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Over 20 years of Innovation and Investment

Our research is enabled by over 20 years of experience and focus on developing fundamentally new AI algorithms in areas such as self-organising fuzzy neural networks, type-2 fuzzy logic systems, spiking neural networks, predictive modelling and analytics, computer vision, evolutionary algorithms, accelerated computing on FPGAs and bioinspired hardware self-repair.

Translating research into technologies that catalyse innovation in small and large enterprises, we have been instrumental in attracting inward investment to NI and developing the knowledge economy in Northern Ireland.

ISRC co-locates researchers, engineers and commercial development experts and directly building innovation capability in SMEs and large industry locally including core partners such as Seagate and Allstate.

Our Achievements

Excellence in Research

  • 90% of Ulster’s computer science research environment rated world leading or internationally excellent (REF 2014).
  • We are ranked 21st and 16th out of 89 universities for our research power and total number of research staff (REF 2014).

Collaboration

We are collaborating on multimillion-pound projects :

  • UK Research Council funded projects valued at £3.4m
  • multiple EU INTERREG VA grants valued at £18m
  • a £3.7m Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) programme
  • H2020 grants

ISRC projects

‘Recent ISRC projects that include significant aspects of AI/data science in their operational plans’.

  • Centre for Personalized Medicine (£11m)
  • Functional Brain Mapping facility (£5m)
  • MIDAS (Meaningful Integration of Data, Analytics and Services) (€4  .5m)
  • Centre for Precision Medicine (€8.6m)

Spin Out

Our strong commercial focus has led to successful spin out companies:

NeuroCONCISE

An AI-enabled, wearable neurotechnology

Visit the NeuroCONCISE website

  • Best Start Up, Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) Innovation Awards 2018
  • Innovation of the Year, IET Innovation Awards 2018

ActionSense

aflow

Visit the aflow website

Legal Innovation Centre

ISRC collaborated to establish a UK first of its kind Legal Innovation Centre with support from global firms Allen & Overy (A&O) and Baker McKenzie, following on from successful £1m in Capital Markets programme supported by multiple fintech businesses.

Visit the Legal Innovation Centre website

How we connect and complement

The  ISRC is the centre of operations for the Cognitive Analytics Research Laboratory (CARL).

Bringing together businesses, government and research expertise this university-wide initiative aims to use research excellence in neuro-inspired cognitive analytics, machine learning and computational intelligence, to establish Northern Ireland as world leading for data science and analytics.

The centre applies real world application areas and challenges defined by industry partners across multiple sectors to make a real world impact.

The objectives of CARL are to:

  • Process data for companies, providing knowledge to improve productivity, develop new technologies and position them to be globally competitive.
  • Enhance the capability of businesses to process live streaming data for the successful realization of Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) which will increase operational efficiency, reduce costs and diminish risk to the industrial world.
  • Contribute to smart manufacturing, services, healthcare provision and beyond
  • Ensure optimal use of resources by using predictive analytics and real time intelligent (cognitive) analytics to make machines smarter and aid smart systems integration.

Closely aligned with industry

Closely aligned with industry our key stakeholders include, but are not limited to:

  • Seagate
  • Allstate
  • Kainos
  • Analytics Engines
  • Fujitsu
  • Zinc
  • NeuroCONCISE
  • United Healthcare/Optum
  • Pramerica

Joined up thinking at Ulster

See below for an overview of how the Intelligent Systems Research at the School of Computing, Engineering and Intelligent Systems (Magee Campus, Derry) links with the research at the School of Computing’s research groups (Jordanstown Campus, Belfast) and how the Cognitive Analytics Research Lab Links across the University and taps into expertise and data from multiple Ulster Institutes and initiatives.

Get more information on the Cognitive Analytics Research Lab.