Alan Turing Institute unveils major overhaul to boost UK security, health and AI leadership

Comes after a period of extensive organisational turmoil at the institute

The Alan Turing Institute (ATI) has announced a sweeping new science and innovation programme aimed at strengthening the UK's national security, public health and resilience amid accelerating global change.

The new direction comes after a period of organisational turmoil and change at the institute.

Designed to build capabilities across defence, national security, the environment and health, the programme significantly tightens the Turing's strategic focus and ensures the UK benefits from cutting-edge advances in AI and data science.

In July, then-secretary of state for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle wrote to Turing chair Douglas Gurr, calling for major reforms in the institute's priorities.

Kyle urged the ATI to shift its non-defence activities toward strengthening the UK's sovereign AI capabilities, focusing on high-impact research that industry or universities could not realistically pursue alone.

He requested that the institute support government missions more directly, work across disciplines and help build a stronger national AI ecosystem.

Two months later, in September, CEO Jean Innes stepped down as the institute moved into a new era of leadership and direction.

Responding to government demands, the ATI's board and executive appointed former Royal Air Force Air Commodore Blythe Crawford CBE to evaluate how the institute could most effectively contribute to the government's ambitious AI goals in defence, national security and intelligence.

Crawford - who recently led the UK's Air & Space Warfare Centre - is working closely with the Turing's defence and security specialists, with recommendations due in November.

Research overhaul

As part of its transformation, the institute has sharply reduced the number of active research programmes. A total of 78 projects have been closed or spun out because they no longer align with the ATI's streamlined mission.

The restructuring supports the launch of new, high-priority scientific missions with direct national benefit.

Among its first future-focused missions, the Turing will develop advanced tools to protect the UK's critical national infrastructure, including energy, transport and utilities, from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

The institute will also deepen collaboration with national and international security and defence partners, expanding existing work through initiatives such as the Defence Artificial Intelligence Research Centre, the AI for Cyber Defence Research Centre and the Centre for Emerging Technology and Security.

The institute plans to harness rapidly evolving technology to deliver faster and more accurate forecasts of weather, oceans and sea ice - helping to better inform emergency planning across the UK government.

In health innovation, the institute is prioritising AI-driven personalised treatment, notably by developing digital twins of the human heart.

These computational replicas could transform care for critically ill cardiac patients by improving intervention planning and outcomes.

These missions will be underpinned by fundamental scientific research, including next-generation AI approaches for the modelling, prediction and control of complex physical systems.

"Our programme of science and innovation is designed to play to the UK's strengths, developing specialist capabilities that make our society more secure, healthy and resilient," Professor Mark Girolami, chief scientist at the Alan Turing Institute, said.

Doug Gurr, chair of the Alan Turing Institute, noted: "The Turing has made major changes to transform into an institute that's tightly focused on adding unique value for the UK, making a clear step up on our work in defence and national security and tackling pressing challenges in environment and health."

"I'm hugely excited to see what the Turing will achieve over the coming years, putting digital, data and AI science and technologies to work for the benefit of all UK citizens."