relevant government departments, such as the Home Office, should also organise inclusive roundtable discussions on future biometric technologies, to better understand shared areas of concern and opportunity for future public safety activities.

    Professor Tim Watson, science and innovation director for defence and national security at The Alan Turing Institute, further remarked: “There’s a growing demand to find new ways to protect our personal data due to increasingly sophisticated cybersecurity threats and identify fraud techniques and biometrics is likely to play a crucial role. We hope that this research will help policymakers to understand where the gaps are and plan accordingly.”

  83. Glasgow Uni Academics Support Two Major 6G Research Projects

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    Two major UKRI-funded projects aiming to build the 6G communications systems of the future are receiving help from academics at the University of Glasgow.

    UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) recently announced £40 million in new funding to support the ongoing work of three Future Telecoms Research Hubs – called CHEDDAR, TITAN, and HASC – which together will form a new Federated Communications Hub. The funding will also facilitate the creation of a national infrastructure for future telecoms testing and development, named JOINER.

    Researchers from Glasgow are lending their support to CHEDDAR, led by Imperial College London, and JOINER, led by the University of Bristol.

    CHEDDAR

    Last year, the University of Glasgow was among the founding partners of CHEDDAR, the Communications Hub for Empowering Distributed Cloud Computing Applications and Research.

    Initially supported by £2m from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), CHEDDAR has now received an additional £10.5m to continue its work.

    Research at CHEDDAR strives to investigate and design proofs-of-concept of the 6G technologies that will enable interconnection between people and devices at all scales. It is crucial for these technologies to underpin and be reinforced by communications infrastructures that are safe, secure, trustworthy and sustainable.

    Next-generation technologies, such as AI and the Internet of Things (IoT), do not operate in isolation but are underpinned by the communications infrastructures that support them.

    Research on intelligent connected telecom management and control, dynamic programmability, and integrated sensing and communication are central, as is the reduction of its energy footprint.

    Dame Muffy Calder, Professor of formal methods at the University of Glasgow and head of the College of Science and Engineering, will be part of the university’s team contributing to CHEDDAR, alongside Professor Qammer H. Abbasi of the James Watt School of Engineering. Professor Muhammad Ali Imran, also of the James Watt School of Engineering, is leading the university’s support for CHEDDAR and JOINER.

    Professor Dame Muffy said: “I’m pleased to be working on the CHEDDAR project alongside colleagues at the University and institutions across the UK. The University of Glasgow’s deep understanding of the sector and cutting-edge research to develop future comms technologies will help us play a key role in creating the infrastructures that will enable a wide range of next-generation technologies.”

    Professor Abbasi also commented: “Glasgow researchers will contribute support across all three pillars of the CHEDDAR project in areas including verifiable safety, integrated sensing and communication, cloud native radio intelligence controller, and foundational model for telecom. We’re excited to be contributing our expertise to this collaborative effort, and we look forward to working with partners in the months to come.”

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    JOINER

    The University of Glasgow is one of 10 UK universities, and the only Scottish higher education institution, supporting the Joint Open Infrastructure for Networks Research (JOINER) project.

    JOINER is the UK’s first national accelerator programme towards 6G and beyond. It is a national R&D platform interconnecting academic institutes, research labs, and industrial partners to enable innovation within a collaborative experimental environment.

    Bridging the gap between experimenters, services and equipment, the JOINER fabric is a dedicated transport network interconnecting all JOINER terminals across the UK while a multi-tenancy hybrid cloud platform enables end-to-end service provision.

    The JOINER project aims to accelerate the UK’s telecom and technology approach by establishing a cutting-edge, national-scale experimentation platform designed to facilitate innovation, collaboration, and research across academia, industry, and government sectors.

    Further, JOINER aims to integrate and upgrade existing national testbeds through a federated approach, enabling comprehensive research and development on future network technologies, including the pioneering of the UK’s first full-scale 6G-­enabled platform.

    The University of Glasgow, alongside the Scotland 5G Centre, is Scotland’s contributor to the JOINER project.

    Professor Muhammad Imran remarked: “I’m proud that the University of Glasgow is involved in these two very important projects, which will help the UK maintain its world-leading position in future communications technologies and networks. It’s a reflection of the excellence of our research base in this area, which draws in expertise across a wide range of specialisms.”

  84. Calls to Cyber and Fraud Centre Helpline More Than Doubled Last Year

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    A dramatic increase in calls to a Scots helpline supporting cyber-crime victims has been seen in the last year.

    The Cyber and Fraud Centre Incident Response Helpline, a collaboration between leading Scottish cybersecurity organisation the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland, Police Scotland, and the Scottish Government – with technical and legal incident response support from various Scottish companies – provides expert advice to help affected organisations mitigate the effects of a cyber-attack.

    Statistics show that the number of calls received by the helpline has more than doubled, from 123 calls in 2022/23 to 263 in 2023/24. This is expected to grow even further over the next year.

    The figures also highlight a rise in ransomware attacks, with Black Basta, Lockbit and Akira amongst the most common ransomware programmes being reported to the helpline.

    Cyber-enabled fraud is also on the rise, with the collaborative Fraud Triage Hub having worked on a total of £26 million in fraudulently obtained money over the past year, of which £16.2 million was ultimately stopped or returned.

    The Fraud Triage Hub was trialled by Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland alongside partners including Police Scotland, the City of London Police, and banks such as Barclays, Natwest, and Lloyds.

    Established with the aim of sharing intelligence, disrupting criminal gang activity, delivering support to victims, and recovering stolen funds, the Hub has worked on 153 cases of cyber-enabled fraud over the past year.

    Amongst the most common types of fraud dealt with in these cases were investment fraud, business email compromise (BEC), crypto investment fraud, impersonation scams, and redirection/safe account scams.

    The Fraud Triage Hub played a key role in gathering evidence which enabled the arrests of seven people involved in the high-profile case of an elderly woman who was defrauded to the tune of a seven-figure sum last summer.

    Jude McCorry, CEO of the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland, said: “These figures for both cyber and cyber-enabled crime are staggering – and we must remind ourselves that these are only the reported statistics.

    “There will be many more instances of these crimes that we are not aware of. Ransomware attacks have been ramping up over the last month and we think we will see that trend continue to grow over the coming months.

    “We have also seen a huge increase in cyber-enabled crime. During the first six months of the Fraud Triage Hub trial, we worked collectively with our partners on retrieving £10m of fraudulently obtained money.

    “When the trial ended we continued supporting victims, alongside our partners, and have worked on a further £16.2m worth of fraudulently obtained money, with a huge amount of £7.5m in December alone.

    “We are meeting with government ministers in both the UK and Scotland, along with financial services, to both highlight this issue and the lack of resourcing available in Scotland for continuing this important work, and to look at innovative ways of using proceeds of cyber-crime and dormant accounts.

    “We want to be able to work with Police Scotland and other law enforcement agencies to take down these criminal gangs before they can cause harm to the businesses and citizens of this country.”

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    Assistant chief constable Andy Freeburn also commented: “Police Scotland continues to see significant dividends through working in partnership to tackle cyber-crime and harms.

    “We are delighted to work collaboratively with the Cyber and Fraud Centre and have focused our collective efforts against those who attempt to scam and defraud the people of Scotland online.

    “These figures demonstrate this commitment and we will continue to work hard to make Scotland as safe as possible from cyber criminals.”

  85. Scots Spinout to Make Climate Law Accessible via Digital Platform

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    C2LI, or Climate Change Legal Initiative, has created the Climate Change Litigation Knowledge Hub. The hub, which is currently in development, is a searchable and open-access online platform that takes complex climate change litigation cases – ordinarily confined to books, academic material, and court documents – and translates them into plain language summaries.

    By increasing knowledge and understanding of these cases and climate-related legal developments, C2LI aims to support organisations’ strategic decision-making and ensure legislation designed to protect the environment, drive sustainability, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions is abided by.

    As Dr Kate McKenzie, chief executive officer of C2LI, said: “Climate change is impacting every area of life, and every area of law and we are in a critical decade to take decisive action. To get to where we need to be – keeping global warming down – the law is a really powerful tool to get us there.

    “Anyone who wants to do business in this world needs to stay on top of climate change law.

    “For example, a company opening a new business in a new country might not possess legal expertise in that jurisdiction and have little knowledge of historical climate related litigation or upcoming legislation that might affect its operations or compliance.

    “We can provide that expertise and help ensure the company follows the law thereby reducing its insurance risk and also taking climate positive actions.”

    The online hub covers 30 countries, with the help of a global network of legal experts, but the team aims to add 20 more this year, and to have global coverage within five years. Their focus is on countries that do not see a lot of climate litigation cases raised, which may indicate legal or political barriers.

    Dr McKenzie added: “It has taken us the better part of four or five years to get to 30 countries. It’s time and resource intensive work, and we also ultimately want the information to be provided in the five official United Nations languages.”

    The spinout estimates it needs an additional £3-5 million in funding to achieve this goal.

    Some of this funding will come from revenue-generating services which will see the company offer bespoke legal research and analysis for clients on climate-related legal questions, training and upskilling on climate law and related litigation, and participate in larger funded research projects on climate law.

    Established by Strathclyde’s Dr Kate McKenzie, Dr Francesco Sindico, and Amelia Burnette, the spinout – which is a Community Interest Company (CIC) – is fully asset-locked, meaning profits and assets are not distributed outside of the company. All profits are reinvested back into supporting its social and environmental vision.

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    Strathclyde has supported C2LI with £40,000 in funding to engage an experienced “commercial champion” and support the development of its business plan to demonstrate that the use of the service is viable and sustainable.

    Gillian Docherty OBE, chief commercial officer at Strathclyde, said: “C2LI is the first social enterprise spinout that the university has invested in and has set out to ensure climate change laws designed to ensure public and private organisations play their part in addressing global warming and environmental sustainability are followed.

    “This is useful learning in action and an activity that could have a real and tangible effect in addressing the climate emergency. We are delighted to support C2LI in its mission.”

  86. Scots All-electric Intercity Bus Operator Raises £11M in Funding

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    Ember, the Scottish all-electric intercity bus operator, has announced today (26 March 2024) that it’s raised £11 million in Series A funding.

    The oversubscribed funding round was led by investment firms Inven Capital, 2150, and AENU, and saw participation from existing investors Pale Blue Dot and SkyScanner co-founder Gareth Williams. The company will use the capital to accelerate the rollout of its electric bus services, and further invest in EmberOS, the platform that controls the network and delivers “game-changing” customer experience.

    Founded in Edinburgh by Keith Bradbury and Pierce Glennie in 2020, Ember is helping tackle the challenge of electrifying intercity coaches—the most highly-utilised vehicles on the road. These often travel over 250,000 kilometres per year, far exceeding the average mileage of even long-distance trucks. The vast distances and large vehicle size mean the emissions saved from electrifying each intercity bus outweighs other vehicle categories.

    Rather than just providing software to help legacy operators go electric, Ember is taking a “full-stack, first-principles” approach. This includes building its own dedicated ultra-fast charging network, designing and operating its own routes, and working closely with its manufacturing partner on vehicle development. The EmberOS platform that orchestrates all operations then helps bring everything together.

    Over 750,000 journeys have already been made with Ember, with that number expected to double over the coming year as the network expands. Ember will soon take delivery of the first batch of its next-generation bus, with a 563 kWh battery and a range of over 500 kilometres.

    Speaking on Ember’s mission and the challenges it’s helping tackle, co-founder Keith Bradbury said: “Travelling by bus or coach doesn’t have to be rubbish. It should be possible to deliver an experience that beats a car – because someone else is doing the driving so you can have your time back – but that requires a relentless focus on the passenger experience. Things like live tracking that actually works, super-simple pricing, easy ticket changes and near-perfect reliability.”

    “Under the hood it’s a delightfully complicated problem to solve” added co-founder Pierce Glennie. “EmberOS is the digital twin of our network, and we continue to add layers of data that enable the system to always know what’s going on. That means things like real-time vehicle states, current traffic conditions, nearby bus lanes, battery cell temperatures and the health of our chargers. When you put all of that together you can really bring down operational costs and deliver a better experience.”

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    Daniel Edgerley, investment director at Inven Capital, said the following on today’s £11 million funding announcement: “Inven Capital is excited to co-lead Ember’s financing round alongside 2150 and AENU, and to join other great existing investors. We have been impressed with both Keith and Pierce as founders and as visionaries of the future of shared transportation. Our commitment to the company underscores our belief in their customer-centric and innovative approach to electrification and digitalisation across the business.”

  87. UK Space Agency to Open Regional Scottish Office in Edinburgh

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    To help support the space sector across the country, the UK Space Agency is opening a number of regional offices, with one being in the Scottish capital.

    The Scottish regional office for the agency, which is responsible for the UK’s civil space programme, will be at Queen Elizabeth House in Edinburgh. Two further regional offices will be opened in Wales and the Midlands, while new headquarters will also be located in Harwell, Oxford.

    The government said that the expansion will enable the agency to collaborate more closely with the UK’s space sector, while promoting regional skills and job opportunities to deliver increasingly ambitious missions and capabilities.

    While the Edinburgh office will be opening later in the summer, the Welsh, Midlands, and Oxford offices are opening between April and June. The agency will also retain its offices in London and Swindon.

    The government also said, and as set out in the Space Industrial Plan, it’s committed to continuing support for space clusters across the UK and providing the tools needed to drive collaboration between them and catalyse further investment.

    The UK space sector is growing faster than the rest of the UK economy, worth over £17.5 billion per year and employing over 45,000 people, with satellites underpinning £360 billion per year of wider economic activity.

    Speaking on the announcement and Scotland’s space sector, Donald Cameron, the UK government minister for Scotland, said: “The Scottish space sector continues to go from strength to strength with the latest figures showing an almost £40 million increase in income and more than 100 new highly-skilled jobs with support from the UK government.

    “I welcome the UK Space Agency opening their first permanent Scottish office in Edinburgh and look forward to working closely together as this exciting sector continues to grow.”

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    Dr Hina Khan, executive director of Space Scotland, the industry-led initiative to support the Scots space ecosystem, added: “The opening of the UK Space Agency’s new office in Scotland is very welcomed by Space Scotland. We look forward to strengthening our partnership and fostering greater involvement with the UK Space Agency in developing the Scottish Space Ecosystem.

    “We eagerly anticipate the opportunities that this closer collaboration will bring, as we work hand in hand to leverage Scotland’s strengths and expertise. By fostering greater connectivity and cooperation, we can drive innovation, create new jobs, and propel Scotland’s space sector to even greater heights.”

  88. Novosound Secures Patent for Wearable Ultrasonic System

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    Novosound, the Scottish sensor technology scaleup, has secured a patent for its ultrasonic instrumentation system, with the firm recently launching its related Slanj platform targeted at the medical and wearable device sectors worldwide.

    The milestone marks Novosound’s 21st patent awarded since 2018, and gives the company the exclusive rights to sell the technology that has underpinned leading research in Scotland and the United States into wireless, wearable ultrasound.

    The company’s CEO and co-founder, Dr Dave Hughes, said: “I’m really proud that Novosound has obtained the first patent for a wearable ultrasound system. This allows us to integrate and license the technology with smartwatch partners, looking deeper into the body and enhancing the measurements their optical and electrical sensors provide, opening up the holy grail of 24/7 blood pressure monitoring on the wrist.”

    Novosound is also progressing patent applications for its wearable technology worldwide, while ongoing research and pilot projects—including muscle activity and blood pressure monitoring in smartwatches— are continuing with global tech firms, and also with institutions like the Texas Medical Center.

    Hughes added: “This technology builds on the legacy of ultrasound in Scotland, where it was first demonstrated as a medical diagnostic technique at the University of Glasgow in 1954, and now as a Scottish company moves it out of the hospital, into the home via a wearable device.”

    The company, which was the University of the West of Scotland’s first ever spinout in 2018, has raised over £10 million since, appointed former Intel executive David Jolliffe as CFO last year, while also announcing commercial contracts with Nasdaq-listed PAVmed Inc., and partnerships at the Texas Medical Center.

    The firm is forecasting its fourth year in a row of revenue growth.

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    The last time DIGIT covered Novosound was on the aforementioned transatlantic partnership with the Texas Medical Center.

    Todd Rosengart, vice president and DeBakey board chair of surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, based within the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, said that he’s “been very impressed with the Novosound technology and how we are applying it to a global clinical need, which we believe will save lives and could indeed become the next vital sign monitor.”

  89. AND Digital Grows Scottish Data Team Following Contract Wins

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    AND Digital, the tech consultancy, is expanding its data teams in Scotland following a string of contract wins from Google, Nationwide Building Society, and British Airways-owner IAG.

    Initially, between 10 and 15 of the 100 roles being created throughout the UK will be based at the company’s offices—or “clubs”—in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

    The firm will be training around 75 existing staff—or “ANDis”—to increase its existing data capabilities, as well as hiring a further 25 senior members of staff to help lead the new data business unit.

    AND Digital aims to treble the turnover from its data work in 2024.

    Tim Hatton, the newly appointed head of data at AND Digital, said: “Scotland is a major focus for our new data business unit, and so we’ll be creating up to 15 data roles in two of our clubs north of the border.

    “The expansion of our data team will be driven by demand from our new and existing clients, and so we may end up with even more staff working on data projects in Scotland.

    “Our dedicated data staff will be supported by other ANDis from our team with a wide set of skills, from front- and back-end developers through to software engineers and product analysts.

    “Our data projects draw on expertise from across our business, rather than treating data on its own in an exotic silo.”

    Hatton, who joined AND Digital in 2016 and moved into his new role in January, added: “Ten years ago, AND Digital disrupted the market for building digital products by introducing our agile way of working – and we’re now doing the same with data.

    “We use iterative steps, so that our clients can start using the core part of a project straightaway to help their customers, while we then add on extra features.

    “We’re also helping to change the culture that surrounds our clients’ use of data – training is one part of the process, yet it also goes deeper than that.

    “We help our clients to develop openness and transparency around their data, making sure the data is accessible to the people who need to use it, and giving those people trust in the security of the data, so that they can use it to experiment with new ways of helping their customers.”

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    AND Digital has created an operational data platform for British Airways-owner International Airlines Group, which helps the company to react more quickly to changes to schedules—such as crew shortages or aircraft maintenance—by making real-time adjustments to help passengers to reach their destinations.

    Google Digital Garage—which provides digital skills training to small businesses and organisations throughout the UK—brought in AND Digital to develop a series of training modules on topics including “Decision Making with Data” and “Telling Stories with Data Visualisation”.

  90. Scots Researchers Help Build AI Model for Identifying Pre-eclampsia Risks

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    University of Strathclyde researchers have helped build a potentially lifesaving AI model for identifying maternal risk in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia, a blood pressure condition.

    Pre-eclampsia occurs in between 2% and 4% of pregnancies, and is a leading global cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. It causes an estimated 46,000 maternal deaths, and half a million stillbirths and newborn deaths a year—nearly all occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

    The majority of pregnant women who develop pre-eclampsia have mild disease which ends soon after they give birth. However, around one in 10 of these women in the UK experience life-threatening or life-changing complications, such as stroke.

    The new preeclampsia risk-prediction model, which is based on machine learning, has been designed to be used internationally. Named PIERS-ML (Pre-eclampsia Integrated Estimate of Risk — Machine Learning), it consolidates two previous versions of the model. The research paper on it has been published in The Lancet Digital Health journal.

    Now the researchers—who are from the University of Strathclyde, as well as King’s College London—aim to develop an app for determining an individual woman’s risk of suffering adverse outcomes of pre-eclampsia after they are diagnosed.

    Tunde Csobán, a research assistant in Strathclyde’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and lead author of the paper, said: “Pre-eclampsia presents considerable, often fatal, risks to women and their children. There is an urgent need for an effective means of assessing these risks, so that they can be managed and support can be offered.”

    Speaking on the model, Dr Kimberley Kavanagh, senior lecturer in Strathclyde’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics and a co-author of the paper, said: “The model we have developed has been rigorously tested and shown to deliver fast, precise predictions of the risks, in a way which can be adapted to the individual circumstances of women around the world.

    “We hope to make it available on an app which can be used in clinical settings – and potentially save many lives.”

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    The project’s principal investigator, Peter von Dadelszen, Professor of global women’s health at King’s College London, further added: “We started developing a model that would objectively measure the risks of pre-eclampsia in 2001. We have now taken the data we obtained from the previous versions, fullPIERS and miniPIERS, and came up with the machine learning approach that produced the best model.”

    “One of the innovative things we have done with the modelling is to include the countries’ GDPs and their national maternal mortality ratios. Including these variables means that the model automatically adjusts according to where a woman is living and makes it a globally relevant model.”

    The study for the model recruited over 8,800 women from 53 maternal units in 11 different low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: Brazil; Fiji; Pakistan; South Africa; Uganda; Australia; Canada; Finland; New Zealand; the UK and the US. The maternal risk categories were defined as very low, low, moderate, high, or very high.

    The records of a further 2,900 women from south-east England were used for an external validation exercise for the model, which confirmed the performance of the main study.

  91. Vodafone-Three Merger Could Face In-depth CMA Probe

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    The UK’s competition regulator may launch an in-depth investigation into the proposed Vodafone-Three merger following an initial review that found it “could lead to higher prices for customers and lower investment in UK mobile networks.”

    Vodafone UK and Three UK are two major providers of mobile telecommunication services in the UK. Last year, both businesses announced a new joint venture agreement which would bring their 27 million customers under a new, single network provider.

    However, after a 40 working day Phase 1 review, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is concerned that the deal could lead to mobile customers facing higher prices and reduced quality.

    The CMA found that Vodafone UK and Three UK provide important alternatives for mobile customers, both have made significant investments in their networks in recent years—including the rollout of 5G—and that Three is also generally the cheapest of the four mobile network operators.

    The CMA is worried that combining the two businesses will lead to reduced rivalry between mobile operators to win new customers, as competitive pressure can help to keep prices low and provide incentive for network operators to improve their services by investing in network quality.

    Further, the regulator is concerned that the deal may make it difficult for smaller mobile “virtual” network operators, such as Sky Mobile, Lebara, and Lyca Mobile, to negotiate good deals for their own customers by reducing the number of mobile network operators capable of hosting virtual networks.

    When the proposed deal was announced last year, Margherita Della Valle, group chief executive of Vodafone, said it would be “great for customers, great for the country and great for competition.”

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    Julie Bon, Phase 1 decision-maker for this case, said: “Millions of people in the UK depend on effective competition in the mobile market in order to access the best deals for them.

    “Whilst Vodafone and Three have made a number of claims about how their deal is good for competition and investment, the CMA has not seen sufficient evidence to date to back these claims.

    “Our initial assessment of this deal has identified concerns which could lead to higher prices for customers and lower investment in UK mobile networks. These warrant an in-depth investigation unless Vodafone and Three can come forward with solutions.”

    Both Vodafone UK and Three UK have five working days to respond with “meaningful solutions” to the CMA, otherwise the deal will be referred to a more in-depth Phase 2 investigation.

  92. Transport Tech Innovations Backed by £1.8M UK Gov Funding

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    Many new concepts at the intersection of transport and technological innovation—such as self-driving parcel delivery boats—have been awarded investment from the UK government’s future transport fund.

    Anthony Browne, the decarbonisation, aviation, and technology minister, has today announced the 41 winning projects of the 2023 Transport Research and Innovation Grant (TRIG) competition. They will share more than £1.8 million between them.

    The TRIG scheme supports businesses and academics working on innovative ideas in the early stages of their research. Running for a decade, it’s funded more than 400 companies so far and provided over £14 million in investment.

    This year, a total of 83% of successful projects are located outside London, and 56% outside the wider South East region, with the University of Strathclyde being a Scotland-based winning recipient.

    The Scottish university’s project concerns using data analysis to identify ideal sites for electric heavy goods vehicle charging infrastructure across Scotland, supporting the industry’s transition to electric.

    Another project, from RAD Propulsion, looks to create a prototype self-driving boat that will make “last blue mile” parcel deliveries on UK waterways, aiming to cut road congestion and emissions, and improve air quality.

    Meanwhile, a project from tech firm OpenSpace considers how an AI tool can be used to tackle rail station disruption, using algorithms to optimise passenger flow and improve passenger experience.

    This year’s scheme focused on a number of different challenges in particular, including airports, local transport and maritime decarbonisation, AI, digital twins, the future of connectivity, and the future of freight.

    Commenting on the intersection of transport and tech innovation, as well as the new funding, minister Anthony Browne said: “We’re at the dawn of a new age for transport – AI can now help tackle universal challenges like station overcrowding or road congestion by using our historic waterways to deliver parcels by self-driving boat.

    “These hugely exciting initiatives represent the best of British innovation, showing it’s UK companies, backed by government funding, that are leading the way in this field, creating jobs and boosting our economy.”

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    Erika Lewis, chief executive at the Connected Places Catapult—the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities and transport which has collaboratively delivered the grant—added: “Transport Research and Innovation Grants support high-potential innovators to develop fresh ideas to tackle some of the UK’s most pressing transport challenges.

    “Grants have been awarded to projects right across the country covering many transport modes, with several recipients considering how technology developed for one sector could be transferred to another.

    “Alongside the funding, all 41 projects will receive specialist business support from Connected Places Catapult to help them realise their commercial potential.”

  93. What Are the Top Supply Chain Tech Trends for 2024?

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    Gartner, the technological research and consulting firm, has identified the top eight strategic supply chain technology trends for 2024.

    These eight trends are underpinned by two broad themes: new opportunities for competitive differentiation through the integration of humans and machines, and the need for supply chain leaders to leverage emerging tech to control and protect their businesses.

    “This year’s trends are driven by themes that encourage supply chain technology leaders to ensure their foundation can support both past and future investments, while also looking ahead for new differentiation opportunities,” remarked Christian Titze, VP analyst in Gartner’s supply chain practice.

    “AI variants continue to be both a driver of trends, such as in robotics, and a trend itself, this year represented by ‘Composite AI,’” he continued.

    The eight trends in supply chain technology for 2024 are:

    1. AI-enabled Vision Systems

    AI-enabled vision systems are novel hyper-automation solutions that combine industrial 3D cameras, computer vision software, and advanced AI pattern recognition technologies.

    These solutions can automatically capture, interpret, and make inferences based on the unstructured images the vision systems see in real-time.

    2. Augmented Connected Workforce

    Augmented connected workforce (ACWF) initiatives reduce the time required after onboarding for an employee to become fully productive and improve their decision-making.

    The ACWF is a strategy to optimise the value derived from a human worker by establishing a connective tissue that optimises the use of intelligent technology, workforce analytics, and skills augmentation.

    3. Next-gen Humanoid Working Robots

    Next-generation humanoid robots combine sensory awareness with mobile manipulation and dynamic locomotion to perform productive work that was previously relegated to biological humans.

    Humanoid robots will typically imitate the human body with a head with sensors and cameras for sensing its environment; a body that houses the power and mechanicals; arms and hands or grippers for grasping, manipulating, and carrying items; and legs for dynamic locomotion.

    4. Machine Customers

    Machine customers are non-human economic actors that autonomously obtain goods or services in exchange for payment.

    Examples include: IoT-connected devices or assets that place orders independently of a human command, intelligent replenishment algorithms that maintain availability of consumables, and intelligent assistants that suggest deals to consumers.

    5. Composite AI

    Composite AI is the combined application of multiple AI techniques to improve the efficiency and accuracy of learning to broaden the level of knowledge representations, and ultimately, solve a variety of business problems that drive supply chain performance improvements.

    The research firm advised that, depending on the context of a specific use case, different AI techniques—or more often a combination of techniques—will make more sense than relying any on a “one-size-fits-all” approach.

    6. Supply Chain Data Governance

    The emergence of powerful tools for advanced analytics and AI techniques is massively scaling the capabilities for cross-functional visibility, scenario modelling, and decision automation.

    As those technologies are increasingly adopted, the importance of maintaining a high level of data quality and strict governance process is becoming business mission critical, Gartner noted.

    7. End-to-end Sustainable Supply Chains

    Sustainability-related legislation is growing globally, driving a shift from voluntary to regulatory compliance.

    As a result, sustainability data accuracy needs to be uplifted from indicators to being investment grade to meet stakeholder requirements, while also driving internal decision-making, the research firm said.

    8. Cyber Extortion

    Cyber criminals are highly successful at executing ransomware attacks to extort funds from supply chain organisations. It’s highly likely that the power of AI will be utilised to generate advanced attack tools.

    In response, Gartner advised that supply chain technology should collaborate with IT leadership to confirm ransomware attack scenarios are included in the corporate risk management processes, and develop a detailed ransomware incident response playbook.

    Recommended reading

    Commenting on the eight above trends, Dwight Klappich, VP analyst and fellow in the Gartner supply chain practice, remarked: “These technology trends are not isolated, but rather interconnected and mutually reinforcing.”

    “Their importance will differ not only by organisational maturity, but also by industry, business needs and previously devised strategic plans.

    “Innovative supply chain leaders will connect strategies and investments between multiple trends to help deliver on their mission-critical goals this year,” he added.

  94. Gemini Turns One: Has the AI Chatbot’s First Year Been a Success?

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    November 30th 2022 served as a catalysing moment for Big Tech: It was the date that OpenAI officially launched its artificial intelligence-powered chatbot, ChatGPT.

    Amid an AI frenzy, Google announced its own competing generative AI system shortly after, which was also capable of understanding and responding to text-based prompts and queries.

    The product in question, Bard—now known as Gemini—began its initial roll out to users on March 21st 2023. And with today being March 21st 2024, it’s now been an entire year since the product first became publicly available.

    To commemorate Gemini’s one year anniversary, we’ve recapped key milestones thus far, heard from seasoned chatbot users about what they think of the product, and also posed the question: has the chatbot’s first year been a success?

    But first, here’s a quick recap of Gemini and the technology underpinning it.

    What is Gemini?

    Gemini is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot. It can respond and reply to questions and requests on a diverse range of subjects, ranging from “what were yesterday’s top global news stories,” to “create a marketing plan for a new business,” to “explain quantum mechanics.”

    Here’s an example in which, after our text-based prompt (prompts can also be sent via microphone, or accompanied by a photo—meaning it’s multimodal), Gemini explains what our website is after leveraging information from Google search.

    gemini screenshot 2

    The Gemini chatbot is ultimately an interface to a large language model—the technology that provides it with the ability to do and act. Large language models (LLMs) are trained on massive amounts of data, and are built on machine learning neural networks.

    The model which powers the Gemini chatbot is also called Gemini, perhaps confusingly. As it stands, the latest version of the model is Gemini 1.5, a version that Google has described as “next-generation,” not least due to its mixture-of-experts (MoE) architecture. Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google DeepMind—the company’s AI research lab—explains what this is here.

    The Gemini model also comes in three variations: Gemini Nano, a smaller model for mobile; Gemini Pro, an all-purpose model for a wide range of tasks; and Gemini Ultra, the largest and most capable model of the three variations, built for more complex tasks.

    All in all, Gemini is multifaceted: It’s a chatbot, a large language model, and a family of model variations, simultaneously.

    However, it’s only been since February 2024 that the Gemini chatbot has been called Gemini, with Bard being its prior name. (More on this later.)

    Key Milestones in Gemini’s First Year

    Gemini’s first year is perhaps best described as mixed: While it’s been able to assist people across the globe in myriad impressive ways, there have also been some blunders, notably with some of the chatbot’s marketing and its image-generation capabilities.

    Let’s take a look at these key milestones, both positive and negative, though starting with a story that technically took place before Gemini became publicly available—but was memorable nonetheless.

    The James Webb Space Telescope Incident
    Just days after Bard was announced in early February 2023, Google showed a small demo of Bard’s answering capabilities. However, the chatbot mistakenly presented inaccurate information regarding the James Webb Space Telescope.

    It wrongly asserted that the telescope took the very first photos of a planet outside our own solar system. It was, instead, the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope.

    This then caused Google’s parent company, Alphabet, to lose around $100 billion in market value.

    Bard’s Official Rollout
    Bard began rolling out to the public, albeit in a limited way, on March 21st 2023—just over a month after it was first announced by Google.

    While Google noted that Bard can be used to “boost your productivity, accelerate your ideas and fuel your curiosity” in its launch post, the company also took time to acknowledge that LLMs can face a range of issues, not least with inaccuracies and bias.

    As was written last year: “Because they learn from a wide range of information that reflects real-world biases and stereotypes, those sometimes show up in their outputs. And they can provide inaccurate, misleading or false information while presenting it confidently.”

    Bard initially utilised Google’s LaMDA model, short for “Language Model for Dialogue Applications.”

    Gemini 1.0 Released
    Towards the tail end of 2023, another key milestone happened: the release of the aforementioned and very first Gemini model, 1.0, and its three accompanying variations.

    As my colleague, Graham Turner, wrote on December 6th 2023: “Gemini’s introduction was accompanied by a demonstration of its ability to do stuff better than humans.

    “Notably, Google claims that Gemini Ultra outperforms human experts on the massive multitask language understanding benchmark, showcasing its proficiency in tasks spanning maths, physics, history, law and medicine.

    “In the realm of multimodal tasks, Gemini exhibits excellence, surpassing previous state-of-the-art models. Its native multimodality and advanced reasoning capabilities position it as a promising contender for applications in various fields, from scientific research to financial analysis.”

    The Gemini 1.0 Video Debacle
    Accompanying the Gemini 1.0 release was a very impressive marketing video, showcasing its multimodal prowess with understanding images, making connections between stimuli, creating games, explaining facts, and more.

    However, the video itself was edited—it wasn’t shot in real time, nor was the demo carried out via voice prompts. After Bloomberg enquired, a Google spokesperson said that the video was created “using still image frames from the footage, and prompting via text,” rather than in real-time and through voice.

    In the YouTube video’s description, Google also stipulated that “For the purposes of this demo, latency has been reduced and Gemini outputs have been shortened for brevity.”

    The Bard to Gemini Rename
    As previously mentioned, Bard was officially renamed to Gemini in early February 2024. Though the Bard name offered differentiation, Google opted to forego it.

    Commenting on why, Sissie Hsiao, vice president and general manager of Gemini experiences and Google Assistant, said: “Our mission with Bard has always been to give you direct access to our AI models, and Gemini represents our most capable family of models. To reflect this, Bard will now simply be known as Gemini.”

    CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, also said: “Bard has been the best way for people to directly experience our most capable models. To reflect the advanced tech at its core, Bard will now simply be called Gemini.”

    Gemini Model Upgraded to 1.5
    Also in February 2024, Google released an upgraded Gemini model: 1.5.

    As DIGIT staff writer Elizabeth Greenberg said when covering it: “Google Deepmind has released a new generation of its AI model, Gemini, with a new advanced version 1.5.

    “The updated model claims to offer a ‘breakthrough’ in long-context understanding. Essentially, the model can process more information than before, running up to 1 million tokens [a token is a unit of data used by AI] consistently, which Google says is the longest context window of any large-scale foundation model out so far.

    “Gemini 1.5 is supposed to offer ‘dramatic improvements’ in various dimensions, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google and Alphabet said.”

    At the time of writing, Gemini 1.5 is the latest model powering the Gemini chatbot.

    Gemini’s Image-generation of People Paused
    Another notable event from February 2024 was the pausing of Gemini’s image-generation capabilities of people—three weeks after being introduced.

    As my colleague Elizabeth Greenberg explained, this came “After a flurry of posts on X allegedly showed the AI art generator neglecting to create art with white people, or generating what many classified as historically inaccurate or ‘overly diverse’ depictions of different people.”

    Google pointed to two reasons for why this happened. “First, our tuning to ensure that Gemini showed a range of people failed to account for cases that should clearly <i<not show a range,” Prabhakar Raghavan, Google’s senior vice president, wrote.

    “And second, over time, the model became way more cautious than we intended and refused to answer certain prompts entirely — wrongly interpreting some very anodyne prompts as sensitive.”

    “These two things led the model to overcompensate in some cases, and be over-conservative in others, leading to images that were embarrassing and wrong.”

    Election Queries Become Restricted
    The most recent milestone, which happened last week, concerns the restriction of election-related queries from users.

    Covering the story for DIGIT was also Elizabeth Greenberg: “In an effort to dispel misinformation, Google has announced that all election-related questions will be restricted on its AI chatbot Gemini.

    “The new restrictions will begin rolling out in India ahead of their upcoming elections, but Google has indicated that the same restrictions will come into effect in other countries with elections this year, including in the US and UK.”

    As a UK-based user, if I now ask “who could win the upcoming UK election?,” the chatbot says that it’s “still learning how to answer this question. In the meantime, try Google Search.”

    Has the Chatbot’s First Year Been a Success?

    As evidenced by the notable milestones, which show both successes and difficulties, the first year of Gemini has been fluctuant. But perhaps this was always going to be the case where generative artificial intelligence technology is concerned—because while, generally-speaking, there’s certainly been rapid advancement within recent years, it’s still rather early days.

    DIGIT spoke to one seasoned chatbot user in particular, Tom Pallot, head of marketing at the Definition agency. He utilises an assortment of generative AI products—including Gemini—and spoke on some of the positive and negative aspects of the tool itself.

    As Pallot told us: “I use Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude regularly—both at work and in a personal capacity. My company has built its own private environment, which means I can use ChatGPT, DALL-E 3, and Claude in one place. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses, so the key is using them to their strengths to get the best outcome.

    “Gemini has live internet access, which makes it great for research and problem-solving. But because it’s not within our private environment,” he began to explain, “It’s no use for tasks that involve confidential or personal data.”

    “It’s worth making the point that Gemini is a significant improvement on Bard,” he also noted. “That said, false information and hallucinations do still happen.”

    Pallot has obviously deemed Gemini’s capabilities successful enough to incorporate it into his roster of AI tools—and is one of the millions of visitors Gemini receives each month. (According to data on SimilarWeb, the web analytics and traffic platform, the URL gemini.google.com received over 400 million visits between around February 18th 2024 and March 16th 2024.)

    But considering that Gemini is a generative chatbot, it only makes sense that it itself is asked about its overall successfulness over the last 12 months. Its reply was what you’d expect from current AI chatbots when asked such a question: somewhat guarded. However, it did end with a positive sentiment about its future.

    Gemini screenshot 1

    Do you think Gemini’s first year has been a success? Do you prefer using it over other AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT? Let us know your thoughts and opinions via X and LinkedIn, as well as email at editor@digit.fyi.

  95. Microsoft Hires DeepMind Co-founder Mustafa Suleyman

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    Suleyman is best known as the co-founder of DeepMind, an AI research lab that was bought by Google in 2014. He’s also the co-founder of Inflection AI, a company that’s been developing machine learning and generative AI hardware and apps since 2022.

    Following his appointment to Microsoft, the entrepreneur will now lead on all of the Big Tech company’s consumer AI products and research—which includes Copilot, Bing, and Edge.

    To take on the role, Suleyman will be moving away from his role as CEO at Inflection AI, a position he’s held since the company was first founded.

    Inflection’s new chief executive has been named as Sean White, who has previously served in high-profile roles such as chief R&D officer for Mozilla.

    At Microsoft AI, Suleyman will be joined by Karén Simonyan, another of Inflection AI’s co-founders, who will serve as chief scientist at the department.

    Numerous artificial intelligence engineers, researchers, and builders from Inflection AI will also move to Microsoft alongside the two co-founders.

    Suleyman’s full announcement post on X reads: “I’m excited to announce that today I’m joining @Microsoft as CEO of Microsoft AI. I’ll be leading all consumer AI products and research, including Copilot, Bing and Edge. My friend and longtime collaborator Karén Simonyan will be Chief Scientist, and several of our amazing teammates have chosen to join us.

    “@InflectionAI will continue on its mission under a new CEO, and look to reach more people than ever by making its API widely available to developers and businesses the world over.

    “It’s been an amazing journey, with so much more to come. Thank you to everyone for your support. Things really are just getting started.”

    Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, shared a blog post on Suleyman’s appointment, in which he said: “I’ve known Mustafa for several years and have greatly admired him as a founder of both DeepMind and Inflection, and as a visionary, product maker, and builder of pioneering teams that go after bold missions.”

    Recommended reading

    The recruitment of Mustafa Suleyman is but the latest move by Microsoft to help secure its advancement in the world of AI.

    Just months ago, Microsoft hired another artificial intelligence pioneer, OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman, albeit briefly.

    Altman was initially ousted by OpenAI’s board due to concerns around his ability to lead. However, and just days after being fired, Altman returned to the company he co-founded following an agreement “in principle” that was reached.

  96. Scots Spacetech Krucial to Lead Global Water Monitoring Project

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    Krucial, the Scottish scaleup which uses space tech to provide digital solutions anywhere on Earth, has been awarded a contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a new water monitoring solution.

    This comes following an initiative launched by the ESA in 2023, called “Digitising Water Resilience — Acting on Water Stress in Basins.”

    Krucial, which recently raised further funding of £3 million, will lead a consortium for the project, which includes the University of Strathclyde, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), agtech startup Deep Planet, and analytics and artificial intelligence firm SAS.

    The new water-resilience monitoring and analysis solution will combine multiple data sets, including in-situ ground sensor data, weather data, and space-based data, moving this data from river basins to a cloud-computing platform via Krucial’s hybrid connectivity tech.

    The data analytics platform, powered by AI and Internet of Things (IoT) analytics from SAS, will be able to analyse water levels and water quality for the Earth’s 100 most populous river basins.

    The platform will continuously provide derived data to policymakers, scientists, businesses, and government agencies to help them make better decisions about managing precious water resources.

    River basins provide water for billions of people worldwide, and with a reduction in freshwater supply expected in the coming years, the project seeks to drive interventions to reduce water usage, minimise pollution, and improve water resilience globally.

    The technology is also anticipated to benefit agriculture, aquaculture, and others who rely on water for business operations. They too can use the information from the platform to manage water resources, monitor flooding and drought risks, and increase sustainability.

    Recommended reading

    Commenting on the news, Allan Cannon, co-founder and CEO of Krucial, said: “This project has the potential to improve the lives of billions of people, using the latest space and analytics technology to benefit water basins across every corner of the globe by enabling data-led interventions and practices.

    “Without access to the insights that our combined solution will provide, it is impossible to take the necessary steps to tackle water stress, and I’m extremely proud that Krucial is leading the fight against climate change on multiple fronts.

    “I’m confident that the end solution will be a game-changer for policymakers, businesses and communities as we face ever-increasing stress in freshwater supply. With backing from the European Space Agency and some of the biggest companies on earth, we have the chance to achieve something truly transformative for the planet.”

    The project has received support from Jacobs, Clean International and Lovexair Foundation.

  97. Women-led AI Startups Left Behind When It Comes to Investment

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    New research from The Alan Turing Institute has found that UK-based, women-led artificial intelligence (AI) startups are being left behind when it comes to investment, despite the influx of cash.

    The national institute for data science and AI’s latest paper, Rebalancing Innovation: Women, AI, and Venture Capital in the UK (Second Report), analysed the venture capital (VC) put into AI startups by sector.

    It discovered that the gender gap in the AI software subsector is particularly evident, with only 0.7% of the total capital invested since 2010—which amounts to £10.5 billion—being awarded to startups led by women.

    What’s more, women-led companies account for only 4% of the total number of startups in the subsector, compared to the all-male founding teams which make up 78% of firms, and who have raised 77% of the total capital invested.

    The new report builds on prior work undertaken by the research team, who found that across all AI sectors, the average capital raised per deal by a female-founded AI company is 6x lower (£1.3m) than the average capital raised by all-male founding teams (£8.6m).

    Also underscored in the first report was the extensive gender disparity of VC firm decision-makers investing in AI: 95.5% of VC firm decision-making teams are majority male, 1.8% have equal representation, and just 2.7% are majority female.

    In response to the collected findings, the researchers are recommending that investors ringfence capital for women and underrepresented founders working in AI.

    Furthermore, they suggest that it should be mandatory for investors to collect and report their diversity data—not least when investing in new technologies. This could involve enforcing VC firms to sign the Investing in Women Code, where signatories are required to do so.

    The authors also propose that the government—and other funding bodies—instil a culture of co-investment, and establish mentoring communities and syndicates for women in tech as to provide mentorship, education, and networking opportunities.

    Recommended reading

    Dr Erin Young, who’s a research fellow at The Alan Turing Institute and also a report author, commented on the collective findings: “We’re concerned that women-led startups are being left behind, and it’s particularly worrying in large sectors with high investment and little gender diversity like AI software.

    “This sector is booming, experiencing enormous investment but almost all of the capital invested is being awarded to businesses founded only by men.

    “Policy reform must focus on the inclusion of women and under-represented groups in this space to have tangible impact on equity and innovation.”

    Professor Helen Margetts, director of the public policy programme at institute, further remarked: “The lack of gender diversity in technology, and specifically in AI, constrains the wide variety of perspectives needed to encourage innovation.

    “This important research shows there’s a lot of work to be done but prioritising gender diversity is crucial to ensure we have a well-rounded and versatile economy.”

  98. Tech Verticals Among UK’s Best and Worst Sectors for Growth Last Month

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    10 of the 14 total sectors monitored by the Bank of Scotland’s UK Sector Tracker last month reported output growth. This was two more than in January (8), the most since April 2023 (10), and pointed to a broadening expansion of growth across the UK economy.

    In particular, software services—which includes software consulting and data processing firms—saw output grow at the sharpest rate of any monitored sector in February (57.5). The sector was closely followed by financial services (57.4), which includes banks, insurers, and investment services firms.

    However, another tech-related sector was among those who had the fastest rates of contraction: the technology equipment manufacturing sector (43.2).

    A reading on the tracker above 50.0 indicates expansion, while a read below this number stipulates contraction.

    What led to output growth?
    Output growth in the tracked service sectors was driven by growing demand, Bank of Scotland, which is part of the Lloyds Banking Group, said. In February, the tracker’s index for service sector demand climbed to 53.5 — its highest level since May 2023.

    However, in manufacturing, new orders fell for the 11th month in a row (45.4). Tracker data suggests that manufacturing output growth was instead driven by firms running down backlogs of unfinished work, while businesses also indicated they were proactively increasing production in response to an improvement in underlying conditions.

    In February, the new balance of manufacturers that expect their output to be higher in 12 months’ time rose to the highest level since August 2023, as firms reported reduced recession concerns.

    Global supply chain disruptions
    Alongside broadening output growth, February data provided further indications that global supply chain disruption, along with wage pressures, were potentially starting to increase costs for UK businesses.

    In February, the tracker’s index of input price inflation rose to its highest level in six months. This came as more manufacturers reported shipping delays than at any time since 2022, while the number of businesses reporting rising shipping costs climbed to a 15-month high.

    As a result, the rate at which prices charged to customers rose also increased marginally in February, albeit less sharply than input costs, suggesting that businesses were not passing the full extent of cost increases onto their clients.

    Although the tracker’s measure of wage cost pressures dropped to a four-month low in February, wages continued to be cited as a key cost driver.

    Recommended reading

    Expert perspectives
    Speaking on the findings, Nikesh Sawjani, senior UK economist at Lloyds Bank, commented: “Growth is continuing to spread to more and more parts of the UK economy as conditions improve.

    “This positive momentum, alongside last week’s GDP data showing the UK economy expanded in January, provides more evidence that early 2024 is less likely to experience the pattern of economic contraction seen in the second half of last year.”

    Scott Barton, managing director of Lloyds Bank Corporate & Institutional Banking, also added: “It’s encouraging that we are seeing activity increase across more parts of the UK economy. Moreover, a further rise in output expectations across most sectors suggests these trends have further to go.

    “However, the data also shows that the impact of renewed supply chain disruptions is a headwind that firms will need to carefully navigate.

    “Similarly, if firms are ramping-up production in anticipation of future demand, it’s critical that they consider how they can build the inventory they need and where to invest in their businesses while still protecting their working capital.

    “Getting this balance right will mean they can continue to be financially agile and able to mitigate against any sudden movements in the economy or external environment.”

  99. Staffscanner to Expand Following £960K Scottish Enterprise Investment

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    Staffscanner, the Glasgow-based tech company and staff provider, is aiming to triple in size following a grant award of almost £1 million from Scottish Enterprise.

    The firm has developed a platform and recruitment solution for care homes and NHS Trusts, and will use the £960,000 grant towards a £5 million project to develop its technology and add 80 new jobs — taking its team from 40 to 120 employees.

    Staffscanner provides a tool for both care providers and care workers to use, where employees can control their work pattern and book shifts, and employers can quickly assess skills and book staff.

    As it stands, over 40,000 healthcare professionals and more than 1,000 care services are on the Staffscanner platform. The company has plans for 2024 that include expansion within the Scottish and English care home market, and continued support to UK local authorities and the NHS.

    Commenting on Staffscanner and the funding it’s received, Scottish Enterprise managing director of business growth, Rhona Allison, said: “The healthtech solution Staffscanner provides to the dual challenges of an ageing population and fluctuating health and social care recruitment is truly innovative.

    “Scottish Enterprise’s new focus on driving economic transformation will enable businesses, like Staffscanner, to deliver high value jobs, boost their levels of innovation, productivity and global growth opportunities to create wealth for Scotland’s economy.”

    Staffscanner’s co-founder Reza Najafian was inspired to start the business because of his mother Alice, who was a nurse, as well as from his own experience working in a care home over many years.

    Najafian also owns Silverburn Care Home in Glasgow, and created Staffscanner in 2017 having experienced the first-hand challenges of recruiting valuable staff in health care.

    Recommended reading

    Najafian said: “Our digital platform is revolutionising the care sector as it helps solve traditional challenges that care providers have experienced as well as improving transparency and efficiency to ultimately provide more time for what’s important — the provision of high-quality care for vulnerable people.

    “We have exciting plans this year as we look to grow in key markets across the public and private sector in the UK as well as internationally with a service that we feel puts the care back into care management.

    “A key factor in our growth has been the ability to access support from Scottish Enterprise as we further develop our business and aim to enter new markets in healthcare.”