By Kate Brown
The University of Sheffield has won a bid which will fund a new project in collaboration with Oxford University, Cambridge University and Newcastle University as well as industrial and health sector partners. £4.9 million was awarded by Research England’s Connecting Capability fund (CCF) to fund the Promoting the Internet of Things via Collaborations between HEIs and Industry (Pitch-In) project.
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the interconnection of computing capability in everyday objects at work and home. Effective implementation of IoT is critical to industrial, societal and economic development in the UK as it can support a host of ‘smart’ applications. For instance, IoT can remotely monitor when a factory machine needs maintenance as well as provide enhanced support for patients with dementia by giving them medicine reminders.
The Pitch-In collaboration is predicted to benefit the UK on a wide scale. Profession John Clark, from the department of computer science at the University of Sheffield, said: “the Internet of Things underpins much of the current drive to increased industrial automation and enhanced services and is set to have major impact on most of our lives”.
Executive Chair of Research England, David Sweeney, said: “These projects demonstrate the commitment of universities to work together to strengthen the R&D and technological capabilities of the UK building upon our successful Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF). In the Industrial Strategy, the Government asked us to improve our ability to turn exciting ideas into commercial products and services. Universities have stepped forward in these projects to show that they can do world class commercialisation, alongside world class science.”
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