The Hub will address two challenges introduced by the use of Edge Computing (EC) to support emerging AI algorithms: dealing with cyber disturbances and managing data quality. The Hub will achieve these through a unique 3x3x3x2 matrix that reflects the complexity of these systems: (1) 3 real-world application domains (2) 3 tiers of EC architecture (3) 3 ground-breaking research work streams (4) 2 industry engagement work streams Their inter-relationships will be examined by a multi-disciplinary team with track records in EC architecture (Newcastle, Cardiff, St. Andrews, UWS, Imperial, Hull), foundational AI and Data Quality (Southampton, Durham, QUB, Swansea), wireless communication (Cardiff, UWS), device malfunction, attack detection and prevention (Newcastle, Lancaster, Cardiff, Warwick), and AI security (Lancaster, Swansea, Durham, Warwick). This network will enable us to engage with regional development agencies in these areas. Applications include autonomous electric vehicles, energy security and remote healthcare. At the Newcastle Urban Observatory test-bed, a world-leading UK-funded effort collaborating with sensor system manufacturers, software companies and others, we will use interactions across 3 tiers of EC architecture: sensors (Tier 1), edge devices that control them (Tier 2), and cloud-based data storage and processing (Tier 3), to identify the benefit of these interactions in the real-world data processing. The agenda will be underpinned by activities in 5 interrelated work streams. We have strategies in: Embedding Equality, Diversity & Inclusion: We are committed to EDI policies of UKRI and EPSRC Councils and EDI policies of our members. From these, we will form our guiding principle around EDI for members to adhere to in all matters related to the Hub, including recruitment, research, workshops, project allocations, outreach activities, etc. All core committees will have an EDI champion. We will ensure that activities are fair, free from bias and preference of any kind, and uphold the respect and integrity of all members. The Hub is constituted of members from diverse ethnic backgrounds, races, and gender and has intrinsically diverse and multicultural characteristics. We will actively encourage students from under-represented groups to pursue industry-funded PhDs with the Hub. The PDRA requirement in the Hub will, while maintaining the best talent, offer equal opportunity to candidates of all backgrounds, disabilities, sexual orientations, gender, and ethnicity. The Hub will use institutional infrastructure to support the well-being of staff and members. Intellectual Property Management: While most research outcomes will be made public (e.g., software open access), some may be subject to patents. Participating universities have commercialisation offices to identify, assess, protect, manage and commercially develop IP to maximise national benefits from public investment in research, which we will use to commercialise significant outcomes. Information about services, standards used, and other technical details will be made public to attract industrial partners and to promote training in the new technologies. Non-technical press releases and notes will be available to general audiences. An in-principle agreement has been reached with consortium members that each shall retain ownership of any background IP contributed to the project and that the ownership of project-generated IP shall be shared based on respective partner contributions. Hub activities will in general follow the National Principles of Intellectual Property Management for Publicly Funded Research and this will be applied to each project managed under the feasibility fund. Non-Disclosure Agreements with commercial partners will be in place to manage sensitive information. Specific terms regarding IP will be further defined in a collaborative research agreement before the commencement of the project.

The world's manufacturing economy has been transformed by the phenomenon of globalisation, with benefits for economies of scale, operational flexibility, risk sharing and access to new markets. It has been at the cost of a loss of manufacturing and other jobs in western economies, loss of core capabilities and increased risks of disruption in the highly interconnected and interdependent global systems. The resource demands and environmental impacts of globalisation have also led to a loss of sustainability. New highly adaptable manufacturing processes and techniques capable of operating at small scales may allow a rebalancing of the manufacturing economy. They offer the possibility of a new understanding of where and how design, manufacture and services should be carried out to achieve the most appropriate mix of capability and employment possibilities in our economies but also to minimise environmental costs, to improve product specialisation to markets and to ensure resilience of provision under natural and socio-political disruption. This proposal brings together an interdisciplinary academic team to work with industry and local communities to explore the impact of this re-distribution of manufacturing (RDM) at the scale of the city and its hinterland, using Bristol as an example in its European Green Capital year, and concentrating on the issues of resilience and sustainability. The aim of this exploration will be to develop a vision, roadmap and research agenda for the implications of RDM for the city, and at the same time develop a methodology for networked collaboration between the many stakeholders that will allow deep understanding of the issues to be achieved and new approaches to their resolution explored. The network will study the issues from a number of disciplinary perspectives, bringing together experts in manufacturing, design, logistics, operations management, infrastructure, resilience, sustainability, engineering systems, geographical sciences, mathematical modelling and beyond. They will consider how RDM may contribute to the resilience and sustainability of a city in a number of ways: firstly, how can we characterise the economic, social and environmental challenges that we face in the city for which RDM may contribute to a solution? Secondly, what are the technical developments, for example in manufacturing equipment and digital technologies, that are enablers for RDM, and what are their implications for a range of manufacturing applications and for the design of products and systems? Thirdly, what are the social and political developments, for example in public policy, in regulation, in the rise of social enterprise or environmentalism that impact on RDM and what are their implications? Fourthly, what are the business implications, on supply networks and logistics arrangements, of the re-distribution? Finally, what are the implications for the physical and digital infrastructure of the city? In addition, the network will, through the way in which it carries out embedded focused studies, explore mechanisms by which interdisciplinary teams may come together to address societal grand challenges and develop research agendas for their solution. These will be based on working together using a combination of a Collaboratory - a centre without walls - and a Living Lab - a gathering of public-private partnerships in which businesses, researchers, authorities, and citizens work together for the creation of new services, business ideas, markets, and technologies.

The ACORN network's mission is to bridge the gap that currently exists between the research in universities and the need of the financial services industry, its consumers and the regulator. ACORN wants to grow to well over 100 primary partners and 1000 associated partners, offering an inclusive, diverse and responsible research culture. Based on regional presence in Wales, Scotland, North-East England and London, it will harmonize technological know-how across regions and connect regional partners to nation-wide efforts. Real-life challenges in financial services are complex, combining responding to technology innovation with business ethics, green/environmental considerations and scarcity in the talent pipeline. This presents FS with wicked problems, which the industry cannot ignore, and which require people and researchers from across disciplines to come together. ACORN aims to address wicked problems in FS that are associated with innovation in technology, mathematics and sciences. ACORN provides a number of mechanisms to succeed in this mission. Central to ACORN's working is its 'commissioning framework', which provides the funding mechanisms for five types of collaborative projects between academia and partners. ACORN offers seed project funding, which aims to explore technological, mathematical and scientific solutions for real-life challenges in FS, prioritised through co-design sandpits. It then offers funding for larger multi-disciplinary feasibility projects, which may build on the seed projects, and expand to consider 'wicked' multi-disciplinary research problems. In parallel, ACORN offers funding for agile projects, which can be of any type, e.g., horizon scanning, population survey, a software prototype or a machine learning application. These have predetermined IP arrangements, so that they can be organised in agile manner and can start at any time for the duration of ACORN. Additionally, impact projects are offered to take any of the research projects further (e.g., to influence policy makers, or initiate commercialisation), and education/engagement projects allow to grow the FS talent pool and address the talent pipeline. To support researchers and partners in these project, ACORN establishes a number of services the community can use. The co-design service and the corporate digital responsibility service help researchers to consider these aspects in their proposals. The secure data vault, the shared code base, the experimentation sandbox and template IP arrangements are available to improve research, its impact and to lower collaboration barriers. We name the network ACORN, to signify that collaborations as majestic as an oak tree can grow from humble beginnings.