Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre (AICC)

Description

The Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre (AICC) is a £16.3 million initiative led by Ulster University in partnership with Queen's University Belfast, funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the Department for the Economy. Launched in March 2024, the five-year centre promotes AI awareness and adoption among businesses in Northern Ireland, with a strong emphasis on ethical and responsible innovation. The AICC connects industry, academia, and government to co-develop AI solutions, offering fully funded hands-on support, education, and upskilling opportunities. It delivers 390 funded postgraduate AI qualifications across both universities and classroom-based or online skills training to thousands of workers. With bases at Ulster University's Belfast and Derry~Londonderry campuses and at Queen's University Belfast, the centre has a dedicated team working to support 248 SMEs with data science and machine learning expertise. The AICC also hosts events and workshops, including the inaugural AI Castle Conversation at Hillsborough Castle, which convened government, university, and industry stakeholders to inform Northern Ireland's AI strategy. The centre has appointed a Head of AI and Digital Ethics Policy to ensure transparency, fairness, and accountability in AI applications.

Currently active

Yes

Offers funding

Yes, this infrastructure provides funding in the following categories:

Founding year

2024

Contact details

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Categorisation

Type

Tags

University affiliation(s)

Ulster University
Belfast

Partner Infrastructures

Alan Turing Institute

The Alan Turing Institute, headquartered in the British Library, London, was created as the national institute for data science in 2015. In 2017, as a result of a government recommendation, artificial… read more about Alan Turing Institute

London

Partner Universities

Queen's University Belfast

Additional Partnerships

Invest Northern Ireland; Department for the Economy (NI); Innovate UK; Kainos; FinTrU; Analytics Engines; Whitespace; Digital Catapult; STFC Hartree Centre; BSI