Friday 27 11 2020
University of the West of Scotland has won a prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) Award for a pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) drone collaboration.
The project team – a partnership between UWS; multinational firm, Thales, and Scottish sensors and imaging innovation centre, CENSIS – scooped the prize in the highly-competitive ‘knowledge exchange / transfer initiative of the year’ category.
The technology developed as part of the collaboration has the potential to save lives by identifying missing people. The system uses advanced cameras and neural computer networks to spot someone it’s searching for, and can identify specific individuals who appear as a ‘speck’ in the distance. The technology, which is the first-of-its-kind used by police forces in the UK, is a form of machine learning providing real-time image analysis for identifying humans.
The judges applauded the team for building on successive projects to demonstrate life-saving applications – and commended the “growing stature of the academic team and their work to create AI-based business solutions”.
Professor Craig Mahoney, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of UWS, said: “I am immensely proud of the entire team involved in the project for winning this richly deserved, prestigious accolade.
“It is a fantastic achievement, not just for those involved, but for the wider University community. Artificial intelligence is already changing lives but, through this project, we have shown that AI can also save lives.
At UWS, we pride ourselves on our meaningful collaboration with industry, which has a real and genuine impact on society – this project perfectly demonstrates this commitment and it is terrific to see it recognised as best in the UK. Congratulations to all involved for this truly impressive accolade.
Professor Craig Mahoney, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of UWS
Paul Winstanley, CEO of CENSIS, said: “The success of this project is testament to the quality of skills and knowledge in Scotland’s technology sector and its academic institutions. A first of its kind for a UK police force, the project has an important real-world application in keeping people safe. AI and machine learning technology has huge potential beyond Scotland and in other sectors, and this is another great example of what can be achieved through cross-sector collaboration, underpinned by leading research and pioneering technology.”
We are delighted to have been recognised for our work with UWS to develop artificial intelligence technology that can support police forces in their search for missing people. AI is one of the major technologies that we are focused on developing at Thales and it is great to see its benefits being applied to save lives and positively impact society.
Dr Barry Connor, Innovation and Technology Manager, Thales UK
The Times Higher Education Awards – widely referred to as the ‘Oscars of higher education’ – are the biggest celebration in the UK HE calendar, attracting hundreds of entries from individuals, teams and institutions from all corners of the country. 2020’s ceremony was virtual, but still over a thousand people logged in to hear this year’s winners announced.
THE editor, John Gill, said: “In an extraordinary year, the opportunity to sit down with the THE Awards judges – remotely, of course – and immerse oneself in the stories behind our shortlisted entries was more rewarding than ever.
“Because these awards recognise achievements in the 2018-19 academic year, we are dealing with the world as it was pre-pandemic, but the brilliance of our researchers, the exceptional teaching and the extraordinary ingenuity shown by administrative staff, all on display in this year’s shortlists, will be critical for both universities and the country in the period ahead.
“In some ways, picking out examples of individual achievement seems at odds with the collective effort that has been so vital during the difficult months this year, but the THE Awards have been celebrating the UK sector in this way for 16 years, so a pandemic wasn’t going to stop us.
“Congratulations to an inspirational group of winners, and indeed to everyone shortlisted.”
Profiles of all the winners this year can be found here.