Scotland is seeking to unlock IoT opportunities for local businesses through a joint research partnership at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, which sees CENSIS, the country’s IoT innovation centre, set up a new east coast ‘hub’ at the university’s Global Research, Innovation and Discovery (GRID) facility. The arrangement is geared to help Scottish businesses explore opportunities “presented through advanced digital technologies”.
Scotland claims a “growing reputation” for IoT, plus related sensing and imaging technologies, said a statement; the sector contributes more than £2.5 billion per year to the Scottish economy as part of a global market worth over $600 billion, it said. The additional CENSIS site, located at the university’s GRID research facility on its Riccarton Campus will further support the CENSIS mission to bring IoT into the hands of Scottish businesses.
Heriot-Watt University and CENSIS have worked together for a decade, since the latter’s foundation; researchers and engineers from the two institutions have jointly developed an IoT sensing system to detect possible Covid-19 related particles and contaminants in the air. The solution was adopted in local dental surgeries. A statement said the pair are developing IoT solutions for health and social care, agriculture, and security and manufacturing.
Heriot-Watt University has recently bolstered its commercialisation team, it said, in order to “grow” the tech cohesion between academic, enterprise, and startup groups. The university has been closely engaged with the Scotland 5G Centre, also, to develop proofs and products based on 5G network technology to also stimulate Scottish enterprises, and find smarter solutions for national and regional challenges in various sectors.
David Richardson, chief entrepreneurial executive at Heriot-Watt Enterprise, said: “CENSIS is a great supporter for companies aiming to develop or get started with IoT and sensing, and a natural fit for our GRID facility. Together, we aim to positively contribute to Scotland’s economy by encouraging further innovation in technologies that drive real-world impact for businesses and organisations.”
Paul Winstanley, chief executive at CENSIS said: “We have worked closely with the university’s academic partners [for a] decade, but having a permanent base at the campus will… lead to greater collaboration and unlock further opportunities. By joining up academic expertise with Scottish businesses we can aid the development of even more technology-led processes and products that can boost efficiency, health and safety, and even cut carbon emissions.”
