New £10m centre aims to improve ‘sociodigital futures’

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A new research hub called The Centre for Sociodigital Futures aims to drive the use of future digital technologies toward more sustainable and accessible ways of life.

Based at Bristol University, the centre is a £10m flagship government investment from the UKRI’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The funding is part of a £49m investment which will see the creation of other centres to support policing, trade policy, early years education and social care.

Experts globally will unite at the centre to ‘investigate how different claims about digital futures shape our lives today’, exploring technologies with potential to transform everyday life such as intelligent robots and autonomous vehicles.

Creating a network of researchers with expertise spanning social sciences, engineering and arts, the centre will also feature strategic partnerships with BT, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the National Cyber Security Centre amongst others.

Professor Susan Halford, director of the ESRC Centre for Sociodigital Futures said: “We’re living in a ‘sociodigital world’, where digital technologies, devices and data are an integral part of our societies. 

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