Osborne uses Budget to announce Alan Turing Institute for big data research

"The Alan Turning Institute to ensure Britain leads the way again in the use of big data and algorithm research," announced Osborne

Chancellor George Osborne has used his Budget speech to announce the foundation of the Alan Turing Institute, a project that aims to make Britain a world leader in big data research.

The institute is named in honour of Alan Turing, World War II codebreaker and the man considered by many as the father of modern computing. The Alan Turing Institute will receive £42m in funding over five years in an effort to make the UK a hub for technical innovation using big data.

"Mr Deputy Speaker, in my maiden speech here in this House I spoke of Alan Turing, the codebreaker who lived in my constituency, who did more than almost any other single person to win the war, and who was persecuted for his sexuality by the country he helped save," said Osborne, delivering his Budget in the House of Commons yesterday.

"I am delighted that he has finally received a posthumous Royal Pardon.

"Now, in his honour, we will found the Alan Turning Institute to ensure Britain leads the way again in the use of big data and algorithm research."

Osborne added that he was "determined that our country is going to out-compete, out-smart and out-do the rest of the world."

The announcement of the Alan Turing Institute has been widely welcomed by the IT Industry, although it is not yet known where the institute will be located or what its staffing numbers will be.

"R&D in the technology sector is hugely important if we are to keep up on the global stage and combat the rapidly evolving and sophisticated world of cyber crime," said Rob Cotton, CEO at NCC Group

"The announcement of the Turing Institute and the £42m pound support package is a good initiative and if executed correctly should help stimulate cutting-edge technology research and ensure the UK keeps up in the global tech race," he added.

Alwin Magimay, UK head of digital and analytics at KPMG, also welcomed the announcement.

"This is really welcome news for the UK. Data scientists are what computer programmers were to the UK economy in the nineties," he said

"We as a nation need to industrialise this discipline to ensure that British business can prosper from understanding the potential of the data and turn it into a competitive business advantage," Magimay continued.

"The investment of £42m is a powerful signal to businesses, academic institutions and investors to sit up and realise that big data isn't just a term coined by the technology world but that it presents a real opportunity for UK business to gain value from the abundance of data being created in a digital and connected world," he added.

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