DIGIT

It is now widely accepted that we are living through a 4th industrial revolution and that innovation driven by digital technologies such as the Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Quantum Computing, 5G mobile networks, the Internet-of-Things (IoT), blockchain cryptography, sensory devices, wearables, and decentralised data flows. etc is fundamentally changing the economy, society and individual lives. The mission of DIGIT is to accelerate the responsible application of digital technology on productivity and employee wellbeing.

We will do this specifically in Large Organisations the 'big name firms' in the public and private sectors who employ more than 250 employees.

Attention diverted to start-ups and a highlighting of successes by "unicorns" has obscured the fact that LEOs continue to drive the UK economy, employing 57% UK workforce and sustaining communities throughout the UK. The 2018 Gartner report found 11 out of 15 organisations identified digital transformation as one of their top three organisation priorities for 2018 and the top priority for banking and investment, telecoms and government sectors.

Similarly, 71% of UK business leaders admitted that digital transformation is not as widespread as it should be. A survey of 4600 business leaders by Dell found that the UK lags companies from India, Brazil and Thailand in digital transformation. Although traditional consulting remedies have application in the analog world, digital technologies are revolutionising what is possible, and far more creativity is urgently required, DIGIT is designed to meet this need.

As a Centre of Excellence in digital innovation, DIGIT will provide its partners with an opportunity to trial 4th industrial revolution technologies and business models that aim to bring together the four areas of wealth creation that are at the heart of our proposal: business growth, productivity, wellbeing and the environment. We will provide our business partners with these opportunities in two phases.

In Phase 1, participating firms who are already exploring '4th tech' can expect to access partner facilities, designed specifically to help expand and explore new dimensions to this testing, including wellbeing, productivity and sustainability in a low-risk environment. In Phase 2, DIGIT partners will be provided with access to a demonstrator, opportunities for testing in-the-wild and a programme of evaluative action research, which aims to ensure that subsequent processes of adoption are effective and responsible.