UK Big Data Research Receives £313 Million Boost

STFC and information technology leader IBM celebrated a partnership to boost Big Data Research in the UK, following the unveiling of a £313 million funding scheme by Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson at the beginning of June.

Following on from Government’s £113 million commitment in the Autumn Statement to expand the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) run Hartree Centre at the Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire over the next five years, IBM will further support the project with a package of technology and onsite expertise worth up to £200 million. This will include access to the latest data-centric and cognitive computing technologies, including its world-class ‘Watson’ cognitive computing platform; at least 24 IBM researchers to be based at the Hartree Centre to work side-by-side with existing researchers; joint commercialisation of intellectual property assets produced in partnership with STFC, which runs the Hartree Centre.

“We live in an information economy – from the smart devices we use every day to the super-computers that helped find the Higgs Boson, the power of advanced computing means we now have access to vast amounts of data, “ said Minister for Universities and Science Jo Johnson.  “This partnership with IBM, which builds on our £113 million investment to expand the Hartree Centre, will help businesses make the best use of Big Data to develop better products and services that will boost productivity, drive growth and create jobs.”

David Stokes, Chief Executive for IBM in the UK and Ireland, said: “We’re at the dawn of a new era of cognitive computing, during which advanced datacentric computing models and open innovation approaches will allow technology to greatly augment decision-making capabilities for business and government. The expansion of our collaboration with STFC builds upon Hartree's successful engagement with industry and its record in commercialising technological developments, and provides a world-class environment using Watson and OpenPOWER technologies to extend the boundaries of Big Data and cognitive computing.”