About the Impact Lab project

How the Environmental Futures and Big Data Impact Lab supported business
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Supporting businesses to turn challenges into opportunities

The Environmental Futures and Big Data Impact Lab provided a wide range of valuable support for businesses in Devon. Each company received a bespoke package to suit their needs. The services were free of charge, although grants required a match funding contribution from the business.
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Our support

  • ?Specialist technical support

  • ?Academic expertise

  • ?Grants for products and services

  • ?Collaborative working space

  • ?Workshops and networking events

  • ?Mentorship

  • ?Access to other business support services

What are environmental futures?

Environmental futures are defined as the problems and opportunities arising from human activity or global trends where digital technology, big data, other disciplines and cross-functional and cross-institutional working can provide a viable solution. Environmental futures encompasses environmental sciences and covers:
  • Atmospheric
  • Terrestrial
  • Freshwater and marine
  • Pollution control and mitigation
  • Meteorological sciences
  • Climate change
  • Ecology and environmental monitoring
  • Impacts on ecosystems goods and services.
Some of the problems requiring a solution are not yet known or fully understood and may extend into a variety of sectors. This is expected and encouraged.
Climate change

What is Big Data?

Big Data is viewed as an ‘enabler’ for all of the projects we deliver, but it may also be a key component for some projects.
The seven partners in Impact Lab have significant and growing volumes of data that we can help you utilise.
We use the term Big Data to encompass not only the data itself but also the skills, knowledge and capability to manipulate and exploit the data.
It also includes a variety of data science and digital technology approaches and tools including:
  • AI
  • machine vision
  • optimisation
  • the High Performance Computer
  • communication techniques.
big data

European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

The University of Plymouth is proud to be supported by the European Regional Development Fund. As one stream of funding under the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) Growth Programme 2014–2020, the ERDF focuses on smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
The main priorities involve contributions to research and innovation, supporting and promoting small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), and the creation of a low carbon economy.
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) logo