A new £11.3 million innovation centre dedicated to helping Scotland capitalise on the growing market in analytics and ‘big data’ technology is set to open later this year. The investment is projected to return a minimum of 345 new jobs and an additional £155 million of value to the Scottish Economy.
The Data Lab, the name for the centre and funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and with support from Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, will revolutionise the way in which Scottish industry develops and applies cutting-edge analytics and data science techniques to capture new market opportunities and boost productivity.
The centre will build on innovation from Scotland’s world-leading university sector and transform the way in which industry, public sector and academic institutions collaborate. The Data Lab bid was industry-led, headed by the Scottish Technology Advisory Group’s Big Data Lead, ScotlandIS, Lockheed Martin, DC Thomson-owned brightsolid and SAS, one of the world’s largest software companies. With hub locations in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, Data Lab’s focus will be on the digital technology, energy, financial services, healthcare and public sector markets.
Laurence Howells, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said: “Tablets, kindles, mobile phones, online shopping; we all use and generate massive amounts of data each day. Our £11.3 million investment will support The Data Lab to develop innovative techniques that will improve many aspects of our lives, from efficient energy use, personalised online shopping, through to faster and more effective medical care.”