A new three-year programme has been announced by the Digital Catapult and the Future Cities Catapult to support and advance the UK’s Internet of Things (IoT) capability.
Launched last week as part of the government’s £40 million investment in the Internet of Things, IoTUK will explore how this new level of connectivity can be used to drive business and economic growth, enable better services and improve quality of life.
“The Internet of Things has huge potential to transform the way that people live and work in cities,” commented Peter Madden, chief executive of the Future Cities Catapult.
“Businesses and academics in the UK have been at the forefront of innovation in this area. Through this exciting project, we want to build on this and help deliver a double dividend to the country, by both greatly improving urban quality of life and at the same time positioning UK businesses for a rapidly growing global market.”
The national programme aims to play a central role in enabling IoT entrepreneurship and will collaborate with organisations in a wide range of sectors including cities, health and industrial applications.
In particular, IoTUK will focus on enabling the UK’s businesses and public sector to make advances in areas such as security and trust, data interoperability and design development.
Neil Crockett, chief executive of the Digital Catapult, said: “We are at a pivotal point in the evolution of the Internet of Things and the UK needs to be ready to maximise the incredible potential of smart technology. But this is not about talking fridges. This is about systematic operability, artificial intelligence, machine automation and about how devices can and will change business models and supply chains.
“The societal impact from improving city infrastructure through to making IoT healthcare a reality is huge, and the UK needs to be at the cusp of these things to stay ahead.”
Tags: Internet of Things
