Tag: technology

Experts convene for day one of first global AI Safety Summit

  • The US, France, Singapore, Italy, Japan and China among nations confirmed to attend Bletchley Park Summit
  • historic venue will play host to crucial talks around risks and opportunities posed by rapid advances in frontier AI
  • Secretary of State Michelle Donelan to call for international collaboration to mitigate risks of AI

Leading AI nations, businesses, civil society and AI experts will convene at Bletchley Park today (Wednesday 1 November) for the first ever AI Safety Summit where they’ll discuss the global future of AI and work towards a shared understanding of its risks.

Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan will open the event by welcoming an expert cast list before setting out the UK government’s vision for safety and security to be at the heart of advances in AI, in order to enable the enormous opportunities it will bring.

She will look to make progress on the talks which will pave the way for a safer world by identifying risks, opportunities and the need for international collaboration, before highlighting consensus on the scale, importance and urgency for AI opportunities and the necessity for mitigating frontier AI risks to unlock them.

The historic venue will play host to the landmark 2-day summit, which will see a small, but focused group comprising of AI companies, civil society and independent experts gather around the table to kickstart urgent talks on the risks and opportunities posed by rapid advances in frontier AI – especially ahead of new models launching next year, whose capabilities may not be fully understood.

The US, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and China are among nations confirmed as attendees at the AI Safety Summit. Representatives from The Alan Turing Institute, The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Ada Lovelace Institute are also among the groups confirmed to attend, highlighting the depth of expertise of the delegates who are expected to take part in crucial talks.

As set out by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week, the summit will focus on understanding the risks such as potential threats to national security right through to the dangers a loss of control of the technology could bring. Discussions around issues likely to impact society, such as election disruption and erosion of social trust are also set to take place.

The UK already employs over 50,000 people in the AI sector and contributes ​​£3.7 billion to our economy annually. Additionally, the UK is home to twice as many AI companies as any other European country, and hundreds more AI companies start up in the UK every year, growing our economy and creating more jobs. 

As such, day one of the summit will also host several roundtable discussions dedicated to improving frontier AI safety with key UK based developers such as Open-AI, Anthropic and UK based Deepmind. Delegates will consider how risk thresholds, effective safety assessments, and robust governance and accountability mechanisms can be defined to enable the safe scaling of frontier AI by developers.

Secretary of State for Technology, Michelle Donelan MP said: “AI is already an extraordinary force for good in our society, with limitless opportunity to grow the global economy, deliver better public services and tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges.

“But the risks posed by frontier AI are serious and substantive and it is critical that we work together, both across sectors and countries to recognise these risks.

“This summit provides an opportunity for us to ensure we have the right people with the right expertise gathered around the table to discuss how we can mitigate these risks moving forward. Only then will we be able to truly reap the benefits of this transformative technology in a responsible manner.”

Discussions are expected to centre around the risks emerging from rapid advances in AI, before exploring the transformative opportunities the technology has to offer – including in education and areas for international research collaborations.  

The Secretary of State will be joined by members of the UK’s Frontier AI Taskforce – including its Chair, Ian Hogarth – which was launched earlier this year to evaluate the risks of frontier AI models, and by representatives from nations at the cutting-edge of AI development.

They will also look at what national policymakers, the international community, and scientists and researchers can do to manage the risks and harness the opportunities of AI to deliver economic and social benefits around the world.

Day one will conclude with a panel discussion on the transformative opportunities of AI for public good now and in the long-term, with a focus on how it can be used by teachers and students to revolutionise education.

Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan will also take to the podium to deliver closing remarks to delegates, before the curtain falls on what is hoped will be an historic first day of the first ever global AI Safety Summit.

AI Summit is dominated by Big Tech and a “missed opportunity”

  • More than 100 UK and international organisations, experts and campaigners sign open letter to Rishi Sunak
  • Groups warn that the “communities and workers most affected by AI have been marginalised by the Summit.”
  • “Closed door event” is dominated by Big Tech and overly focused on speculative risks instead of AI threats “in the here and now”- PM told
  • Signatories to letter include leading human rights organisations, trade union bodies, tech orgs, leading academics and experts on AI

More than 100 civil society organisations from across the UK and world have branded the government’s AI Summit as “a missed opportunity”.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak the groups warn that the “communities and workers most affected by AI have been marginalised by the Summit” while a select few corporations seek to shape the rules.

The letter has been coordinated by the TUC, Connected by Data and Open Rights Group and is released ahead of the official AI Summit at Bletchley Park on 1 and 2 November. Signatories to the letter include:

  • Major and international trade union confederations – such as the TUC, AFL-CIO, European Trade Union Confederation, UNI Global, International Trade Union Confederation representing tens of millions of workers worldwide
  • International and UK human rights orgs – such as Amnesty International, Liberty, Article 19, Privacy International, Access Now
  • Domestic and international civil society organisations – such as Connected by Data, Open Rights Group, 5 Rights, Consumers International.
  • Tech community voices – such as Mozilla, AI Now Institute and individuals associated to the AI Council, Alan Turing Institute & British Computing Society
  • Leading international academics, experts, members of the House of Lords

Highlighting the exclusion of civil society from the Summit, the letter says: “Your ‘Global Summit on AI Safety’ seeks to tackle the transformational risks and benefits of AI, acknowledging that AI “will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another”.

“Yet the communities and workers most affected by AI have been marginalised by the Summit.

“The involvement of civil society organisations that bring a diversity of expertise and perspectives has been selective and limited.

“This is a missed opportunity.”

Highlighting the Summit’s lack of focus on immediate threats of AI and dominance of Big Tech, the letter says: “As it stands, the Summit is a closed door event, overly focused on speculation about the remote ‘existential risks’ of ‘frontier’ AI systems – systems built by the very same corporations who now seek to shape the rules.

“For many millions of people in the UK and across the world, the risks and harms of AI are not distant – they are felt in the here and now.

“This is about being fired from your job by algorithm, or unfairly profiled for a loan based on your identity or postcode.

“People are being subject to authoritarian biometric surveillance, or to discredited predictive policing.

“Small businesses and artists are being squeezed out, and innovation smothered as a handful of big tech companies capture even more power and influence.

“To make AI truly safe we must tackle these and many other issues of huge individual and societal significance. Successfully doing so will lay the foundations for managing future risks.”

Calling for a more inclusive approach to managing the risks of AI, the letter concludes: “For the Summit itself and the work that has to follow, a wide range of expertise and the voices of communities most exposed to AI harms must have a powerful say and equal seat at the table. The inclusion of these voices will ensure that the public and policy makers get the full picture.

“In this way we can work towards ensuring the future of AI is as safe and beneficial as possible for communities in the UK and across the world.”

Senior Campaigns and Policy Officer for Connected by Data Adam Cantwell-Corn said: ““AI must be shaped in the interests of the wider public. This means ensuring that a range of expertise, perspectives and communities have an equal seat at the table. The Summit demonstrates a failure to do this.

“The open letter is a powerful, diverse and international challenge to the unacceptable domination of AI policy by narrow interests.

“Beyond the Summit, AI policy making needs a re-think – domestically and internationally – to steer these transformative technologies in a democratic and socially useful direction.”

TUC Assistant General Secretary Kate Bell said: “It is hugely disappointing that unions and wider civil society have been denied proper representation at this Summit.

“AI is already making life-changing decisions – like how we work, how we’re hired and who gets fired.

“But working people have yet to be given a seat at the table.

“This event was an opportunity to bring together a wide range of voices to discuss how we deal with immediate threats and make sure AI benefits all.

“It shouldn’t just be tech bros and politicians who get to shape the future of AI.”

Open Rights Group Policy Manager for Data Rights and Privacy Abby Burke said: ““The government has bungled what could have been an opportunity for real global AI leadership due to the Summit’s limited scope and invitees.

“The agenda’s focus on future, apocalyptic risks belies the fact that government bodies and institutions in the UK are already deploying AI and automated decision-making in ways that are exposing citizens to error and bias on a massive scale.

It’s extremely concerning that the government has excluded those who are experiencing harms and other critical expert and activist voices from its Summit, allowing businesses who create and profit from AI systems to set the UK’s agenda.”

The full letter reads:

An open letter to the Prime Minister on the ‘Global Summit on AI Safety’

Dear Prime Minister,

Your ‘Global Summit on AI Safety’ seeks to tackle the transformational risks and benefits of AI, acknowledging that AI “will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another”.

Yet the communities and workers most affected by AI have been marginalised by the Summit.

The involvement of civil society organisations that bring a diversity of expertise and perspectives has been selective and limited.

This is a missed opportunity.

As it stands, the Summit is a closed door event, overly focused on speculation about the remote ‘existential risks’ of ‘frontier’ AI systems – systems built by the very same corporations who now seek to shape the rules.

For many millions of people in the UK and across the world, the risks and harms of AI are not distant – they are felt in the here and now.

This is about being fired from your job by algorithm, or unfairly profiled for a loan based on your identity or postcode.

People are being subject to authoritarian biometric surveillance, or to discredited predictive policing.

Small businesses and artists are being squeezed out, and innovation smothered as a handful of big tech companies capture even more power and influence.

To make AI truly safe we must tackle these and many other issues of huge individual and societal significance. Successfully doing so will lay the foundations for managing future risks.

For the Summit itself and the work that has to follow, a wide range of expertise and the voices of communities most exposed to AI harms must have a powerful say and equal seat at the table. The inclusion of these voices will ensure that the public and policy makers get the full picture.

In this way we can work towards ensuring the future of AI is as safe and beneficial as possible for communities in the UK and across the world.

‘Game-changing’ exascale super-computer planned for Edinburgh

Edinburgh has been selected to host a next-gen supercomputer fuelling economic growth, building on the success of a Bristol-based AI supercomputer, creating high-skilled jobs

  • Edinburgh nominated to host next-generation compute system, 50 times more powerful than our current top-end system
  • national facility – one of the world’s most powerful – will help unlock major advances in AI, medical research, climate science and clean energy innovation, boosting economic growth
  • new exascale system follows AI supercomputer in Bristol in transforming the future of UK science and tech and providing high-skilled jobs

Edinburgh is poised to host a next-generation compute system amongst the fastest in the world, with the potential to revolutionise breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, medicine, and clean low-carbon energy.

The capital has been named as the preferred choice to host the new national exascale facility, as the UK government continues to invest in the country’s world-leading computing capacity – crucial to the running of modern economies and cutting-edge scientific research.

Exascale is the next frontier in computing power, where systems are built to carry out extremely complex functions with increased speed and precision. This in turn enables researchers to accelerate their work into some of the most pressing challenges we face, including the development of new drugs, and advances in nuclear fusion to produce potentially limitless clean low-carbon energy.

The exascale system hosted at the University of Edinburgh will be able to carry out these complicated workloads while also supporting critical research into AI safety and development, as the UK seeks to safely harness its potential to improve lives across the country.

Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said: “If we want the UK to remain a global leader in scientific discovery and technological innovation, we need to power up the systems that make those breakthroughs possible.

“This new UK government funded exascale computer in Edinburgh will provide British researchers with an ultra-fast, versatile resource to support pioneering work into AI safety, life-saving drugs, and clean low-carbon energy.

“It is part of our £900 million investment in uplifting the UK’s computing capacity, helping us forge a stronger Union, drive economic growth, create the high-skilled jobs of the future and unlock bold new discoveries that improve people’s lives.”

Computing power is measured in ‘flops’ – floating point operations – which means the number of arithmetic calculations that a computer can perform every second.  An exascale system will be 50 times more powerful than our current top-end system, ARCHER2, which is also housed in Edinburgh.

The investment will mean new high-skilled jobs for Edinburgh, while the new national facility would vastly upgrade the UK’s research, technology and innovation capabilities, helping to boost economic growth, productivity and prosperity across the country in support of the Prime Minister’s priorities.

UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser said: “State-of-the-art compute infrastructure is critical to unlock advances in research and innovation, with diverse applications from drug design through to energy security and extreme weather modelling, benefiting communities across the UK. 

“This next phase of investment, located at Edinburgh, will help to keep the UK at the forefront of emerging technologies and facilitate the collaborations needed to explore and develop game-changing insights across disciplines.”

Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack, said: “We have already seen the vital work being carried out by ARCHER2 in Edinburgh and this new exascale system, backed by the UK government, will keep Scotland at the forefront of science and innovation.

“As well as supporting researchers in their critical work on AI safety this will bring highly skilled jobs to Edinburgh and support economic growth for the region.”

The announcement follows the news earlier this month that Bristol will play host to a new AI supercomputer, named Isambard-AI, which will be one of the most powerful for AI in Europe.

The cluster will act as part of the national AI Research Resource (AIRR) to maximise the potential of AI and support critical work around the safe development and use of the technology.

Plans for both the exascale compute and the AIRR were first announced in March, as part of a £900 million investment to upgrade the UK’s next-generation compute capacity, and will deliver on two of the recommendations set out in the independent review into the Future of Compute.

Both announcements come as the UK prepares to host the world’s first AI Safety Summit on 1 and 2 November.

The summit will bring together leading countries, technology organisations, academics and civil society to ensure we have global consensus on the risks emerging from the most immediate and rapid advances in AI and how they are managed, while also maximising the benefits of the safe use of the technology to improve lives.

Tech solution to tackle impersonation phone scams lands new funding 

Edinburgh Napier project LastingAsset has been awarded £220k

An Edinburgh Napier University cyber project has been backed by new funding to explore ways of combatting phone-based impersonation and imposter scams – which cause substantial financial losses, privacy breaches and distress to people around the world.

LastingAsset, which began as a crypto asset security concept, has secured £200,000 in funding from Scottish Enterprise’s High Growth Spinout Programme and £20,000 from The Data Lab.

The LastingAsset team at ENU’s School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment (SCEBE) will now use the technology behind that original idea and spend the next year working with pilot customers to refine their anti-fraud product, before taking it to market.

Among other privacy features, it uses encryption technology to prevent rogue actors from impersonating an organisation’s phone number to dupe victims.

According to the UK Government’s latest fraud strategy, unsuspecting individuals and organisations lost £2.35bn through fraud in 2021, with the banking and finance industry losing £1.3bn. 

Project leader Dr Zakwan Jaroucheh said: “Our research team were initially working on a custodial solution for crypto assets. While this remains a problem that needs addressing, we wanted to provide a solution to a more pressing societal challenge. This is when we pivoted to using the same underlying technologies to address the problem of impersonation phone call scams. 

“In today’s modern digital world, businesses often find themselves unable to effectively protect their customers from cyber fraud, which tarnishes their reputation and their ability to use the voice calls effectively.

“The LastingAsset solution uses blockchain and homomorphic encryption technologies to effectively combat phone number spoofing, voice-based impersonation and cloning scams, without requiring the organisation to build a new security infrastructure. 

“With this, any organisation that communicates with their customers by voice can assure customers that they are speaking with a genuine representative and not a scammer.”

Nanik Ramchandani of Imagine Ventures, who leads the project’s commercial team, said: “We are beginning trials with two pilot customers and opening our waiting list for additional pilots.

“It is going to be an incredibly exciting and rewarding journey over the coming months, as we translate our proof of concept and vision into a valuable offering to clients and stop scammers from defrauding fellow citizens.”

Recently named one of the top 10 universities in the UK for spin-out activity, ENU has supported the creation of many cyber spin-out businesses over the last 10 years, including Cyacomb, MemCrypt, Symphonic Software and ZoneFox. Four years ago, the university created the first identity lab in the world, the Blockpass ID Lab, which has focused on creating more trustworthy systems.

Supporting LastingAsset’s progression from research project to a spin-out business is ENU’s Professor Bill Buchanan, alongside Dr Cathy Higginson, Business Development and Relationship Manager at the University’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise department.

This latest funding received from Scottish Enterprise and The Data Lab will help the LastingAsset project team to integrate their solution with multiple early pilot customers.

Over the next eight to 12 months, they expect to work with more than 30 initial pilot customers in securing their voice communication. This process will allow the team to refine the architecture of their product; test their solution and increase its credibility. At the end of this period, they anticipate product-market fit and the ability to rapidly scale their offering.

Through Scottish Enterprise’s High-Growth Spinout Programme, LastingAsset is receiving £200,000 in funding, building upon £74,948 which was awarded in 2022.

Leah Pape, Head of High Growth Services at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Edinburgh Napier University has an enviable track record of producing companies whose products and platforms direct cutting-edge technological advancements into efforts to combat increasingly sophisticated fraudsters.

“Our grant builds on the funding and advice provided previously to LastingAsset at its earliest stages and underlines Scottish Enterprise’s commitment to supporting the development of the high-growth industries of the future.”

The Data Lab, Scotland’s innovation centre for data and AI, also recently funded £20k to help LastingAsset develop their proof of concept.

Brian Hills, CEO of The Data Lab, said: “Online scamming can have devastating impacts on unsuspecting victims’ finances and mental wellbeing, with recent advances in AI exacerbating the problem.

“Preventing people from falling victim to these crimes in the first place is key. The Data Lab were delighted to support the LastingAsset team at Edinburgh Napier University to develop their groundbreaking technology further to tackle online scamming and reduce the number of victims and financial losses.” 

Scotland’s games studios and workforce continue to experience steady growth

The number of games development studios operating in Scotland and the size of the workforce they employ grew by 10.2 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively, between December 2021 and April 2023, according to new figures released today by TIGA, the trade association representing the UK video games industry.

Annually, Scottish games development companies are estimated to invest £161 million in salaries and overheads, contribute £133 million in direct and indirect tax revenues to HM Treasury, and make a direct and indirect contribution of £357 million to the UK’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The number of discrete, active, verified Scottish games development companies increased from 147 to 162, compared to an 11.9 per cent increase for the UK industry in its entirety over the same period.

Scotland has 2,338 permanent and full-time equivalent creative staff working on games development. This is up from 2,269 development staff in December 2021.

Scotland is now the fifth largest games cluster in the UK in terms of headcount (after London, the South East, the North West and the West Midlands).

The findings come from TIGA’s definitive report on the state of the UK video games industry Making Games in the UK 2023 (TIGA, 2023) which is based on an extensive survey of UK games businesses, with analysis by Games Investor Consulting.

Additionally, TIGA’s research shows that in the period from December 2021 to April 2023:

  • Scotland is home to 7.7 per cent of the UK’s total games companies and 9.8 per cent of its developer headcount.
  • Scotland’s games development sector supports an additional 4,275 indirect jobs (up from 4,148 in December 2021).

Dr Richard Wilson OBE, TIGA CEO, said: “Scotland is one of the world’s most important games development clusters. It’s home to world leading and successful studios, including Rockstar, as well as over 2,300 creative staff in 162 studios. It has a number of excellent universities, whose courses includes TIGA Accredited degrees from Abertay University and the University of the West of Scotland.

“It has one of the best funding environments supported by Scottish Enterprise and Dundee’s UK Games Fund. Dundee is also a centre of excellence for collaboration between academia and industry, in particular the outstanding R&D work carried out by InGAME, which is led by Abertay University, in partnership with the University of Dundee and the University of St Andrews.”

Professor Gregor White, Dean of the School of Design and Informatics at Abertay University added: “The continued growth of the games sector in Scotland, and across the UK more widely, once again demonstrates how integral this fast-moving and ever-evolving industry has become to the digital economy, but also the need for continued R&D and innovation support at both Scottish and UK Government level, in order to keep pace with overseas competitors.

“The success of InGAME, which has catalysed an estimated £84.7m GVA for the UK economy, is an excellent example of what can be achieved through a shared games cluster ecosystem designed to bring industry and academia together.”

New fisheries measures announced

Next steps to ensure sustainable fisheries in Scotland

Proposals to introduce electronic tracking and monitoring technology for small fishing vessels will be consulted on as part of package of new fisheries measures announced this week.

The consultation proposes that vessel tracking devices will be required by Scottish commercial fishing vessels under 12 metres in length wherever they operate, and by all vessels of the that size when they operate in Scottish waters. It also asks whether Remote Electric Monitoring systems (REM) – which are more sophisticated than vessel tracking – should be required on some inshore vessels.

Rolling out such technology across Scotland’s fishing fleet would show that vessels are operating sustainably and within the law, increasing consumer confidence in Scottish seafood. They would also provide valuable data which would help fisheries to be managed more sustainably and informing marine planning, benefiting Scotland’s fishing industry and the marine environment.

Environment Minister Gillian Martin, who met with fishing industry representatives in Peterhead this week, said: “These proposals will support the sustainable management and development of our marine environment – the next step in delivering a blue economy that benefits our communities, economy and environment.

“I encourage the inshore sector and others with an interest to continue to engage with us and to take part in the consultation on vessel monitoring.

“Government, industry and communities all have a shared interest and commitment to a healthy marine environment. Open dialogue and constructive working of the sort that has helped to develop these proposals will ensure that we benefit from the expertise of the fishing industry. Cooperation and co-management will ensure that both Scotland’s fishing industry and our marine environment can thrive sustainably.”

The Scottish Government has also published the outcome of two consultations:

  • Remote Electric Monitoring (REM) will become mandatory on large pelagic vessels and all scallop dredge vessels in Scottish waters. Further rollout of REM will be considering alongside the Future Catching Policy development.
  • Future Catching Policy will take concrete action to increase the sustainability of our fishing activity, supporting fishers to avoid catching fish and other sensitive marine species which they don’t want to land, or catch in the first place

These announcements represent the next steps in Scotland’s Fisheries Management Strategy – which has been developed in partnership with the fishing industry and other stakeholders. The package of measures within the Strategy helps place Scotland in a leading international position to deliver sustainable fishing.

The inshore vessel tracking and monitoring consultation is open until 7 November 2023 and can be completed on the Scottish Government consultation hub.

Increasing access to diabetes technology

£350,000 funding to speed up delivery

Life-changing technology that reduces the risk of complications for people with type 1 diabetes will become more widely available thanks to additional funding.

The Scottish Government has invested a further £350,000 to accelerate the distribution of Closed Loop Systems.  The technology is considered the most significant development in type 1 diabetes treatment in recent years and can transform lives, particularly for children and young people.

Closed Loop Systems help people improve their glycaemic control and in turn reduce the likelihood of complications, which at their most serious can include blindness, renal failure, and amputations; as well as unplanned admissions to hospital.

The investment will see a dedicated team created by the national Centre for Sustainable Delivery at NHS Golden Jubilee to support NHS health boards to rollout the technology faster and more efficiently across Scotland.

Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “There’s no reason why someone living with type 1 diabetes shouldn’t live a long and healthy life, but some people find managing their condition difficult.

Diabetes technologies make the process easier and can enhance people’s quality of life. That’s why we’re aiming to provide access to Closed Loop Systems at the earliest opportunity and are working with NHS boards to improve access.”

National Diabetes Lead Professor Brian Kennon said: Closed Loop systems are truly transformative technologies and help reduce the day-to-day burden of trying to optimise type 1 diabetes control.

“Creation of a dedicated team to help support the adoption of Closed Loop Systems and standardise our approach to access across Scotland will help ensure that our healthcare system is well placed to realise the massive advantages that these innovative technologies offer.”

Tech partnership boosts health innovation

Linking business and clinical expertise

Innovative companies will be able to trial new health products in clinical settings across the country following a link-up between the Scottish Government’s £42 million Techscaler programme and the NHS.

Participants in the programme, which provides world class expertise and support to young businesses with high growth potential, are being offered access to NHS Regional Test Beds. These enable entrepreneurs to work alongside clinicians and have access to patients and anonymised data to test ideas, products and services.

And in a reciprocal agreement, firms already using the NHS Test Beds will automatically become part of the Techscaler network.

Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray announced the move during a visit to Bioliberty in Edinburgh, which uses robotics to provide rehabilitation and assistance for stroke survivors.

The company will be one of 14 firms in sectors including healthtech and life sciences to join a Scottish Government-funded visit to New York to showcase their work.

Mr Gray said: “Scotland’s life sciences sector has an annual turnover of more than £8 billion and is one of our key sectors for transformative economic growth. This partnership will be able to leverage our world-leading universities, life sciences hubs and excellent healthcare systems to support the growth of the sector and development of entrepreneurs.

“Testing products in a real world environment and accelerating development is vital, and will enable a broader reach of the Tech Scaler programme. This in turn will benefit patients and medical staff as they develop cutting-edge technology for use across the NHS, from stroke and rehabilitation through to reducing drug-related deaths.

“It is a further example of the steps we are taking as we develop a sustainable, high-skill economy that works for everyone.”

Chief Scientist (Health) Anna Dominiczak said: “I welcome this collaboration, which will result in transformative innovations for the NHS and help to ensure that Scotland is the best location for life sciences companies.”

Scotland’s Chief Entrepreneur Mark Logan said: “By making this connection between health testing and business support, we create an environment for innovation which enables Scottish companies to compete effectively, whilst bringing much-needed treatment solutions to the NHS.”

North encourages next generation of technology workforce

  • North encourages next generation of technology workforce
  • Edinburgh-based apprentice Connor Ratter works on innovative CCTV project across capital city

North, the UK’s leading technology services and solutions provider, is encouraging young people to embark on a career working with a range of technologies through its dedicated apprenticeship programme.

As part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2023 (6-13 March), North is celebrating its team of apprentices by shining a light on the valuable contribution they are making within the industry. The team hopes to inspire more young people to explore a career in technology, future proofing the sector’s talent pipeline.

North plans to expand its apprenticeship programme by continuing to offer positions each year in disciplines including Advanced Networking, Safety & Security and Network Cabling.

With a commitment to an 80/20 split between academic and practical learning through Skills for Security, North offers apprenticeship opportunities in safety and security, data networking, and data cabling disciplines.

As well as industry-specific knowledge, North upskills apprentices in soft skills, such as customer service and client management, to ensure they are workplace ready whilst completing the apprenticeship.

In 2021, North was appointed to undertake a £2.6 million project for City of Edinburgh Council to upgrade its CCTV provision across the city, including the delivery of a new CCTV Control Centre which includes a leading edge video analytic solution, and the replacement of analogue CCTV with high-resolution Internet Protocol (IP) cameras.

As part of the project, the local authority officially opened its Smart Operations Centre in the City Chambers in December 2022, taking Edinburgh one step closer to becoming a leading Smart City.

As part of this project’s social value commitment, North onboarded a dedicated apprentice, Connor Ratter, to help deliver and support the roll out. As a safety and security apprentice, Connor has been trained in an area that is becoming ever more important within private and public sectors.

Throughout his time at North, Connor has now gone on to work across more service and maintenance based projects, involving fault finding and planned maintenance activities. He has also worked alongside experienced professionals with several high-profile clients, including the Royal Hospital for Children & Young People, Royal Edinburgh Hospital and the National Museum of Scotland.

On completion of his apprenticeship in 2025, Connor will be a fully qualified Safety & Security engineer and will go on to enjoy full-time employment at North.

Connor Ratter, Safety & Security Apprentice Engineer at North, said: “It can sometimes feel overwhelming to know what career path you want to take, but the North apprenticeship programme has given me an invaluable opportunity to work alongside and learn from experienced engineers, reinforcing that I want to excel as an engineer.

“Making the switch between working in financial services to engineering was no easy feat, however I have been supported by a brilliant team with the opportunity to work with interesting clients from the start of my apprenticeship.

“I have learned an entirely new set of skills that I will continue to develop throughout my career and I’d encourage anyone considering an apprenticeship to go for it and enjoy the journey, it’s been incredibly rewarding.”

Joining Connor on the Safety and Security programme is Kieran Wakefield and Jamie Small, based in the North East of England and on the data cabling and data engineering courses are Ben Gould, Tom King and Ciaran Falloon, also based in Scotland.

Ian Reid, Technical Field Service Manager at North, said: “We are very proud of our fantastic team of apprentices, and we are consistently looking at how we can enhance and expand the opportunities we provide at North. Intrinsic to a successful industry is investing in tomorrow’s talent, providing hands on experience in a supportive environment. 

“Connor has been a real asset to the team at North, working alongside senior engineers and directly with our customers. He has demonstrated determination and enthusiasm, and undoubtedly will go on to enjoy many more successes within his career at North.”

To find out more information about North’s apprenticeship programme, visit: 

https://north.tech/about/people/?Utm_source=PR+&utm_medium=News+&utm_campaign=Scottish+Apprenticeship+Week+2023+

SNP MSP leads debate on important role of the National Robotarium

Gordon Macdonald MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands led a members debate in Parliament yesterday, highlighting the benefits of robotics, AI and autonomous systems and the important work being developed at the National Robotarium located at Heriot Watt University campus in partnership with the University of Edinburgh.

The motion for debate focused on the National Robotarium’s unrivalled technology and facilities which is central to the development and testing of robotics and AI solutions across the three distinct areas of robotics and autonomous systems, human and robot interaction, and high-precision manufacturing.

Mr Macdonald highlighted the National Robotarium’s role in growing Scotland as a world leading international hub which will require sufficient support to ensure a trained, qualified workforce and the development of a manufacturing base.

Commenting Mr Macdonald said: “I was delighted to have the opportunity to lead my members debate on the National Robotarium, the largest and most advanced applied research facility for robotics and artificial intelligence found anywhere in the UK and located here in the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency.

“On a recent visit to the centre I saw first-hand the incredible work they are doing in their state of the art facility and heard about the aspirations of the centre and indeed the opportunities for Scotland.

“Scotland, unlike many areas of the UK, still has a manufacturing base and the National Robotarium is in a position to move innovative products and services rapidly from laboratory to market, to develop new prototypes, and support early-stage product development within an incubator environment that drives productivity.

“The National Robotarium will be central in creating opportunities for companies to establish, develop and scale up, as well as meeting the future challenges of growth and manufacturing but it is imperative we have a trained workforce so planning for skills is crucial if we are to realise this industry’s potential.”

National Robotarium CEO Stewart Miller, who attended the debate, commented: “I’m grateful to Mr Macdonald for raising this important debate in Parliament and highlighting the work we’re doing at the National Robotarium to build skills and increase the adoption of robotics and AI across all sectors.

“Many of the points raised during the debate clearly illustrate how the expansion of robotics capabilities can positively impact both the economy and society as a whole. The National Robotarium is an important milestone in this story, however, only with increased government support and investment can Scotland and the UK fully realise its potential to become a leading knowledge base and potential manufacturing hub for robotics.”

Innovative health technology helping patients

More than 5,000 procedures performed

An innovative new procedure which speeds up cancer diagnosis has now benefitted more than 5,000 patients.

The cytosponge diagnostic service, introduced during the pandemic, means patients can access cancer checks closer to home, helping to reduce the strain on health services.  

Using cytosponge means that patients can get scope results by simply swallowing a small pill with a thread attached rather than using traditional scope methods and sedation. After swallowing the pill, it expands into a tiny sponge which is pulled back up the oesophagus, collecting cells on the way which are then examined for abnormalities. Cytosponge helps to identify important conditions such as Barrett’s oesophagus which is a known risk factor for oesophageal cancer. 

The procedure, which is supported by NHS Golden Jubilee’s Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD), has now been used 5,036 times (to 3 November 2022) across Scotland.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The cytosponge is an excellent example of an innovative technology that allows people to access services quicker, and closer to home. It is helping to deliver better outcomes for patients, while also easing pressures at our hospitals. That’s why I am pleased to see it being used so widely.

“Cytosponge offers a simpler alternative to endoscopy procedures and takes only around 15 minutes. It is a much simpler and more patient-friendly test than endoscopy that enables faster diagnosis of patients at risk of pre or early cancer, without the need for them to undergo a more invasive procedure.

“Using this new technology means we can help tackle the waiting lists for endoscopy procedures that have arisen during the pandemic.”

Professor Jann Gardner, Chief Executive of NHS Golden Jubilee, said: “In these challenging times, it is vital that we improve patient experience with faster diagnostic imaging, facilitating targeted treatments and improving long term outcomes. This cutting-edge technology has helped NHS Scotland advance cancer diagnosis and provide direct benefit to over 5,000 patients.  

“Cytosponge provides a better, more comfortable experience for patients, and we look forward to ensuring that even more people are treated this way as we continue to help meet the diagnostic demand resulting from the pandemic.” 

Unlike endoscopy procedures, where clinicians use a long, thin, flexible tube with a light and camera at one end to inspect organs inside the body, cytosponge is a non-Aerosol Generating Procedure (AGP) and can be performed outside of traditional hospital environments, such as community health centres or general outpatient clinics.