In order to fuel the UK’s digital economy in research and skills, millions of pounds will be invested in building research centres.
In order to do so, a great deal of support and a £23m investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) as well as a further £22m from other UK bodies will be used.
Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson said: “This latest investment demonstrates our commitment to maximising the digital revolution for the UK.
These centres will lead the way in developing innovative digital products which enhance our daily lives – from personalised digital health services to the use of interactive media in education.
“By harnessing our international research excellence, in partnership with local and regional expertise, these centres will accelerate digital technology innovation for business and society’s benefit.”
In an attempt to use digital to improve cultural, social and economic change, the centres will work on a number of different initiatives including the refinement of data for personalised products and designing open source technologies to develop transformational models for local government services.
There will also be projects that will focus on using motion capture technology for medical and sport performance purposes as well as using digital to teach the public about coping in a technology age and using data modelling to promote regional co-operation to strengthen and balance the economy.
EPSRC chief executive Philip Nelson said: “Building on our previous investments, these new Digital Economy Centres will show how multi-disciplinary research in the digital economy can be brought to bear on the big societal challenges we face.
“Their impacts in the real world will be shown by adoption by policy-makers, and improvements in services and economic benefits in the public, private and charitable sectors.”
The announcement was part of Chancellor George Osborne’s summer budget where he pledged to invest more money into the digital economy.