Bid to help Scots capitalise on computing talent
An initiative that seeks to turn Scotland’s best computing talent into the next generation of technical entrepreneurs is being launched today (Friday) at the University of Edinburgh.
The £29 million, five-year project will harness the best informatics and computing science talent – encompassing next generation internet, artificial intelligence, software engineering and neuroscience – from 10 universities, together with investors.
Scotland is considered to be a key player in this emerging sector, and is home to many of the world’s leading researchers in the field.
Under the scheme, those taking part will be encouraged to collaborate on research and commercialise the emerging ideas, including creation of new companies.
The Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (Sicsa) will be supported by regular networking events. It will also support the entrepreneurial education of students and researchers, through mentoring, on-line learning facilities and university bursaries.
Colin Adams, Director of Commercialisation at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics, said: “Most new companies are started by young people with great ideas who are given strong support in bringing their ideas to market.
“Scotland punches above its weight in computing expertise – we have a massive pool of talent in our universities and a strong track record in bringing technical innovation to market. I hope this initiative will help to harness the next generation of young creative entrepreneurs.”
Sicsa is supported by the Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Enterprise, and the European Regional Development Fund. The pool has been founded by the Universities of Aberdeen, Abertay, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, Stirling and Strathclyde, along with Heriot-Watt University and the Robert Gordon University.