[14/04/2022] Professor John Vines, Chair of Design Informatics in the School of Informatics, Is set to co-direct the new Centre for Investing Innovation with funding of £7.5 million over five years provided by the global asset manager, abrdn. Image The Centre is a result of an industry-academic partnership that the University of Edinburgh have formed with abrdn, to deliver innovation by encouraging collaboration between academics and business experts in a range of disciplines. The partnership is led at the University by the Schools of Mathematics and Informatics, and will be based within the Edinburgh Futures Institute. Alan Coutts, Investment Chief Operating Officer, abrdn, will chair the Centre's Strategic Opportunities and Futures Board, with Sotirios Sabanis, Director of Knowledge Exchange at the School of Mathematics, acting as lead for the University of Edinburgh as Centre Director. John Vines will be the Centre’s co-director and has been working closely with the team to establish this partnership. This new centre will fuse the expertise we have at the University to creatively explore the societal and economic implications of data-driven technologies, with our research capabilities in data science, financial modelling, machine learning, natural language processing, explainable AI, and much more. The centre will fund many collaborative projects between colleagues at the University and collaborators at abrdn, with topics co-created and defined with our industry partners. Professor John VinesChair of Design Informatics, School of Informatics The centre will initially focus on three key areas, with multiple projects funded each year around the following themes: ‘Sustainability’ will focus on environmental, social and governance factors and how they are embedded in the investment process. It will also explore how innovative investment practices can benefit society. ‘Thematic investing’ aims to harness the insights of both abrdn and the University to expand delivery of innovative future themes of positive return. ‘Innovating investing’ will further guide and embed technology, data science and artificial intelligence into abrdn’s business to support investors to drive future client-led growth and improve efficiency. The partnership has been supported by Edinburgh Innovations, the University’s commercialisation service. Related links Link to abrdn announcement of £7.5m Centre for Investing Innovation Partnership mailing list This article was published on 2024-03-18
