Plans for world class research centre in the UK

The UK Government is creating a world class research institute specialising in data science dedicated to World War II code breaker Alan Turing. Chancellor George Osborne made the announcement in his Budget 2014 statement.

The Alan Turing Institute for Data Science will benefit from a £42m (~€50) of government investment over five years that will strengthen the UK’s aims to be a world leader in the analysis and application of big data. The government said it will also ensure that the UK is at the forefront of data science in a rapidly moving, globally competitive area, enabling first class research in an environment that brings together theory and practical application.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research estimated that the big data marketplace could benefit the UK economy by £216bn (€258.7bn) and create 58,000 new jobs in the UK before 2017. Furthermore, a recent report from Deloitte estimates that the direct value of public sector information alone to the UK economy is around £1.8bn (€2.2bn) per year, with wider social and economic benefits bringing this up to around £6.8bn (€8.1bn).

Research by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta) also shows that UK data-driven firms are 40% more likely to report launching products and services ahead of their non-data savvy competitors.

The Institute will collaborate and work closely with other e-infrastructure and big-data investments across the UK Research Base including the Open Data Institute, Catapult Network, ARCHER and the Hartree Centre.

Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said: “Creating a world class institute dedicated to data science will secure the UK’s place as a global leader in this field and bring significant future benefits to the UK’s economy and society. The pioneering work carried out at the Institute will be a fitting tribute to Alan Turing.”