Menu Breadcrumb Home About us Annual Report 2020-21 An exceptional year Learn more Introduction The annual report can be viewed below (full screen for best experience) or you can read on to see highlights. The full report can also be downloaded as a PDF, or can be viewed in plain text as a Word document or as a text file. 1.1 Chair’s report The work of our data science and AI community, alongside our partners in industry, third sector and government, has once again been evident across many domains. This sense of collaboration was demonstrated at our highly successful first national showcase AI UK. You will see in this year’s annual report examples of how the Institute is collaborating by predicting sea ice loss, mapping the UK’s solar panels, and even developing underground farms. The Alan Turing Institute has also been proud to play its part in the response to the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. The Institute continues to drive the kind of research and innovation that will be vital to the future of our environment and our economy. This includes areas such as digital twins, which are providing crucial insights by bridging the gap between data and actionable intelligence. I was delighted to see the launch of the Institute’s first start-up, Quaisr, with its own approach to digital twin technology. “The Institute continues to drive the kind of research and innovation that will be vital to the future of our environment and our economy.” This has been an especially testing time for the higher education sector and I particularly wish to thank our network of universities for their support. This year we have seen two universities running Data Study Groups in collaboration with the Institute. The launch of a new research showcase series that engages partners from across our network, and the rapid growth of our interest groups, are both powerful examples of the Institute’s ability to convene and connect some of the brightest and best minds. The Institute is uniquely placed to leverage its strategic position and convening power, and to help ensure the UK delivers on its commitment to scale up AI research, development and innovation. As the national institute, we relish every opportunity to respond dynamically to the rapidly changing world around us. I would like to thank Adrian Smith and the Board of Trustees for their invaluable direction. I am also grateful to all of our partners and our Turing colleagues for their support and hard work this year. Howard Covington, Chair of the Board of Trustees 1.2 Institute Director’s report In this exceptional year we have demonstrated the scientific value of convening and collaborating. Our annual report for 2020/2021 highlights how we have been able to harness regional, national and international partnerships to help tackle issues from COVID-19 to climate change. The terrible effects of the pandemic on public health and human life have sadly continued, but in response the pace of new scientific insights has been incredible. Our researchers have made important improvements to the accuracy of the NHS app, developed algorithms to ensure social distancing in London’s streets, and combined NHS datasets to help answer clinical questions about the effects of COVID-19. Working alongside government and regulators on issues from misinformation to explaining AI decisions, our researchers continue to make a vital contribution to how data science and AI can improve policy-making. It has never been more apparent that our Institute has a critical role in pushing the boundaries of science for public good. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our time and I am proud that our researchers are using the power of data science and artificial intelligence to better understand and respond to the threat it poses to the planet and our way of life. “The terrible effects of the pandemic on public health and human life have sadly continued, but in response the pace of new scientific insights has been incredible.” We are of course part of a complex and thriving AI ecosystem. This was evident at our first-ever national showcase, AI UK, where the AI community explored issues such as ethics, diversity, shocks and resilience, and AI skills. Earlier this year, the government announced its intention to publish a national AI strategy. This followed the release of the AI Roadmap, which alongside the AI Council’s survey and further stakeholder engagement will help inform the Office for Artificial Intelligence’s national AI strategy later this year. This will give all those operating in the nation’s AI ecosystem a strategic pathway to future success despite the uncertainty of our times.  This year we saw a positive mid-term review by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of our AI for science and government (ASG) research programme led by Alan Wilson, Director of Special Projects. ASG was established in 2018 with a grant from the UKRI Strategic Priorities Fund, which Alan was instrumental in securing. Alan stood down from ASG in March 2021 and I would like to thank him for his key role in the evolution of the programme and his continued contribution to the Institute since its inception. Read more about the impact of our ASG programme in our research highlights. Despite the many challenges, I am pleased to lead the Institute with the peerless support of the Board and my colleagues. I would like to thank our community for its endeavours and resolve during this exceptional year. Adrian Smith, Institute Director and Chief Executive 1.3 Equality, diversity and inclusion Promoting and embedding equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in our function as an employer, research institute and national body is integral to achieving our mission to advance data science and AI research for everyone’s benefit. The Alan Turing Institute is committed to making measurable progress, and this year has seen us taking some important steps in delivering on this commitment. We recognise that our work in this area is just beginning, and we look forward to working with our wider community to effect real change. Our EDI strategy In mid-2020, the Turing commissioned an independent EDI audit in order to provide evidence-based analysis and recommendations for embedding EDI into every aspect of the Institute. The audit confirmed that a strategic approach was needed, and, guided by this audit and a robust internal consultation process, an EDI strategy and action plan will formally launch later in 2021, directing our strategic work and setting ambitious delivery targets. The Turing Management Team, along with the EDI Advisory Group, will be responsible for delivery of the action plan. The EDI working groups (soon to be renamed ‘network groups’) will act as ‘critical friends’ to the Turing alongside a formal governance structure. The Turing recently recruited an EDI Strategic Lead to spearhead this work, supported by an EDI Officer. We also expanded our Board of Trustees, recruiting four new independent trustees with a diverse range of backgrounds, that span technology, government, academia and finance. The Turing’s EDI working groups Much of the progress in our EDI agenda is achieved by our thriving EDI working groups, made up of passionate members of the Turing community. Here are some highlights from the past year: The attracting diversity, developing talent and public engagement working group led our activity for National Inclusion Week 2020, developing connections between staff and the wider research community. The health and wellbeing working group has been providing additional community support during the pandemic, including access to a meditation app and supporting the ongoing development of a reasonable adjustments policy to help all the community fully participate in the workplace. The gender and LGBTQ+ equality working group has connected with Bletchley Park to explore our shared connection with Alan Turing, and celebrated and amplified our research outputs from initiatives including the ‘Women in data science and AI’ project and the humanities and data science interest group. The group also worked with colleagues in the People team to extend the Turing’s maternity support leave to four weeks. The race and social economic equality working group led challenging and vitally important conversations following the murder of George Floyd in the US, including three sessions that empowered the Turing community to discuss racial equality in the workplace and wider society. 1.4 Partnerships and collaborations Accenture and The Alan Turing Institute establish strategic partnership Partnership to conduct AI and data science research and develop applications that solve real-world problems Thursday 29 Oct 2020 The Alan Turing Institute and The Francis Crick Institute forge new biomedical data partnership The partnership will fund and support projects where the two Institutes work together by sharing data, expertise and resources Wednesday 02 Dec 2020 New collaboration to supercharge data-driven life science research A collaboration between The Alan Turing Institute and The Norwich Bioscience Institutes will enhance... Monday 21 Sep 2020 Providing independent research leadership to the UK Health Security Agency A partnership with The Alan Turing Institute and Royal Statistical Society to support the COVID-19 response Collaboration boosts research at intersection of climate science and AI An ‘operational alliance’ has been signed by The Alan Turing Institute and the Met Office, formalising ambitions to co-design a dynamic programme of research Wednesday 16 Dec 2020 New agreement to advance research at intersection of AI and manufacturing The Alan Turing Institute and the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC)... Wednesday 27 Jan 2021 The Turing teams up with Cervest to help predict climatic events in data scarce regions Cutting edge methodology designed to allow communities and organisations around the world to understand... Monday 20 Apr 2020 Scottish patients at risk of readmission Developing a model to predict the risk of emergency admission to hospital for the Scottish population The Alan Turing Institute and Singapore’s DSO National Laboratories sign new agreement For collaborative research projects on misinformation, counter-terrorism and humanitarian aid Tuesday 06 Oct 2020 The Turing to work with The University of Texas at Austin’s Oden Institute to advance data-centric engineering research A MoU has been signed between the Turing and the Oden Institute at The... Friday 15 May 2020 Introducing the PATH-AI project: Privacy, Agency and Trust in Human-AI Ecosystems How do the values of privacy, agency, and trust differ across different cultural contexts? Thursday 21 Jan 2021 1.5 Research highlights of the year Understanding the risks of climate change to human and national security A report on the risks and opportunities that climate change poses to the UK's security Forecasting Arctic sea ice coverage A data-driven deep learning system that takes sea ice forecasting to the next level History in the making The Living with Machines project is shedding new light on the Industrial Revolution Quaisr: harnessing the power of digital twins The Turing's first start-up is powering the creation of digital twins Supporting innovation in the fintech sector We were a key academic partner in the FCA's Digital Sandbox Pilot Ensuring quality in AI healthcare technologies Providing checklists to improve the quality and transparency of trials involving AI Optimising the world’s first underground farm This project uses soilless hydroponic technology and LED lighting to grow crops year-round A purpose-built tool for tracking how networks evolve Raphtory is the first tool to be built specifically for tracking how networks and connections change over time Anti-bias test implemented by Amazon A test for detecting bias in AI and machine learning systems has been adopted by Amazon Web Services Data safe havens spread their wings The Turing's Research Engineering team is pioneering the development of secure, cloud-based computing environments Mapping the UK’s solar panels An open, geographic dataset that covers an estimated 85% of the country’s solar capacity Streamlining jet engine design and manufacture Algorithms developed at the Turing will allow aerospace companies to build engines that waste less fuel and have a lower carbon footprint Helping organisations to explain decisions made with AI The most comprehensive practical guidance on AI explanation produced anywhere to date 1.6 The Turing's response to COVID-19 Since the beginning of the pandemic, researchers across the Turing have shifted their focus and embarked on new collaborations to tackle the spread and impacts of COVID-19. Here are some of our key projects – further details on these and more projects can be found on our dedicated webpage. Combining data from NHS trusts The DECOVID project created a detailed, analysis-ready database of anonymised patient health data Understanding vulnerability to health-related misinformation Pinpointing the factors that make people more likely to believe false claims about COVID-19 Improving the accuracy of the NHS COVID-19 app Turing researchers worked with the government to update the app's algorithm Estimating positive COVID-19 test counts A statistical model that gives an early picture of test counts, enabling a quicker response Helping London to navigate lockdown safely Project Odysseus monitored pedestrian activity, allowing authorities to make social distancing interventions Modelling the spread of COVID-19 in urban areas Linking epidemiological models to detailed data about people’s daily activities 1.7 The year in numbers 1.8 Engagement, outreach and skills Online hate research hub Collating and organising resources for research and policymaking on online hate Women in data science and AI Using research to inform concrete policy measures aimed at increasing equality in data science and AI The Turing convenes data science and AI experts to assess the UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic Lessons for future emergencies Wednesday 09 Jun 2021 The Turing Lectures A series of inspiring talks by leading figures in data science and AI The Turing Podcast The Institute's podcast for discussions on all things data science, AI, and machine learning Celebrating AI UK: The Turing’s flagship showcase of the UK’s best academic work in AI On 23 and 24 March, the Turing hosted AI UK 2021, our showcase of... Monday 26 Apr 2021 Reinforcement Learning Study Group – February 2021 Monday 22 Feb 2021 - Friday 12 Mar 2021 Time: 09:00 - 17:00 Data Science for Social Good Bringing together some of the top talent from data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence, to work on real-world data science challenges and deliver positive social impact 'The Turing Way' – A handbook for reproducible data science Developing a handbook for best practice in academic data science Interest groups Researchers gathering around shared areas of interest in data science and AI, with the aim to share ideas and knowledge and spark new ideas for collaborations and projects Challenging power in data science This blog discusses ideas from the recent Turing event Challenging power in data science Friday 17 Jul 2020 Data Study Group – September 2020 Monday 31 Aug 2020 - Friday 25 Sep 2020 Time: 09:00 - 17:00 CogX 2020 Monday 08 Jun 2020 - Wednesday 10 Jun 2020 Time: 09:00 - 17:30 Enrichment scheme Are you a doctoral student? 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