We catalyse collaborative, data-driven and interdisciplinary research innovation across the University of Edinburgh and four key sectors: Creative Industries, Financial Services and FinTech, Public Services, Tourism and Festivals.
“EFI’s support means I will be able to turn interdisciplinary discussions with colleagues into tangible progress in the lab that will be used to develop new biotechnology for the public good.”
Jack Suitor
We support strategic research grant applications by providing expert advice on how to design, structure and resource a project and coordinate the submission process.
We can support your grant application process in different ways – from identifying colleagues who can constructively peer review proposals, to facilitating networking and collaboration with external partners. We can also provide teaching buy-out for applicants or buy-in for junior researchers to support Primary Investigators in preparing a proposal.
Our internal affiliation programme promotes and supports post-graduate students and academics at all career stages who would like to develop their interests in, or are already working on areas close to, our themes.
Our ambition is to build a holistic research environment that supports, encourages, rewards, and promotes research and its impacts. We are creating a culture of success, ambition, and engagement, by supporting research that makes meaningful and measurable change.
Research Capability Fund
This fund aims to support research activities by providing access to new data sets, as well as software licences, equipment, digitisation, Data-Driven Innovation upskilling and researcher engagement events.
EFI Research Awards
Managed in collaboration with the CAHSS College Research Office as a stream within the Challenge Investment Fund. Please liaise with your School Research Office to check their internal deadline.
EFI projects and events grant
This grant supports researchers planning a pilot project or organising workshops or other events with a view to applying for external funding. Awards are usually up to £2,500 and we tend to confirm the outcome of the application within a week.
Student Research Projects
These awards aim to support our student community working on ambitious and multidisciplinary projects that can contribute to knowledge and capacity building in Data Driven Innovation across the City of Edinburgh and beyond.
Deadline for applications Wednesday 13th December, 12 noon.
2022/23
We look for looking for interdisciplinary research questions that are risky, challenge existing theoretical and methodological paradigms, and have the potential to contribute to social transformations.
2021/22
James Besse (School of Social and Political Sciences) –
Setting Up the Edinburgh Digital Due Process Clinic
Benedetta Catanzariti (School of Social and Political Sciences) –
AI Ethics and Society Edinburgh: Building Community in the Pandemic
Kai Jun Eer (School of Engineering) –
Privacy-preserving Digital ID to Improve Identity Verification Process
Idil Galip (School of Social and Political Sciences) –
Knowledge Exchange and Creation within a Burgeoning Academic Field: The Meme Studies Index
Youngsil Lee (Design Informatics / Edinburgh College of Art) –
Hidden Humans in the Loop: Unpacking Societal Challenges in the Curation of Facial Recognition Datasets
Auste Simkute / Aditi Surana (Edinburgh College of Art) –
Can Explainability Narrow the Gap between ‘Old’ and ‘New’ Expertise to Support AI Literacy, Expertise Development and Agency of Experts
Pushpi Bagchi (Edinburgh College of Art) –
Shaping Transnational Education Landscapes: A Service Design Workshop
Sarah Bennett (Edinburgh College of Art) –
AI Ethics and Society Edinburgh: Building Community in the Pandemic
James Besse (School of Social and Political Sciences) –
Creating an Evidence Base for Harm Arising from the EU Settlement Scheme
Ryan Bowler (Design Informatics) –
Communicating health uncertainty in social planning
Benedetta Catanzariti (School of Social and Political Sciences)
– Hidden Humans in the Loop: Unpacking Societal Challenges in the Curation of Facial Recognition Datasets
Anu Choudhury (School of Economics) –
Examining negative health outcomes among ethnic minorities through the lens of income differences: an analysis of UK Biobank Data
Georgia Gardner (Edinburgh College of Art) –
Corporeal Critique of Sites of Social Reproduction: How can we Harness Choreography to Re-assess the Notion of Normal?
Hannah Imlach (School of Geosciences)
– Moth Kota: a sculpture to attract both humans and moths
Jill Steel (Moray House School of Education and Sports)
– Online Reading to Dogs: A feasibility study
Jack Suitor (School of Biological Science)
– Engineering Bacteria to Transform Toxic Pollution into Textiles.
To migrate content
“The EFI award will help further my research practice of developing participatory design methods that use graphic techniques and collaborate with researchers in other departments within the university to explore quantitative data analysis in transnational education services.”
Pushpi Bagchi
“EFI’s support means I will be able to turn interdisciplinary discussions with colleagues into tangible progress in the lab that will be used to develop new biotechnology for the public good.”
Jack Suitor
We look for interdisciplinary research questions that are risky, challenge existing theoretical and methodological paradigms, and have the potential to contribute to social transformations.
We have supported several events, workshops and initiatives with a focus on Data Driven Innovation.
2022/23
We look for looking for interdisciplinary research questions that are risky, challenge existing theoretical and methodological paradigms, and have the potential to contribute to social transformations.
2021/22
James Besse (School of Social and Political Sciences) –
Setting Up the Edinburgh Digital Due Process Clinic
Benedetta Catanzariti (School of Social and Political Sciences) –
AI Ethics and Society Edinburgh: Building Community in the Pandemic
Kai Jun Eer (School of Engineering) –
Privacy-preserving Digital ID to Improve Identity Verification Process
Idil Galip (School of Social and Political Sciences) –
Knowledge Exchange and Creation within a Burgeoning Academic Field: The Meme Studies Index
Youngsil Lee (Design Informatics / Edinburgh College of Art) –
Hidden Humans in the Loop: Unpacking Societal Challenges in the Curation of Facial Recognition Datasets
Auste Simkute / Aditi Surana (Edinburgh College of Art) –
Can Explainability Narrow the Gap between ‘Old’ and ‘New’ Expertise to Support AI Literacy, Expertise Development and Agency of Experts
Pushpi Bagchi (Edinburgh College of Art) –
Shaping Transnational Education Landscapes: A Service Design Workshop
Sarah Bennett (Edinburgh College of Art) –
AI Ethics and Society Edinburgh: Building Community in the Pandemic
James Besse (School of Social and Political Sciences) –
Creating an Evidence Base for Harm Arising from the EU Settlement Scheme
Ryan Bowler (Design Informatics) –
Communicating health uncertainty in social planning
Benedetta Catanzariti (School of Social and Political Sciences)
– Hidden Humans in the Loop: Unpacking Societal Challenges in the Curation of Facial Recognition Datasets
Anu Choudhury (School of Economics) –
Examining negative health outcomes among ethnic minorities through the lens of income differences: an analysis of UK Biobank Data
Georgia Gardner (Edinburgh College of Art) –
Corporeal Critique of Sites of Social Reproduction: How can we Harness Choreography to Re-assess the Notion of Normal?
Hannah Imlach (School of Geosciences)
– Moth Kota: a sculpture to attract both humans and moths
Jill Steel (Moray House School of Education and Sports)
– Online Reading to Dogs: A feasibility study
Jack Suitor (School of Biological Science)
– Engineering Bacteria to Transform Toxic Pollution into Textiles.
To migrate content
“The EFI award will help further my research practice of developing participatory design methods that use graphic techniques and collaborate with researchers in other departments within the university to explore quantitative data analysis in transnational education services.”
Pushpi Bagchi
“EFI’s support means I will be able to turn interdisciplinary discussions with colleagues into tangible progress in the lab that will be used to develop new biotechnology for the public good.”
Jack Suitor
We build capacity for data-led research and innovative research methods at the University of Edinburgh.
We enable researchers to grow and develop their own approaches to data-led research using computational methodology.
The Centre for Data, Culture and Society helps researchers navigate the world of digital research methods, providing space for experimentation, innovation and skills development. They offer guidance, training, technical services, prototyping and tailored support to research groups and projects, and work to showcase the potential of data-rich and applied digital research. The Centre’s extensive training programme covers a wide variety of applied digital research methods including:
Data visualisation
Statistical Analysis
Managing Digitised Documents
Text Analysis
Sentiment Analysis
We support research centres, clusters and networks that are focused on challenge-led, interdisciplinary, data-driven innovation across our themes.
Research centres
Centre for Investing Innovation
The Centre for Investing Innovation is a strategic partnership between global asset management company abrdn 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.
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.
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.
Research clusters
The Digital Global Development cluster focuses on the role of digital technology in the context of international development and humanitarianism. It aims to build capacity in research collaboration across disciplines at the University of Edinburgh, while generating a fruitful exchange of ideas and research insights internationally.
EFI STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS: FUNDING CALL NOW OPEN
Applications are now open for the Edinburgh Futures Institute 2023/2024 Student Research projects.
Find out more ApplyLatest research news
Meet the research team
We’re a team of experts, navigators, makers and doers, facilitators and collaborators with diverse skills and capabilities who want to help you explore new ways of thinking and working.
Get in touch to discuss research support
If you’d like to discuss how we can support you with your research please complete the form below and one of of team will get back to you.
