Research to tackle digital challenges for rural communities

University of Aberdeen research hub checks out digital technology for rural communities

The University of Aberdeen has won £12.4m funding over five years to research how digital technology advances can transform rural businesses and communities.

The Aberdeen Rural Digital Economy Research Hub is one of three UK centres focusing on future digital technology developments. University of Aberdeen principal and vice-chancellor professor C Duncan Rice said: "It brings together experts from different disciplines to exploit rapidly-advancing digital technology and bring economic, health, and quality-of-life benefits to rural communities."

Researchers will work alongside partners such as transport firm FirstGroup, the NHS, UK development and enterprise agencies, and rural business and community groups, to enable digital technology development and testing in real-life scenarios.

Technical director for the research hub will be School of Natural and Computing Sciences' Dr Peter Edwards, who said: "Our activities will build on our existing research excellence at the university in areas such as intelligent systems, novel user interfaces and satellite and wireless broadband."

The research will highlight four main themes: accessibility and mobilities; health care; enterprise and culture; and natural resource conservation. For example, research will explore how digital technology can be used to provide rural populations with flexible transport solutions by connecting travellers, vehicles and services through a "virtual marketplace".

Other research will use digital technology such as small wireless body-monitoring kits to support rural health care teams in managing and sharing information within and between teams, patients and carers, improving health care delivery in rural areas.

Based at the university's King’s College Campus, the centre will have 50 staff and 20 research students.