Aston University is offering tailored solutions to help small or medium-sized enterprises grow. Our £1.7m project is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to bring you artificial intelligence expertise at no cost to you.
Data is at the heart of every company. From logistics, medical technologies, construction and manufacturing to marketing, research, education and design, we can help you make better sense of your data.
Using some of the most advanced algorithms in the world and the latest academic thinking, our team of experts can help you turn your data into new products, new job opportunities and better, more efficient ways of working.
If you are a Midlands-based small or medium-sized enterprise with big plans for the future, talk to us today.
Artificial Intelligence … Real Results
Our experts at Aston University are at the forefront of thinking in the field of artificial intelligence. We are constantly driving new research to expand the horizons of what these technologies can do. We are already working with companies across a wide range of sectors to find practical, real solutions to their problems.
Here are just some of the ways your company can benefit from expert support from our project:
Automating and scaling your business processes
Does your company have time-consuming, repetitive tasks that a computer could complete for you in a fraction of the time?
Automation can replace having to manually go through thousands of records to look for emerging patterns, or start from scratch every time you need to calculate your stock requirements, or check all your data to make sure your company is meeting regulatory requirements. If you have ever wondered if a computer could do all this for you, the answer is ‘yes’.
Our experts can create flexible algorithms to automate these processes for you, allowing you time to focus on the more interesting challenges that will really help your company grow.
Automating these processes makes them more intelligent and intuitive – and much, much faster. By detecting trends in your data, our algorithms can make predictions with a high degree of accuracy so you can confidently plan your company’s future.
And the real beauty of automation is scale – huge quantities of highly complex information can be extracted and understood very quickly. Automated solutions can be successfully rolled out across your company, as what works in one scenario can be scaled up or down to work in every scenario.
Providing better, more efficient solutions
What does ‘better’ look like for your company? Is it reducing your costs, minimising waste or streamlining your processes?
Whatever you want to achieve, we can help you make it a reality. First we will work with you to understand your company’s objectives and the relationships between them – which ones are set in stone, which can be more flexible and which depend on each other. Then our algorithms can deliver a set of efficient, optimised solutions that meet your company’s needs
Decision-making becomes easy as you will be able to see everything from how much stock you need to how your customers will respond, or how complex systems will behave.
You will benefit from smarter ways of working which make the most of your resources. With less waste, lower costs and more efficient processes, you will be able to channel your energies into growing your company.
Gaining new insights and a deeper understanding
Do you feel overwhelmed by how many spreadsheets, charts and graphs your business generates?
Your business runs on data. Every transaction, every order, every customer interaction creates more data. So much data, in fact, that it can be hard to separate what’s important from what’s just background noise.
How much better would it be to have a more efficient, interactive way of unlocking the potential of your data? A way to see at a glance what you need to know, whenever you need it?
At Aston University, we are known for creating and utilising some of the best visual analytics algorithms in the world. Using machine learning, we can help you take a more intuitive look at your data and how to use it.
With our support, you will be able to see your data from a fresh angle, filtering out the noise so you can focus on the insights it is bringing you. This is done in a way that makes understanding and interacting with complex information more efficient and meaningful to you.
And with a wealth of insights available to your company, it’s time to think beyond data
Check out our brochure
Download nowHow we can support you
From the relatively simple to the highly complex, a wide range of business problems can be represented in computing terms. Our experts will work with you to understand your company’s objectives, then our algorithms can get to work finding solutions that meet your needs.
Everything starts with the right model
Our expertise in using some of the most advanced algorithms in the world can make your company more efficient and cost-effective. We can do this by creating the right model for you.
Modelling allows us to make sense of your spreadsheets, graphs and records and turn them into something our algorithms can work with – essentially capturing, formalising and automating your business processes.
The right model will transform the way you use your data, making accessing it more efficient and meaningful. Imagine a visual representation of your data, allowing you to interact with it, see it from different angles and gain a deeper understanding of what the information is telling you
We are already working across many different industries to help them think beyond their data and deliver tangible results. So the result could be virtual product prototypes that respond in real time as you modify your designs. Architect’s blueprints you can walk around to get a feel for the space. Charts allowing you to see at a glance if a single reading is outside the normal range.
Expertise at no cost to your company
The project is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), allowing you to take advantage of our world-class expertise at no cost to you.
First we need to get to know you, so we start with a one- or two-day fact-finding session with one of our PhD-qualified research fellows. Together we will talk about the support you need, your ambitions and priorities followed by our recommendations for taking your company to the next level.
Then we will use the latest research in areas like artificial intelligence, machine learning, data visualisation, optimisation and analytics to help you work with your data in a way you never thought possible.
That may be all you need, or you may need a longer-term, more tailored package of support. We can create bespoke solutions where you will have the input of one of our world-class team of academics over three to six months to help your company really grow.
Is my company eligible for support?
If your company meets the following geographical, State Aid and SME criteria, you can qualify for support as part of our European Regional Development Fund project:
- You are located in one of the target LEP areas – Greater Birmingham and Solihull, the Black Country or The Marches
- You have received less than 200,000 Euros De Minimis State Aid in the last three years
- You meet the European Union definition of a small or medium-sized enterprise – you employ fewer than 250 full-time staff (or the equivalent), have an annual turnover of no more than 50 million Euros and / or an annual balance sheet of no more than 43 million Euros
Interested?
Talk to Us TodayWhere to Next?
Contact us for more information and to check your company meets our eligibility criteria.
If you are not eligible, there are further opportunities to work with us outside our ERDF project.
For longer-term support – typically up to three years – why not try a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with our colleagues here at Aston University?
Funded by Innovate UK, these allow your company to bring in new skills and the latest academic thinking to deliver a specific, strategic innovation project through a knowledge-based partnership. We are one of the leaders in this area, with more nationally funded projects than any other university in the West Midlands.