Universities Reveal Research Collaborations Based On IBM Watson

Imperial College London and the University of Southampton have become to first UK universities to work with cognitive computing system IBM Watson.

The partnership makes the cognitive computing available to some undergraduate and postgraduate students at each organisation for education and research.

Imperial College London will be offering new courses to provide students with opportunities for hands-on learning as they work to develop cognitive computing solutions to address business and societal challenges.

Cognitive systems activities will be extended across the University, in the Computing department as well as other already involved in related interdisciplinary research.

In 2015, a select group of undergraduates and postgraduates from the Department of Computing will be enrolled in a course led by the Department’s Director of Postgraduate Research Dr Alessandra Russo.

“As a leader in education and research in cognitive computing, Imperial College London aims to prepare industry-ready students to harness this combination of science and technology and create innovative products and services,” claimed Professor David Gann, vice president of development and innovation at the College.

“It is crucial for our students to be able to work with the most cutting-edge systems and technologies and we are truly excited about this partnership with IBM – which will enable this through a multidisciplinary and systematic approach.

“Our Department of Computing already collaborates closely with IBM in areas related to security, network management and intelligence services. This new initiative takes our strategic alliance to a new level. Students and researcher will benefit greatly from access to the latest generation of capabilities from IBM,” he added.

Southampton Wants To Encourage Innovation

University of Southampton students will be able to engage with Watson via a new Cognitive Computing module as part of its Curriculum Innovation programme which will initially be available to over 150 undergraduate and Master’s students across all disciplines.

“As a University which prides itself on being at the forefront of cutting edge technological and education developments, the introduction of Watson into our curricular and extra-curricular activities is a natural step as we seek to transform the experiences and resources available to our students and staff,” claimed the organisation’s assistant pro-vice-chancellor Dr Russell Bentley.

“In particular, Watson will be a tremendous asset to participants on our new innovative Curriculum Innovation programme, which encourage students from across disciplines and subjects to come together to develop new skills,” he added.

The partnership between the two educational institutions and IBM aims to help nurture the next generation of innovators needed and is the first of its type in the UK.

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