Idea #59 will aim to inspire the next generation of innovators, engineers and scientists by exploring AI, big data, robotics, advanced manufacturing, precision medicine, and the IoT.
The exhibition will also showcase the cutting-edge work being carried out by Scotland’s eight Innovation Centres.
The project will also act as a conduit to help realise the Scottish government’s aims around increasing innovation in Scotland. GSC will work alongside Scotland’s Innovation Centres to develop the exhibition content and educational and public programme.
For Idea #59, GSC will be working alongside the Centre of excellence for Sensor and Imaging Systems (CENSIS), Construction Scotland (CSIC), Digital Health and Care Institute (DHI), Stratified Medicine (SMS-IC), Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), Oil & Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC), Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) and The Data Lab.
A group of experts from academia and industry will also provide advice, guidance and direction for the new exhibition.
So far £250K in funding has been raised and now GSC is calling on businesses to come on board as partners to help raise the remaining £750K to bring the exhibition to life.
Almost 70,000 schoolchildren visit Glasgow Science Centre annually and the exhibition, housed on the second floor, will be a focal point of the Centre’s education programme and act as a powerful engagement tool to help inform young people of the wide range and rewarding careers available within the sector. Over its five-year life span it is estimated Idea #59 could draw in around two million people.
GSC chief Dr Stephen Breslin says: “Over the next five years, as AI and machine learning become ingrained in all forms of technology they will deliver exciting new opportunities. Big Data, AI and the Internet of Things, will create new services and breakthroughs in science, as the merging of human intelligence and the digital world gathers pace to transform the global economy.
“The constant flow of new digital tools will reshape every aspect of the professional realm and society in the future. Scotland, being at the forefront of much of the world's most exciting research and development, is a particularly fertile ground for high-tech careers. With Idea #59 we aim to bring together some of the most exciting research and development partners to inspire the next generation of innovators.”
Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science Shirley-Anne Somerville adds: “It is this government’s ambition to make Scotland a STEM Nation and it is my hope that Idea #59 will inspire the next generation of Scotland’s innovators, encouraging them to develop the skills needed for the jobs of the future. We are a forward looking, innovative nation and this exhibition is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the ground-breaking work of Scotland’s innovation centres.”
Glasgow Science Centre will continue its fundraising efforts and is expected to deliver the exhibition in spring 2019.
