Heating accounts for a significant proportion of the UK’s carbon emissions, with more than 23 million homes relying on gas-fired boilers and 92% of non-electrical energy consumption in non-domestic buildings attributed to gas boilers. Highland Heat Harvesters (HHH) has developed an innovative flue gas heat recovery device that captures waste heat from boiler exhaust gases […]
Case Studies
Scottish Government: Building FinOps capability through student talent
The Data Lab’s placement programme is helping shape Scotland’s data and AI talent pipeline by connecting students with industry. The Scottish Government recently took part in the programme, hosting MSc student Oliwer Szmytkowski, whose placement supported the development of cloud cost reporting dashboards as part of an emerging FinOps project. The Challenge While studying for […]
AI-Powered Tender Analysis and Decision Support for Bracewell
As part of The National AI Adoption Programme for SMEs, The Data Lab supported architectural consultancy Bracewell in developing an AI-powered tool to analyse tender documents and support bid decisions, streamlining complex reviews, improving consistency, and reducing staff administrative burden. The Challenge Bracewell’s tender review process was manual, time-intensive, and reliant on individual judgment. Staff […]
Makar: Using Live Data to Prove the Performance of Sustainable Homes
As part of The National AI Adoption Programme for SMEs, The Data Lab partnered with Makar, a Highland-based Scottish SME, to embed monitoring and analytics into a prototype low-carbon home. Using live data on indoor comfort, air quality and energy use, the project demonstrated the home’s real-world performance and enabled more evidence-based decision-making. The Challenge […]
Scottish AI Alliance: Leading Scotland’s AI Strategy
From 2021 to 2026, The Data Lab worked in a strategic collaboration with the Scottish Government to develop and deliver Scotland’s AI Strategy through the Scottish AI Alliance. Guided by principles from the OECD and UNICEF, the strategy set out the vision for Scotland to become a world leader in trustworthy, ethical, and inclusive AI. The Challenge From powering smartphones to improving healthcare and detecting fraud, AI […]
The Scottish Climate Intelligence Service: Helping local authorities reduce emissions
Supported by The Data Lab, the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI) developed innovative tools to facilitate data-driven decisions and positive climate action by local governments. The Challenge Scotland has ambitious net-zero targets, requiring all public bodies to cut their organisational emissions. But Scotland’s 32 local authorities want to go further, tackling emissions from all sources […]
Elementz and The Data Lab: Advancing AI Talent Through Industry Collaboration
The Data Lab is helping shape Scotland’s AI talent pipeline by connecting students with industry. Elementz, specialists in subsea integrity software, shared their experience hosting Karol Hetman, a Data Lab Academy student whose placement delivered lasting impact. Karol Hetman, a Computer Science and Physics graduate from the University of Aberdeen, had already been working as […]
Cancer Innovation Challenge: Transforming the lives of cancer patients
The Cancer Innovation Challenge was a £1M project funded by the Scottish Funding Council to help Scotland become a world-leading carer for people with cancer. Innovation Centres The Data Lab, Digital Health and Care Institute and Precision Medicine Scotland worked in partnership to help the NHS in Scotland use data to refine diagnosis, select treatments […]
Kelsey Pearson: Data Skills funding advances data science career
Kelsey Pearson, a Data Skills Credit recipient, significantly advanced her career after completing a Professional Development Award in Data Science with Code Division, funded through The Data Lab’s Data Skills for Work programme. We spoke to Kelsey about her journey from a Data Assistant to a Data & Analytics Consultant and how she still feels […]
Cameron Stott: Placement Leads to Permanent Position
Cameron Stott, a graduate of the MSc in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Aberdeen, received hands-on industry experience at ThinkAnalytics through The Data Lab Academy. We spoke to Cameron about how the placement has impacted his career, which recently led to him securing a full-time position with the company. The Challenge Cameron’s placement at ThinkAnalytics […]