£10.6m funding award for new AI research partnership

£10.6m funding award for new AI research partnership

A major new partnership that will train the next generation of scientists specialising in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to promote sustainable agriculture has received a £10.6 million funding boost.

The SUSTAIN Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) received the award from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of a £117 million package for AI research announced today.

The partnership involving the universities of Aberdeen, Lincoln, Strathclyde and Queens University Belfast aims to transform the UK agri-food sector’s approach to sustainability while ensuring that everyone in the UK has access to food that is nutritious, delicious, affordable, and safe.

It will provide a cross-disciplinary doctoral training program across all four universities to support research in the application of AI to sustainable agri-food. This will cover the technical and social science aspects of AI alongside training in plant, animal and/or biosciences, tailored to individual students’ needs and interests.

Professor Georgios Leontidis, the University of Aberdeen’s Interdisciplinary Director for Data & AI and Chair in Machine Learning, is Co-Deputy Director of SUSTAIN.

He said: “The agri-food sector is hugely important for the UK economy but it faces challenges in terms of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and becoming more sustainable in line with the UK’s net zero ambitions.

“AI will help the sector achieve the rapid transformation needed to meet this challenge and SUSTAIN aims to train the scientists who will ensure that it does.

“SUSTAIN students will benefit from world-leading facilities offered by each institution including those of the University of Aberdeen’s School of Natural and Computing Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, and Rowett Institute with its extensive state-of-the-art laboratories.

“Meanwhile, SUSTAIN will also be highly industry-focused with a plan for every PhD project to be co-created with industry stakeholders leading to wider engagement with AI and greater inclusion in its development and use.

“I am delighted to act as the Co-Deputy Director for the SUSTAIN CDT which will enable the University to work alongside world-leading experts, stakeholders, and students who will benefit from world-leading facilities and expert supervision.”

Professor Pete Smith (FRS, FRSE), Chair in Soils & Global Change, is also a Co-Investigator and SUSTAIN’s Sustainability Lead. He commented: "I am delighted to be involved in this innovative CDT which will harness the power of AI to address some of the most pressing challenges we face this century."

Professor Simon Parsons, Professor of AI and Machine Learning and Head of the School of Computer Science at University of Lincoln, will lead the programme.

He said: “I am delighted to be leading The SUSTAIN Centre for Doctoral on behalf of the University of Lincoln. SUSTAIN will help to transform the agri-food sector in the UK through the deployment of safe, responsible, and understandable AI.”

Commenting on the funding package from UKRI which has seen investment in 12 UKRI Centres for Doctoral Training in AI at 16 universities, Secretary of State Michelle Donelan said:

“The UK is at the very front of the global race to turn AI’s awesome potential into a giant leap forward for people’s quality of life and productivity at work, all while ensuring this technology works safely, ethically and responsibly.

“The plans we are announcing today will future-proof our nation’s skills base, meaning we can reap the benefits of AI as it continues to develop. At the same time, we are taking the first steps to put the power of this technology to work, for good, across Government and society.”

Search News

Browse by Month

2024

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2024
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2024
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2024

2023

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2023
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

2022

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2022
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2022
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2022
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

2021

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2021
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2021
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2021
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2021
  10. Oct
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2021
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2021

2020

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2020
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2020
  9. Sep
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2020
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2020
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2020

2019

  1. Jan
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2019
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2019
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2019
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2019
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2019

2018

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2018
  2. Feb
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2018
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2018
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2018
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2018
  7. Jul
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2018
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2018
  10. Oct
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2018
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2018

2017

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2017
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2017
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2017
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2017
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2017
  6. Jun
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2017
  8. Aug
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2017
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2017
  11. Nov
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2017

2016

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2016
  10. Oct
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2016
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2016

2015

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2015
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

2014

  1. Jan
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2014
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2014
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2014
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2014
  12. Dec

2013

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2013
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2013
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2013
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2013
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2013
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2013
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

2012

  1. Jan
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2012
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2012
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2012
  12. Dec

2011

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2011
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2011
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2011
  6. Jun
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2011
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

2010

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2010
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2010
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2010
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2010
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2010
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2010
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2010
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2010
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2010
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2010
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

2009

  1. Jan
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2009
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2009
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2009
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2009
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2009
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2009
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2009
  9. Sep There are no items to show for September 2009
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2009
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2009
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2009

2008

  1. Jan There are no items to show for January 2008
  2. Feb There are no items to show for February 2008
  3. Mar There are no items to show for March 2008
  4. Apr There are no items to show for April 2008
  5. May There are no items to show for May 2008
  6. Jun There are no items to show for June 2008
  7. Jul There are no items to show for July 2008
  8. Aug There are no items to show for August 2008
  9. Sep
  10. Oct There are no items to show for October 2008
  11. Nov There are no items to show for November 2008
  12. Dec There are no items to show for December 2008