A panel commissioned by EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Science Research Council) has said that The Alan Turing Institute should carry out reforms in order to improve its role as a national institute for data science and artificial intelligence and also to retain its funding at the current level.
EPSRC conducted a five-year review of The Alan Turing Institute
The panel consisted of independent experts who carried out the five-year review, and they noted that they reviewed and examined the work and results achieved by The Alan Turing Institute in the first five years of its functioning and also looked at what its future strategies are.
The Alan Turing Institute got a funding of £100 million from the spring budget of the UK to find solutions and strategies for national and international challenges in data science and AI. The findings of the review by the panel came after the funding was announced.
The report mentioned that the work executed by the institute is valuable, using the words “clear value” for the appraisal, and also noted that there is an optimistic outlook for the institute’s future. The review also highlighted its hopes for the incoming CEO’s approach and the board of trustees.
But the review identified five potential problematic zones and shared its concerns. These areas included financial management, some issues related to governance, ecosystem relationships, the effectiveness of operations, and strategy implementation.
Areas of concern
Mentioning the governance part, the panel said that despite the fact that The Alan Turing Institute contributed to the AI ecosystem on a national scale, and there is evidence for that, but still, some British research stakeholder groups still had a feeling of exclusion, and the review also hinted at the lack of some important achievements, mentioning,
“the potential of the institute to act on behalf of the whole ecosystem has not yet been achieved, a key part of the national institute’s role.”
Adding further,
“Represent all actors in the UK ecosystem on an international stage, and enable research that is additive to, not duplicative of, that carried out in other institutions.”
Source: Research live.
The review also said that there was a need to refine the leadership structure and the overall governance of the institute to represent the diversity more accurately in the broader industry. However, the review praised the Alan Turing Institute for strategy implementation and its vision and renewed approach, and its focus on national security and defense matters, healthcare transformation, sustainability, and the environment.
The research panel also recommended to adopt a clear approach and set of rules on how the actors should interact within the AI ecosystem to avoid duplication of research by other institutes. They also raised concerns over the financial oversight and said that it should provide assurance of the way the public funds are spent.
The original story can be seen here.
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