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The University of Edinburgh's new Informatic Forum research facility was opened today. The £42 million building reinforces Scotland's position as a world leader in informatics research, the First Minister said today as he officially opened the facility. The new development will bring together around 500 scientists whose interests include virtual reality, robotics, artificial learning and intelligent systems. The Scottish Government, through Scottish Enterprise, has provided £14 million towards the construction of six floor city centre facility. In addition, over the next five years, the Scottish Government through the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) will be investing £14.5 million in the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA). SFC's latest research pooling initiative will ensure that research in this area continues to make an impact internationally. First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Scotland has firmly established its place as a world leader in informatics and the development of this impressive new facility reinforces our commitment to research in this area. "This £42 million project will act as a hub for the academic, commercial and civil development of a range of informatics disciplines ranging from e-science and medicine to business and humanities. "The Scottish Government is committed to promoting excellence and innovation - building on research and scientific excellence in Scotland's universities to promote sustainable economic growth. "Over the next five years the Scottish Government, through the Scottish Funding Council, will be investing £14.5 million into the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA). "The funding will be used to pool together research in this area between 10 of the country's universities, ensuring Scotland continues to make an international impact in the development of informatics. "I am delighted to officially open this new centre of excellence, it will advance Scotland and the University of Edinburgh's position as a world leader in the new science of informatics and it will also have enormous benefits to both industry and commerce." http://www.scotland.gov.uk |
