Aston University to help build ‘Big Data Corridor...

• Data driven innovation project to support SMEs given the go ahead
• Project led by Digital Birmingham at Birmingham City Council in partnership with Aston University and others

A £2.5 million data driven innovation project which will help small to medium sized enterprises in and around Birmingham increase market share and create jobs has been given the go ahead.

The three year ‘Big Data Corridor’ project, led by Digital Birmingham at Birmingham City Council in partnership with Aston University, aims to address business challenges through new data streams and technologies enabling local companies to compete with the best nationally and internationally. It will also look to provide businesses with assistance to develop creative solutions with a particular focus on improving citizens’ health, well-being and mobility. 

The growth of the internet, smartphones, wireless networks, sensors, social media and other digital technologies has magnified the amount of data being collected and is massively changing the DNA of business. Yet the commercial use of big data is still at an early stage. Big Data Corridor aims to give GBSLEP businesses the expert technical and commercial support to exploit the opportunities of data driven innovation and get ahead of the curve.

The three year project is being led by Digital Birmingham, part of Birmingham City Council in partnership with Aston University, Birmingham City University, Enable iD, Innovation Birmingham, Telensa and Transport for West Midlands with partial funding from the European Regional Development Fund.

A spokesman for Aston University said: Â“We are proud to be a part of this innovative scheme. There is a lot businesses can learn from the huge swathes of data that Birmingham produces and it is our belief that it can unlock a significant amount of growth in the region once these firms have access to it.”

Raj Mack, Head of Digital Birmingham says: “With Birmingham being one of the largest and fastest developing regional urban areas in Europe it has attracted significant infrastructure investment over the course of the last decade.

“The Big Data Corridor project will give small to medium sized enterprises a unique opportunity to tap into the vast amount of data the city generates, develop new products and create new jobs.”

Over the three years the project aims to assist over 150 enterprises to create new products and services, and improve their market share and performance through the use of data with specific sector challenges addressed. 

Participating businesses will have the benefit of access to an online data platform, workshops and expert technical assistance in addition to networking opportunities and knowledge sharing.

For further information and to find out how to be a part of this exciting opportunity please contact the Big Data Corridor team on 0121 303 8779 or e-mail bigdatacorridor@birmingham.gov.uk