Data Science Lab
At the end of May, the communities gather again at Tøyen hovedgård to stake out the course of the further collaboration with the goal of establishing a world-class innovation environment. Here we will focus on start-up companies, the commercial application of new methods in machine learning, “big data” and artificial intelligence – to name a few of the key terms.
The Data Science Lab will be an arena where entrepreneurs get advice and the possibility to network with investors, businesses and relevant fields of expertise from all over Norway, especially in Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim, where commercialization of research, continuing education and student involvement will be important activities.
The Data Science Lab is a national incubator for startup companies and is established as part of the Startup Lab in Forskningsparken in collaboration with Equinor, DNB, DNV-GL, Norsk Regnesentral (Norwegian Computing Center) and the University of Oslo (UiO).
Data Science and Computational Science – A New Centre
Data science, including machine learning and computational science, are key areas in which the faculty focuses on and involves strong academic environments across disciplines and units at the faculty. In the follow-up of the faculty’s strategy, a working group led by Professor Geir Dahl, Head of the Department of Mathematics, has prepared a report that points to the status of, opportunities and challenges for data and computational science.
One of the proposals is to establish a new centre for data science and computing across all departments at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The basis for the faculty’s focus on digitization and computationally oriented science is naturally related to basic knowledge development in computer science and mathematics. The use of advanced calculations in combination with other knowledge, for example from the faculty’s other thematic initiatives – Life Sciences, Earth and Space Sciences and Energy and Material Sciences – is becoming increasingly important.
Artificial Intelligence – NORA
On the 1st of April, Klas Pettersen CEO of NORA (Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Research Consortium) started as CEO of the newly established arena for collaboration on the development of research projects in the field of artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics.
UiO’s vision is that Norway through NORA and other initiatives will be internationally leading in artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics based on areas where we are already at a high international level. At UiO, there are strong methodological environments and application environments (scientific and industrial) throughout the breadth of natural sciences and medicine. Important issues where artificial intelligence and machine learning takes a key part are being developed within the scientific fields of humanities and social sciences at UiO. By establishing a centre for Data Science and Computing at our faculty we bring together academic environments that will be central to artificial intelligence in the future.
Many New Possibilities
Through strategic focus on our academic environments, we will strengthen our academic position in an area of great importance for the future.
Through collaborating with the Data Science Lab and NORA we connect students, researchers, established businesses, entrepreneurs and investors so that in the long term we can contribute to establishing new businesses and create relevant academic and continuing education programs for both established and new businesses.
When the Data Science Lab meets at Tøyen in the end of May, we will be presenting our new plans and activities for a number of companies and investors. For UiO, this meeting provides an interesting link to our academic environments. We believe that a network such as this can provide access to relevant datasets and cases from the industry for students and researchers, in addition to new possibilities to give students a wider range of relevant part-time jobs and opportunities for work place internship.