IT innovation, research and development

Health secretary Matt Hancock to boost NHS IT with £200m fund

Matt Hancock will announce a £200m fund for further digital centres of excellence and plans to pilot the NHS app across England, but shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth calls the plans a “pipe dream” Continue Reading

Element AI teams up with AI Singapore

The Canadian upstart is co-developing AI applications for local industries as part of its efforts to build new research capabilities via local talent pools Continue Reading

Three forthcoming government services to use Gov.uk Verify

Government Digital Service is in the process of private beta testing its identity assurance platform with three new central government services Continue Reading

Power play – how GE builds digital into its products

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we speak to Bill Ruh, the head of GE Digital about how the business has changed to focus on customer outcomes following a change in senior leadership. The company is exploring new industries to take its Predix platform, such as the hospitality sector. We look at the problems of implementing SAP S/4 Hana and speak to experts about how to maximise success. We also explore the challenges of networking microservices. Our CIO interview is PayPoint CIO Jon Marchant. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

From Aberdeen to Brighton: Investing in the UK’s digital future

More investment in the UK’s broadband infrastructure is critical to ensure the UK’s future success in technology in a post-Brexit world Continue Reading

CIO interview: Ian Cohen, global CIO, Addison Lee

Addison Lee’s global CIO is building a business strategy and ensuring the transport company has a flexible platform for growth Continue Reading

UK partners with African countries to boost innovation

UK government has launched partnerships in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria to help startups grow and boost technology innovation in the region Continue Reading

Voice set to project into workplace, predicts Gartner report

AI-powered voice recognition is set to become part of the office environment within two years, according to Gartner Continue Reading

Singapore broadens access to AI skills

A national artificial intelligence initiative in Singapore is being extended to the general population to dispel fears that machines will take over people’s jobs Continue Reading

IT leaders at a crossroads as they grapple with digital technology

CIOs have the opportunity to influence their company strategy as digital technology reshapes business. A survey of CIOs across 70 countries charts a path for IT leaders through emerging technologies Continue Reading

Home Office launches EU nationals registration system pilot

EU citizens working at NHS trusts in the north-west of England – and students and staff at Liverpool’s universities – will be able to apply online for settled status in the UK post-Brexit, as part of private beta pilot Continue Reading

CW Nordics: Sweden eyes geo-fencing to protect against terror attacks

Sweden is developing an integrated IT/geo-fencing system to protect the country’s towns and cities against attacks by terrorists using vehicles as “killing machines”. Also read about Microsoft building two more datacentres in Norway to support its cloud computing services in Europe, and find out why investigators have closed the Nokia extortion probe without finding a motive or making an arrest. Continue Reading

Language barrier won’t hold back chatbots in the Netherlands

The use of chatbots by Dutch organisations is on the up, with KLM's chatbot a pioneering example Continue Reading

CEOs held back by boards wanting quick digital turnarounds

Digital transformations tend to have a long return on investment, but most CEOs are failing to convince their boards that these things take time Continue Reading

Barclays appointment will step up use of AI in investment bank

Ex-Goldman Sachs expert will focus on improving Barclays’ trading services and making internal systems more efficient Continue Reading

Government departments are exploring new tech, according to GDS report

A GDS-commissioned report has found artificial intelligence and blockchain are the most popular among emerging technologies in government, but projects are often done in silos and departments risk “reinventing the wheel” Continue Reading

CIO interview: Celia Pronto, chief customer and digital officer, Casual Dining Group

Casual Dining Group’s chief customer and digital officer, Celia Pronto, is overhauling technology, consolidating IT and improving collaboration across its 300 restaurants Continue Reading

AI: Black boxes and the boardroom

Computers can and do make mistakes and AI is only as good its training so relying purely on machine intelligence to make critical decisions is risky Continue Reading

Gartner recommends CIOs get skilled up on deep learning

There may be some wacky predictions in Gartner's emerging trends hype cycle, but AI and even quantum computing need to be taken seriously right now Continue Reading

Is IBM relevant to today’s mainstream?

When IT vendors talk about the market, they tend to focus on how they would like the world to be rather than how it actually is. This often means they fail to connect as well as they could with the ... Continue Reading

The dawn of open banking in Australia

Financial services firms will need to embrace DevOps and modernise their IT infrastructure to compete with more nimble fintech companies in an open banking regime. Continue Reading

Scotland's Improvement Service signs up to pilot digital identity platform

The Improvement Service will pilot the Yoti digital identity platform, test the use of blockchain applications and take a cloud first approach with its myaccount citizen portal Continue Reading

O2 tests Li-Fi transmission technology to enhance home networks

Mobile operator O2 is testing the application of Li-Fi technology, using LED light bulbs to transmit data packets, to enhance consumer wireless networks Continue Reading

CIO interview: Richard Corbridge, CDIO, Leeds Teaching Hospitals

Leeds Teaching Hospitals’ new chief digital and information officer is putting together a plan for smarter use of information Continue Reading

Driverless cars heading for Bromley and Croydon

A 10-month data-gathering exercise will pave the way for an autonomous vehicle ride-sharing service to start operation in 2019 Continue Reading

ICO strengthens commitment to technology and innovation

Information Commissioner’s Office has demonstrated its commitment to technology and innovation by appointing a new executive director to focus on this area Continue Reading

Government pumps £51m into Welsh tech hub

Chancellor Philip Hammond promises £51m in additional investment for researchers and entrepreneurs to drive tech innovation in Wales Continue Reading

Photobox gets snappy with mass-data migration to AWS cloud

Photobox Group’s CTO, Richard Orme, has revealed details of how a mass-data migration to the Amazon Web Services cloud has set the firm on the path to embrace artificial intelligence Continue Reading

UK above average on strategic use of analytics

The UK has slightly more chief data officers than the global average, which helps drive strategic initiatives – but security is still seen as a major hurdle Continue Reading

CW Benelux: Netherlands to experiment with self-driving trains

In this issue, read how Dutch railway operator ProRail will test self-driving trains on a small set of railroad tracks to learn if they can be part of the country’s notoriously busy network. Also, find out how a network of smart towns and cities is growing in the Netherlands, and why Dutch organisations are being urged to unite to fight DDoS attacks. Continue Reading

Government sets out vision for better use of rail data

The government and the rail industry have developed a joint action plan to remove barriers to better data use by improving access to data, developing better standards, increasing skills and encouraging collaboration Continue Reading

Dutch healthcare institutions need to think like tech sector

The healthcare industry needs to approach technological innovation in a different way if it is to maximise the benefits for staff and patients Continue Reading

How digital is driving golf to the connected course

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how one of the most traditional of sports, golf, is turning to technology to engage a new audience and build the connected course. Industry legend Dame Stephanie ‘Steve’ Shirley discusses IT talent, diversity in tech and Brexit fears. And we assess the offerings of four of the biggest cloud storage providers, AWS, Azure, Google and IBM. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

The rise of humanoid robotics in the Middle East

Middle East CIOs are planning to roll out intelligent automation technologies such as artificial intelligence and humanoid robotics Continue Reading

BEIS research and development budget nearly £8bn in 2018/19

Working to reach the government’s target of spending 2.4% of GDP on research and development by 2027, BEIS has increased its budget to nearly £8bn in 2018/19 Continue Reading

CIO interview: Alex von Schirmeister, CDTIO, RS Components

The electronics distributor’s chief digital, technology and innovation officer (CDTIO) on putting in place a new IT infrastructure, creating a digital business and accepting risk Continue Reading

Audi to test 5G use cases in car production

German carmaker Audi is working with Sweden’s Ericsson to run field tests of 5G mobile networking technology exploring its applications on the factory floor Continue Reading

Data has potential to enhance UK economy and productivity, says government

Government paper sets out potential for data to drive economic value, and highlights series of challenges that need to be addressed to fully gain benefits Continue Reading

Home Office dishes out more than £100m for police tech projects

The Home Office has awarded £42.7m of funding to a range of digital policing projects, as well as approved £70m for four ongoing national programmes across England and Wales Continue Reading

Northern Ireland to deploy patient portal

Health and Social Care Northern Ireland will begin piloting a patient portal later this month to support people with dementia Continue Reading

Intelligent automation spending to hit $232bn by 2025

Technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotic process automation and machine learning could help traditional enterprises gain ground on digital-first giants Continue Reading

CIO interview: David Ivell, chief technology officer, Good Energy

Renewable energy supplier aims to pioneer change in the sector through innovation, having refocused the organisation with technology as a “driving force” Continue Reading

Government to fund six connected vehicle simulation projects

The government has announced the winners of an R&D contest for connected vehicle simulation and modelling capabilities Continue Reading

UK relegated to fourth place in UN e–government survey

The UK has dropped from first to fourth in the United Nations’ ranking on e-governments across the world, falling behind Denmark, Australia and South Korea Continue Reading

Cities key to making data a new form of infrastructure, says Nesta

City governments need to take charge of data use and leverage responsible innovation, as data should not be seen as a saleable commodity, but a common good, according to the innovation foundation Continue Reading

An IT operating model for the digital age

Enterprises need to form cross-functional teams and give them the mandate to work together towards a single goal Continue Reading

O2 canvasses support from UK Plc to build case for 5G

O2 CEO Mark Evans is writing to every FTSE 100 boss in the UK seeking to build consensus around 5G use cases, and drum up support for investment Continue Reading

Stagecoach trials full-size driverless bus

Bus operator Stagecoach is testing out a full-size autonomous bus in its own depots, with future potential for use on passenger routes Continue Reading

Nordnet drops AI assistant while SEB deepens collaboration

One Nordic bank decides to stop using cognitive agent Amelia to focus on other AI technologies, but another widens the use of the software Continue Reading

CIO interview: Miranda Sharp, director of innovation, Ordnance Survey

Ordnance Survey’s innovation director talks about how the mapping agency is embracing new technologies, working on infrastructure for connected cars, and creating a geospatial framework in Manchester Continue Reading

Commerzbank creates Hadoop-based platform for business-critical insights

German bank creates an entire new department to build and support a platform to provide business-critical insights Continue Reading

Government spend with SMEs down in 2016/17

Government figures show direct and indirect spend on small to medium-sized enterprises by government departments in the 2016/17 financial year have fallen Continue Reading

Why #techmatters – the challenge for everyone in the UK tech community

The UK technology sector faces unprecedented challenges – and opportunities – but we must never lose sight of the fact that it exists to make people’s lives better Continue Reading

Cisco and UCL to open AI research unit in $100m digital economy boost

Cisco has extended its ongoing Country Digital Acceleration programme in the UK with a further $100m investment, part of which will go towards a new AI research centre Continue Reading

PAC doubts justice system transformation programme will be a success

Public Accounts Committee says it’s difficult to see how the government’s “extremely challenging" £1.2bn project to overhaul courts through use of technology “will ever work" Continue Reading

CIO interview: Jon Marchant, CIO, PayPoint

PayPoint CIO describes the company’s shift to retail services and how it went from knowing very little about electronic point of sale system software to creating its own Continue Reading

CW500: Getting the most out of the internet of things

The IoT brings huge opportunities, but how can organisations take full advantage, and where lies the best potential? The latest CW500 Club looked at how to create the right environment for success Continue Reading

Australia needs to plug innovation gap

Being at the crossroads of technological change, Australia should decide if it wants to be a producer of cutting-edge applications or be contented with just being a user of technology. Continue Reading

CW ANZ: Fix the weak links

Recent reports have suggested that cyber threats are increasingly aimed at critical information infrastructure such as power grids, water treatment plants and transportation networks. While the scale of the problem that Australian industry faces is hard to quantify, no one disputes the threat is real. In this edition of CW ANZ, we look at how Australia is securing its industrial control systems and how it is bridging the security gap between IT and OT teams. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Nordic CTO interview: Martin Whitlock, Telenor Connexion

Norwegian telco is growing its global reach through its internet of things business unit Continue Reading

Expect jobs equilibrium if government sticks with AI plan

If the government keeps to its artificial intelligence sector deal, the number of new jobs created through the use of AI and automation will balance the job losses Continue Reading

Rio Tinto transports iron ore with autonomous train

The 280km journey in Western Australia was made under Rio Tinto’s autonomous train programme aimed at improving the productivity and safety of workers Continue Reading

Executive interview: Bill Ruh, CDO of GE

With a new CEO in the driving seat, we speak to GE’s head of digital, Bill Ruh, about how the company has refined its digital strategy Continue Reading

Three-quarters of consumers have interacted with artificial intelligence

Capgemini survey finds 55% of people prefer a mix of AI and humans when they interact with organisations Continue Reading

CW Middle East: Can Saudi Arabia build the Silicon Valley of the Middle East?

In April this year, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman visited Silicon Valley in the US to meet tech giants such as Apple and Amazon in its efforts to fast-forward the kingdom’s technology capabilities. Read about its lofty ambitions. Also in this issue, read how demand for skilled IT professionals is increasing rapidly in the Middle East, which is facing a talent crunch. Meanwhile, Gulf Cooperation Council smart city initiatives are gathering momentum. Continue Reading

An exciting time to be in cyber security innovation

Cyber security innovation has received a £1.35m shot in the arm from the UK government with the opening of a new innovation centre in London. Computer Weekly looks at why now is a good time to be working and innovating in this industry Continue Reading

Siemens and Alibaba Cloud eye Chinese IoT market

The two bigwigs will develop industrial internet of things offerings for China’s manufacturing industries that are being digitised through various state-led initiatives Continue Reading

Mind your drone business

Amazon is just the tip of the iceberg – companies are pouring hundreds of millions into the development of commercial drones Continue Reading

Digital identity: Is the puzzle about to be solved?

Solving the digital identity problem is key to the future of the digital economy as a whole – but how close are we? Computer Weekly looks at what is happening with Gov.uk Verify, private sector involvement, and lessons the UK could learn from other countries. Continue Reading

Singapore to build speech recognition system to speed up emergency response

Emergency responders in the city-state could be able to react more quickly in future with the help of the world’s first mixed-lingual speech recognition engine, to be developed at a new artificial intelligence speech lab Continue Reading

ICO Grants Programme launches second round of funding

The ICO is inviting a second round of applications for funding to promote and support independent, innovative research and solutions focused on privacy and data protection Continue Reading

Construction sector gets £420m investment for tech and innovation

Government has partnered with industry to deliver a Construction Sector Deal, which includes a joint £420m investment for “bytes and mortar smart construction” Continue Reading

Local Digital Declaration sets out how to transform local public services

The declaration, which sets out five “principles of internet-age local public services”, is backed by £7.5m in government funding to help councils transform services Continue Reading

Industry bets on fixed wireless access for first 5G deployments

Separate tests in Romania and the UK have been demonstrating the potential of fixed wireless access as a component of 5G Continue Reading

Food Standards Agency pilots blockchain in slaughterhouse

Distributed ledger technology trialled in cattle slaughterhouse to improve transparency across the food supply chain Continue Reading

Case study: Logistics firm GWC moves from paper to digital HR in three months

Qatar-based logistics firm Gulf Warehousing Company introduced smart appraisals for employees, cut the time it takes to recruit, and gave staff and managers access to accurate HR data by replacing paper systems with human resources software Continue Reading

Oracle decides on Brussels for European fintech innovation centre

Software giant Oracle chooses Brussels as the centre of its European financial technology innovation programme Continue Reading

Bolloré Group partners with Alibaba for cloud and co-development

French transportation conglomerate will use Alibaba cloud, and Alibaba will look at using Bolloré's battery technology in its datacentres Continue Reading

Manufacturers, technology and the fourth industrial revolution

A look at some of the innovations and technology investment focus areas for today’s manufacturing industry Continue Reading

TfL partners with Siemens to revamp traffic network for connected cars

A traffic control system being developed by Siemens and TfL will propel traffic management into the era of the internet of things Continue Reading

First Lorca cohort to focus on security orchestration

The first companies to benefit from the new London cyber innovation centre will focus on cyber security orchestration and automation Continue Reading

Two further regions join care record exemplar programme

Yorkshire and Humber and Thames Valley have been chosen by NHS England to join the three other care record exemplars, each receiving up to £7.5m to speed up delivery of integrated health and care Continue Reading

University of Melbourne claims quantum computing breakthrough

Australian scientists have simulated the power of quantum computing on classical computers to solve a mathematical problem, paving the way for future breakthroughs in the nascent field Continue Reading

Nationwide Building Society to fund tech startups to the tune of £50m

With an available fund of £50m, Nationwide Building Society is the latest traditional financial services provider to support tech startups Continue Reading

Lorca will help drive UK cyber exports, says ex-GCHQ boss

New London cyber security innovation centre will help to boost exports of UK cyber security expertise, says former GCHQ director Continue Reading

AI and other tech key to post-Brexit success, says Matt Hancock

Digital secretary Matt Hancock highlights the importance of emerging technologies to the future of the UK at the opening of London’s cyber security innovation centre Continue Reading

GDS is trying to democratise digital, says Cunnington

GDS boss Kevin Cunnington offers departments help with Brexit and says GDS is working to solve the “hardest problems”, as well as mapping innovation across government Continue Reading

Who is right on blockchain Gartner or Deloitte, or even both?

It is hard to tell the real status of blockchain take up because there is so much background noise Continue Reading

London cyber innovation centre opens

The government-funded London cyber innovation centre is set to open today and welcome the first cyber security businesses as a study reveals that a quarter of UK firms lack the right security technology Continue Reading

Projects receive funding to help digitise manufacturing

Following recommendations from the Industrial Digitisation review, the EPSRC is funding AI and process automation projects Continue Reading

UK Space Agency offers £4m fund for using space tech in the NHS

The UK Space Agency is giving £4m to innovators working to adapt space technology to improve medical treatment and care in the NHS Continue Reading

UK cyber skills in demand, says Dorset firm C3IA Solutions

UK cyber security skills are in demand and there is a bright future in exporting them, according to Dorset-based firm C3IA Solutions Continue Reading

A dozen councils get tech innovation funding

The councils will use the funding, awarded by NHS Digital and the Local Government Association, to pilot how technology can improve social care services Continue Reading

CDO interview: Andrei Belevtsev, Gazprom Neft

Russian oil giant will harness the latest technologies right across its business, says chief digital officer Continue Reading

HR projects are leading company moves to digital tech, say business leaders

Business leaders say their human resource IT programmes are leading the way to the wider deployment of digital and cloud technology across their organisations Continue Reading

CIO interview: Taavi Kotka, former CIO, Estonian government

Estonia’s former CIO talks to Computer Weekly about how to make services work for people, why the skills gap shouldn’t be an excuse not to digitise, and the importance of going to the gym Continue Reading

CIO interview: Michael Cole, European Tour and Ryder Cup

Michael Cole, chief technology officer at the European Tour and Ryder Cup, discusses how he is helping the sport of golf broaden its appeal through his “connected course” digital transformation vision Continue Reading

Theresa May gives NHS £20bn birthday gift and says tech is key

The prime minister promises to increase NHS funding by an extra £20bn a year by 2023, and highlights importance of tech in improving care and enabling earlier diagnosis Continue Reading

Bank uses AI to select job candidates

Singapore’s DBS Bank is using artificial intelligence to automate parts of its recruitment process Continue Reading

IPsoft’s digital worker is part of a shift in human productivity

IPsoft used its annual user summit to allow customers to update themselves on the career of its cognitive digital agent Amelia Continue Reading