From food production and climate change, to exploring Space and genetically-tailored healthcare, the Data-Driven Innovation (DDI) initiative is a cluster of innovation hubs that bring academic disciplines together to delve into some of the world’s most pressing challenges – using data to innovate.

Innovation starts with an idea. Turning an idea into reality needs partnership. So the DDI initiative is striving to help researchers collaborate with businesses, charities, and the public sector, at the crossroads of data science, research, and real-world challenges – where exciting innovations can take place.

Research Data Scotland helps researchers find and make use of health, social care and administrative data that can improve the lives of people in Scotland.

We work with researchers and policymakers to widen the range of data available, create new assets and provide a single point of contact for safe and secure access to public sector data.

We are a charity created and funded by the Scottish Government

Smart Data Foundry is a data innovation organisation, serving the public, private and third sector. 
Our purpose is to inspire financial innovation and improve people’s lives by unlocking the power of financial data. We aim to be the leading provider
of data for research and innovation - supplying real data for research and synthetic data for innovation. 

Smart Data Foundry was one of the first major data-themed partnerships following the launch of the University of Edinburgh’s Data-Driven Innovation
(DDI) initiative, part of the City Region Deal. Under DDI, the University is creating a network of hubs to help public, private and third-sector organisations improve products and services through research coupled with high-powered data analytics.

In September 2020 Smart Data Foundry received initial funding from the UK Government’s Department for Business, Innovation & Industrial Strategy through
the UK Research & Innovation Strength in Places Fund.