News Story

OU joins the Turing University Network focussing on data science and AI

Damian Dadswell, Monday 2 Oct 2023

The Open University (OU) has joined a growing list of universities in The Alan Turing Institute’s network.

The Turing University Network offers UK universities, with an interest in data science and AI, the opportunity to engage and collaborate both with the Institute and its broader networks in academia, industry and the public sector.

It will also connect universities across the data science and AI ecosystem, provide access to bespoke network activity and encourage collaborations as opportunities arise.

Since its launch the OU has been at the forefront of pedagogical and technological innovation. Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, in particular, play a crucial enabling role in support of our educational and social mission, as shown by our innovations in Learning Analytics. Both the OU and the Turing share a commitment to building skills for the future, advancing open world-class research and applying it to key societal challenges. Membership of the network will facilitate research collaboration and knowledge exchange between the two organizations.

The OU’s work with the network will be led by its Knowledge Media Institute (KMi), a diverse and multidisciplinary research and development lab that, since its launch in 1995, has been at the forefront of international R&D in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Educational Technologies.

An open call for new members of the Network was launched by Turing University in early summer 2023. It is a key component of The Alan Turing Institute’s strategy and supports the Institute in achieving its three ambitious goals: advance world-class research and apply it to national and global challenges, build skills for the future, and drive an informed public conversation.

Professor Kevin Shakesheff, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research & Innovation at the OU, said:

“The OU’s Research Plan (2022-2017) focuses on generating long-term transformative societal impact through Open Societal Challenges. Our academics are collaborating to tackle challenges under the themes of sustainability, living well and tackling inequality which align with the Turing Institute’s grand challenges. Joining the network provides a great opportunity to collaborate on tackling these challenges.”

Dr Jean Innes, Chief Executive Officer of The Alan Turing Institute, said:

“We’re really pleased to welcome our new members to the network. We hope that they will benefit from being part of our data science and AI group and find opportunities for new, meaningful collaborations across the data science and AI landscape.”