A new £100 million institute, based in the centre of Bristol, is set to transform the way we create, utilise and evaluate new digital technologies to benefit our society now and in the future.
The Bristol Digital Futures Institute (BDFI) will deliver world-leading research into how new technologies will be developed, used and experienced. In a unique collaboration, University of Bristol engineers will work with social scientists and with tech giants, corporations, local government and community partners to answer these big questions and create transformational technologies for the future.
Frazer-Nash will be working with University of Bristol and others to research how technology can transform the future.
Based in the University’s new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, due to open in 2022, the BDFI will involve 200 people in its research and innovation. It will study a range of scenarios that consider the implications of living in a data driven society, and share this knowledge to help create a better digital world.
Professor Hugh Brady, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, said:
“So many of the research solutions to contemporary global challenges are now discovered through creative collisions at the interface of traditional academic disciplines.
“The new Bristol Digital Futures Institute will apply this multidisciplinary paradigm to exploration of our rapidly evolving digital world. We are creating a unique research ecosystem where world-class engineers, computer scientists, social and behavioural scientists, psychologists and legal scholars can work shoulder to shoulder with our partners from industry, social enterprises and civic organisations exploring the opportunities and challenges posed by new digital technologies.”
Frazer-Nash Managing Director, Neil McDougall, said:
“At Frazer-Nash we harness creativity and innovation to deliver competitive advantage. We’re committed to helping our clients to wrestle with the challenges and opportunities of the ever-increasing digital revolution. Our people care about the work they do, and they all work to make a real difference to the world around them. We’re proud to support the Bristol Digital Futures Institute, as we believe that its work will make a real difference too.
“As one of the UK’s leading systems and engineering technology companies, we are committed to supporting the very best transformational university-led research and development opportunities for the benefit of our customers, for the UK economy, and for society as a whole. We believe that the Bristol Digital Futures Institute is set to play an important role in meeting this objective. I know that our people are looking forward to collaborating with the institute and working together on some of its ground-breaking research.”
The BDFI will be funded by a £29 million grant from the Research England Research Partnership Investment Fund (RPIF), plus £71 million of match funding from partners. Companies who have pledged their support include Frazer-Nash, Aardman, Airbus, Hargreaves Lansdown, Thales UK Ltd and Digital Catapult.
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