Professor Philip Nelson, EPSRC's chief executive said: "Our lives are becoming ever-more interconnected with digital devices and the internet. The potential benefits are wide. However, it is also clear that people have concerns about how their data is handled and kept secure so the IoT Hub will address these challenges."
The funding for this activity will be led by the Research Councils UK's Digital Economy Theme, through the EPSRC, in conjunction with the Economic and Social Research Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. It is part of a £40m, three year programme which was laid out in the 2015 Budget by George Osbourne, to maximise capabilities and opportunities that will help the UK become a leader in the IoT.
The programme is a collaboration between the Digital Economy Unit, InnovateUK, the Digital Catapult, the Future Cities Catapult and EPSRC; it will build on UK strengths in technology, security and design in the IoT.
Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Mark Walport said: "The IoT has the potential to boost productivity, make transport more efficient, reduce our energy consumption and to make us healthier. The research hub will help to catalyse the technologies and address the challenges associated with the IoT to make the UK a world leader."
The EPCRC state that organisations looking to apply should submit their expression of interest by 20 July 2015 with the deadline being 02 September 2015. It is anticipated that the hub will be announced and ready to begin activities in January 2016.
