Centres, Projects, Hubs and Networks

BRAID

BRAID (Bridging Responsible AI Divides) is dedicated to integrating Arts, Humanities and Social Science research more fully into the Responsible AI ecosystem, as well as bridging the divides between academic, industry, policy and regulatory work on responsible AI.

Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society

The Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society (CBSS) research and teaching focusses on the complex social, legal, and ethical landscape that characterises contemporary biomedicine and healthcare.

Centre for Data, Culture & Society

The Centre for Data, Culture & Society builds capacity for and supports data-led and digital research methods within the arts, humanities and social sciences. A platform for methodological innovation, we help our community to develop projects, learn new skills and techniques, and share experiences and practices.

Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Responsible and Trustworthy in-the-world NLP

Our CDT will train 50+ future leaders that represent a new generation of interdisciplinary experts that can ensure NLP systems are designed, implemented, deployed and adopted in responsible ways that are people-centred and trusted by society.

Centre for Future Infrastructure

A world-class centre of excellence on infrastructure systems, CFI combines knowledge and expertise within the University’s subject areas of informatics, architecture, social and political studies and business.

Centre for Investing Innovation

The Centre for Investing Innovation is a strategic partnership between global asset management company aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh. It is addressing challenges facing the investment and asset management sector, including how to improve demonstrable societal benefit.

Centre for Research in Digital Education

Our research is focused on how technology, culture, learning and policy intersect within research and practice in digital education. Focused on socially responsible digital education, it covers all sectors from early years to school, higher education and lifelong learning.

Centre for Technomoral Futures

The Centre for Technomoral Futures focuses on the ethical implications of present and future advances in AI, machine learning and other data-driven technologies. It supports work and research in these areas across the Futures Institute, the University of Edinburgh and with a wide portfolio of partners, projects and networks.

Childlight – Global Safety Institute

Childlight works with partners around the world to understand the prevalence, nature and scale of child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). We will use our data to support governments and organisations in taking action to safeguard children, ensuring no child lives their life in the darkness of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Children, Interaction, and Design (CID)

The Children, Interaction, and Design (CID) Cluster leads in interdisciplinary research and design of technologies for, and with, children that benefit their lives.

Compassion in Financial Services Hub

Bringing together the financial services industry, policymakers, academia, communities, and civil society with the aim of creating a more inclusive, sustainable, and compassionate financial system.

CreativeTech Scotland Gathering

Bringing together creative tech and data-driven innovation practitioners from across the creative industries to share, network, showcase their work and explore innovation within creative technology.

Creativity, AI, and the Human

The “Creativity, AI, and the Human” cluster recognises the ubiquity of creativity in human experience and its central role in navigating the unpredictability of our futures.

Critical Data
Studies

Researching the political and social dimensions of data-driven and AI technology.

Data + Design Lab

The Data + Design Lab (D+DL) at the Futures Institute is a pioneering initiative that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration by offering a data-driven, design-led co-creation service.

Data Civics Observatory

The Data Civics Observatory is about the representation of people and communities through mixed, experimental, digital methods using a range of media, platforms and data.

Data for Children Collaborative

A specialist unit within the Edinburgh Futures Institute, aiming to address existing problems for children using innovative data science techniques. They are experts in bringing together diverse data collaborations with values of trust and transparency using safe data to improve outcomes for every child.

Digital Cultural Heritage

The Digital Cultural Heritage cluster brings together researchers from across the University of Edinburgh who work on analysing, understanding and developing new approaches to the relationships between data, digital and cultural heritage.

Digital Economy and Society

The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Cluster focuses on the social and economic impacts of digital transformation, with a particular focus on how digitalization is transforming the world of work.

Digital Influence and Intelligence Lab

The Digital Influence and Intelligence Lab (DIIL) uses digital monitoring and experimental approaches to better understand digital influence and its role in politics, the economy and society.

Edinburgh Centre for Financial Innovations

The Edinburgh Centre for Financial Innovations, in collaboration with external stakeholders, exploits the big data and computational evolution in financial services for societal benefit. Using a unique interdisciplinary lens combining the physical and engineering sciences with the social sciences, humanities and the arts, ECFI engages in research addressing real world challenges facing society today.

Edinburgh Earth Initiative

The Edinburgh Earth Initiative works to accelerate interdisciplinary research, partnerships, teaching, and innovation for the climate and environmental emergency across the University of Edinburgh.

GAIL

The Generative AI Laboratory (GAIL) harnesses the University of Edinburgh’s world-leading research and innovation in artificial intelligence to develop safe solutions for both industry and government to benefit society.

Game Worlds

An interdisciplinary group dedicated to exploring games and play in their broadest social context.

Mathematics for Humanity

The Mathematics for Humanity project is an initiative by the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS). The project supports the efforts of mathematical scientists to work for the betterment of humanity by facilitating the delivery of projects that engage with the challenges of accessible education, knowledge-driven activism, and transformative scholarship.

Media &
Communications

We investigate the rapidly changing role of data in communication, as well as digital media more broadly.

Neuropolitics Research Lab

Producing transdisciplinary research, utilizing developments in the cognitive neurosciences, to shed new light on political attitudes, identities and decision-behaviours

Pioneering Analytics for Transformative Higher EdUCATION (PATH)

Providing leadership and empower capacity for thriving in university communities by developing data-driven asset-based education strategies in a global context for societal transformation.

Public Services Innovation Lab

The Lab brings together academics, practitioners, community members and other stakeholders from across the public service system. It is a place and an opportunity to explore challenge-led issues identified by those close to them.

RAD Lab

The Regulation and Design (RAD) Lab explores how to create better human-technology interactions by building an interdisciplinary research agenda at the interface of technology, design, and regulation.

Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research (SCADR)

The Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research (SCADR) analyses data from across the public sector, exploring what linking it in new ways can reveal.

Scottish Prevention Hub

A collaboration between EFI, Police Scotland and Public Health Scotland. The focus is on embedding a public health approach to prevention and wellbeing across Scotland.

The Binks Hub

The Binks Hub works together with communities to think, create, and research. Using art, crafts, and other creative activities, we investigate how to tackle the issues that matter most to people, driving real-world, positive change.

The New Real

Established 2019, The New Real is a unique hub for AI, creativity and futures research. It is a partnership between the University of Edinburgh, Alan Turing Institute, and Edinburgh’s Festivals.

Traveltech Innovation Hub

The Traveltech Innovation Hub, led by Joshua Ryan-Saha, positions Edinburgh as the UK’s central destination for travel technology innovation.

Discover more at Edinburgh Futures Institute

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Our Ecosystem

We support innovation and co-creative work with people across the University of Edinburgh and beyond