Partner With Us
Get expertise, support and exposure
Benefit from a partnership with us
Partnership is at the heart of how The Data Lab works as an Innovation Centre. Our mission is to help Scotland maximise value from data — and lead the world to a data-powered future. This can only be achieved through collaboration with public and private sector partners. Our whole ethos is about moving forward with companies to help them gain the most benefits from the power of data.
We build partnerships with businesses in two main ways:
- by helping companies collaborate with data specialists.
- by providing partnership opportunities.
Both of these bespoke services will help your company innovate and grow.
In addition, in 2022 we are launching The Data Lab Academy, and are actively looking for partners to work with us on this exciting project to grow Scotland’s data and AI talent pool.
Collaborate With Specialists
We provide contacts, funding and project management support to enable businesses like yours to collaborate with data science researchers and specialists, on innovative and beneficial data projects.
Partnership and sponsorship opportunities
Linking up with The Data Lab as a Partner is a cost-effective way to raise your visibility amongst Scotland’s data science community. We’ll help you reach key audiences using a flexible approach that offers year-round opportunities.
Partner with The Data Lab Academy
Since 2014, we have provided full scholarship funding to over 880 students on MSc courses in Data and AI-related subjects at 11 Scottish Universities. We also help these students to develop their employability skills — preparing them for the world of work.
The newly launched Data Lab Academy aims to grow the IMPACT of this work. With the support of our Partners, we aim to reach out to all the students on the MSc courses we support (not just our funded students) and offer them access to our networking, employability skills and work placement training.
We’ve helped…
3,000
Businesses harness the power of data
395
New jobs in data
Speak to our partnership team to find out how we can help your business meet its goals.
Find out how we’ve helped Scotland’s businesses leverage the power of data:
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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
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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
News about our work helping businesses:
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Security that doesn’t get bypassed: designing controls data teams will actually use
We’re delighted to hand the mic over to Hannah Nairn, Head of Information Security at Elementz, for our latest guest blog. Elementz is a Bronze Partner of The Data Lab, and Hannah brings her expertise in information security to explore the challenges organisations face as data teams adopt new technologies and ways of working. In
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The Data Lab CEO supports continued investment in regional skills and employability
Heather Thomson, CEO of The Data Lab, has signed the Integrated Regional Employability & Skills (IRES) 2027+ Pledge to support the continued investment in regional skills and employability. The Data Lab leads the Data Skills for Work programme within The University of Edinburgh’s Data Driven Innovation initiative of the Edinburgh & South East Scotland City
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The Data Lab Innovation Challenge 2026: Challenges, Cohorts and Coffee
Marian is The Data Lab Academy Programme Manager at The Data Lab and leads the Innovation Challenge each year as part of our Scottish Funding Council-funded Masters Scholarship Programme. In this blog, she reflects on Innovation Challenge 2026 and the talent, creativity and resilience demonstrated by this year’s student cohort. The Data Lab Skills team and our
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