The researchers have received a £10m funding boost, focusing on six transdisciplinary research projects based at UK institutions.
University of Sheffield’s Leadership in Engineering Projects
Of the six funded projects, the University of Sheffield will lead the UK Open Multimodal AI Network (UKOMAIN) and is involved in The Digital Design Network Plus: Designing Faster and Better with Less (D2N+).
The initiative is being led and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). It will address the challenges shown in the 2022 Tomorrow’s Engineering Research Challenges Report – UKRI.
Multimodal Artificial Intelligence: Transforming Research
Professor Haiping Lu in the School of Computer Science at the University of Sheffield is the Director of the UK Open Multimodal AI Network (UKOMAIN) project.
Also in the team at Sheffield are Professor Nicola Morley in the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering, who is Deputy Director, and Nataliya Tkachenko (visiting researcher from Lloyds Banking), who is the Lead for Industry and Public Engagement.
The team will be working with colleagues from the University of Cambridge, the University of Glasgow, and UCL on UKOMAIN.
Advancing Engineering Solutions through Multimodal AI
Head of AI Research Engineering at the Centre for Machine Intelligence at Sheffield said: “The UK Open Multimodal AI Network represents an exciting opportunity to harness the power of multimodal artificial intelligence for addressing tomorrow's engineering challenges. By integrating diverse types of data such as text, images, and sound, we aim to build an open and inclusive research ecosystem that bridges disciplines and connects stakeholders to drive impactful innovation across areas like health and wellbeing, transportation systems, materials discovery, and space research.
“Through this collaborative effort, we are committed to advancing research that promotes sustainability, inclusivity, and real-world impact. By fostering open research practices and engaging academia, industry, and policymakers, we aim to transform ideas into deployment-ready solutions that address critical societal and economic needs while empowering a vibrant and dynamic community.”
This initiative highlights the efforts of the University of Sheffield in overcoming pressing challenges in engineering while integrating cutting-edge technologies like multimodal artificial intelligence to ensure impactful outcomes.
