Birmingham City University partners with Digital Catapult to improve data sharing

Birmingham City University has entered into a partnership with the Digital Catapult for use of its Data Catalyser suite of services, aiming to help advance the UK’s data sharing potential.

Under the new agreement Birmingham City University will install and operate the West Midlands Data Catalyser as a regional and national hub for the unlocking and smart use of currently closed and proprietary data. It will work with organisations including Birmingham City Council, the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, the West Midlands Combined Authority and businesses of all sizes across the UK.

The Data Catalyser is designed to enable organisations to create value from mixing closed and proprietary datasets, unlocking opportunities for new products, services, tools, insights and innovations through sharing and mixing data.

According to the Digital Catapult, the Data Catalyser has the potential to deliver significant benefits for the UK economy through utilising data to offer more personalised services and improve efficiency in areas such as commerce, transport, information and communications technology (ICT), education and healthcare.

Smart city strategic and technical consultancy Redpill Group led the development of the partnership between Birmingham City University and the Digital Catapult.

Dr. Robin Daniels, managing director of Redpill Group, said: “The application of leading-edge data science to a part of the UK poised for significant urban renewal and inward investment is something that should, and will, attract international attention.”

Andrew Carr, chief operating officer at the Digital Catapult, added: “The Digital Catapult is here to develop breakthroughs for the UK’s data sharing movement and through licensing the Data Catalyser to select organisations, we will be able to accelerate the safe links between data innovators, startups, scaleups and data challenge owners across all sectors to deliver new shared innovation and productivity.”

The growing interconnection between practitioners, hospitals and emergency services and patients can vastly improve the information basis on which treatment decisions are made. But not everybody needs all the data. It will be one of the greatest challenges for new developments like this to implement a working system of checks and balances to ensure that each disclosure of personal data is tailored to the actual need and to prevent abuse.Tim Reinhard, Partner

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