Data innovation drive receives £6m government funding boost
I like the public services component of this new funding and the opportunities it might bring to address some of the rural inequalities we face through data focused solutions.
Innovate UK is providing £6m over three years to the Open Data Institute (ODI), to advance knowledge and expertise in how data can shape the next generation of public and private services, and create economic growth. Now in its sixth year, the ODI works to build a strong, fair and sustainable data ecosystem by helping businesses and governments around the world get data to people who need it.
Over three years, the work will enable the UK to build on its established strengths in data and data analytics, break new ground in creating value from data across industry, and ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of data innovation globally.
It will include a number of projects chosen by the ODI to progress strategically important areas: building data infrastructure, improving data literacy, stimulating data innovation and progressing the ethical use of data. In the first year of the programme, work will focus on creating economic, and social benefits from data, answering a range of key innovation questions and meeting business needs, including:
- How can organisations make better technological and business model decisions by capitalising on emerging trends such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and measures that provide greater control over personal data?
- How are data and technology innovation communities spread across the UK, and what are their links with our top academic and business institutions? What does this tell us about where Government should invest, and where businesses should establish themselves?
- What are the most effective data-enabled public services? What lessons can they offer to other public sector workers developing services? And what new models can we uncover through experimentation?
- How can government, businesses and communities work together to maintain data? How can they collaborate to ensure that data from multiple sources can be understood and combined easily?