Northern Ireland’s two premier universities have started the Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre (AICC), a pioneering initiative seeking to exploit the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) in several business sectors.
The AICC will be based across Ulster University’s Belfast and Derry campuses, in partnership with Queen’s University, Belfast, through £16.3 million investment from Invest NI and the Department for the Economy.
The overall focus of the ambitious project is to narrow down the gap that often exists between academic research and industrial application by creating an environment of innovation and growth driven by technology. Underpinning the initiative is how it will facilitate the integration of AI technology in all industries, such as logistics, finance, life sciences, manufacturing, and agri-tech, among others, which promise to heighten their competitiveness and productivity.
Northern Ireland empowering business with AI
AICC says that the dedicated team of 25 experts will leverage their knowledge to guide from basics to the adoption and integration of AI technologies for businesses, both small and large. Their mission is not just focused on the dissemination of AI knowledge but also inspiring more of the latest research and innovation in the field.
The project will also upskill the workforce, helping deliver 390 funded postgraduate AI qualifications through the teaching of thousands of employees across the region, both in classrooms and online, over the next five years.
All that is part of the all-encompassing educational initiative meant to provide professionals with the entire set of knowledge, instruments, and frameworks that would enable them to succeed in an AI-powered business setting.
A Vision for Economic Growth and Innovation Indeed, it has been officially launched in Belfast, where the Economy Minister Conor Murphy emphasized that AI has revolutionary potential and, therefore, can fuel economic growth and social good to society. The center is conceived as the innovative nucleus driving collaboration between academics and industry to initiate frontier projects and solutions.
Strategic and Partnership Executive Director at Invest NI, Dónal Durkan, said AI was one of the key transformative developments. He added that the significant agency investment signals a strong commitment to developing an environment that fosters research and development excellence, grows skills, and builds competitiveness.
Setting a precedent for AI excellence
The excellent support of a similar kind within the last decade has greatly contributed to the strengthening of the sector of data and AI in the region: The Data Lab in Scotland, from where the initiative has been inspired. Reflecting upon the road of Scotland, Brian Hills, CEO of The Data Lab, reflected on the contribution of the AI centers to economic development and job creation, and advancement in sectors.
As Northern Ireland ventures into the field of AI, AICC brings a benchmark in how AI will be brought forward as a means of bringing forth economic development, cost saving, and competitive improvement across industries. The twjsonfold goal is: first, to set the regional economy further on track, and secondly, to have Northern Ireland set on the world map in the area of AI leadership. Setting up AICC would be a very big contribution to the furtherance of technological progress in Northern Ireland; it will herald in the new era of AI-fueled creativity and economic prosperity. It brings together the leading regional university expertise and the support of key economic partners, poised in order to take up a critical role in the future of industry and commerce within Northern Ireland—and beyond.
