A new Oxford-based initiative to support innovation and collaboration in the Digital Economy.

In August of this year the Oxford Internet Institute established an exciting new initiative in support of developments in the Digital Economy in the UK and spearheaded by the Oxford Digital Economy Collaboration (ODEC) Group.

The ODEC group assists businesses, public sector organisations, innovators and research groups (at Oxford and elsewhere) working in the digital, Internet, and creative industries, to foster collaborations supported by the Connected Digital Economy Catapult (CDEC), whose aim is to encourage the creation of new products, solutions and services in the UK Digital Economy.

The remit of our group is broad – embracing all aspects of digital technology, ranging through, for example, creative & media, digital apps, data curation, networking, cybersecurity, business analytics, digital medical, high performance & cloud computing, to wireless, hardware, and sensors, taking into account all facets of the data value chain:

The programme is supported by the creation of my post, new to the University, of Internet Research and Collaboration Officer.  Although other business-facing roles exist, this one has been specifically set up to focus on opportunities in the digital economy. Working in partnership with businesses, public sector, and the CDE Catapult, we help facilitate, support and advise on collaborations both with the University and with other groups across the UK.

The CDE Catapult, with whom our group is closely aligned, aims to boost the Digital Economy by building platforms and capabilities on which UK based innovators can innovate more quickly, easily and with less risk, so new digital products, solutions and services can be accelerated to market.  It plans to do this by working with a wide range of partners including businesses (large and small), public sector organisations, and innovation, research & academic communities across the UK.

Whether you are a business, public sector organisation, entrepreneur, inventor or research group, if you are interested in getting help to create practical applications & services, get support & advice, make connections, or find partners to help realise your goals, you are very welcome to get in touch.

Explore with us the possibilities and opportunities that may be available to you, by contacting us via the details on the ODEC website, or by emailing me at bill.imlah@oii.ox.ac.uk.
Image: CDE Catapult

This is the first guest post from Bill Imlah of the University of Oxford.