(January 6, 2015) Ed
Vaizey, Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy, has today
confirmed a new interdisciplinary Research Hub to drive forward UK research in
the Internet of Things (IoT). The PETRAS consortium of nine leading UK
universities will work together over the next three years to explore critical
issues in privacy, ethics, trust, reliability, acceptability, and security.
Funding for the Hub includes a £9.8 million grant from the
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) which will be
boosted by partner contributions to approximately £23 million in total.
The project is part of IoTUK, an integrated £40 million,
three-year, Government programme that seeks to advance the UK's global
leadership in IoT and increase the adoption of high quality IoT technologies
and services throughout businesses and the public sector.
The Hub is a consortium of nine leading universities led by
UCL with Imperial College London, University of Oxford, University of Warwick,
Lancaster University, University of Southampton, University of Surrey,
University of Edinburgh and Cardiff University. The Hub will draw in
substantial support and leverage from over 47 partners from industry and the
public sector.
Ed Vaizey, Digital Economy Minister, said: UK universities
are renowned for their creativity, and pioneering research and development. We
want the UK to be a world leader in the adoption of Internet of Things
technologies, and I know that bringing these universities together with
partners from the UK's thriving tech industry will be instrumental in making
this a reality.