Universities come together for new IoT hub

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Nine universities across the UK will form a new PETRAS Internet of Things (IoT) Research Hub, with the aim of furthering the technology and exploring some of its key issues.

The £23m project was announced today by Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy, Ed Vaizey. £9.8m of funding will be provided by the EPSRC, with partner contributions making up the balance. The scheme is part of IoTUK, a £40m, three-year government programme to advance connected technologies in the UK.

(Source: Creative Commons)
(Source: Creative Commons)

“We want the UK to be a world leader in the adoption of Internet of Things technologies, and I know that bringing these universities together with partners from the UK's thriving tech industry will be instrumental in making this a reality,” said Vaizey.

The consortium will be made up of UCL, Imperial College London, the University of Oxford, the University of Warwick, Lancaster University, the University of Southampton, the University of Surrey, the University of Edinburgh and Cardiff University. Alongside the nine core academic institutions, the hub will also draw support from 47 industry and public sector partners.

The PETRAS IoT Hub will focus on five themes: privacy and trust; safety and security; standards, governance and policy; adoption and accessibility; and harnessing economic value. Initial projects will include large-scale experiments at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, improving day-to-day IoT security practices, and exploring the cybersecurity of low power body sensors and implants.

“In the not too distant future almost all of our daily lives will be connected, in one way or another, to the digital world,” said Professor Philip Nelson, EPSRC's chief executive.

“Physical objects and devices will be able to interact with each other, ourselves, and the wider virtual world. But, before this can happen, there must be trust and confidence in how the Internet of Things works, its security and its resilience. By harnessing our world-leading research excellence this PETRAS research Hub will accelerate IoT technology innovation and bring benefit to society and business.”

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