GLOBAL technology company Huawei and the University of Edinburgh are to open a new lab for distributed data management and processing, writes Karen Peattie.

The three-year partnership will allow Huawei and the university to explore new theories and technologies in data management and guide research into the next generation of information technology as well as investigating scientific and engineering research challenges relevant to academia and industry. The lab will be housed in the university’s School of Informatics.

Professor Sir Timothy O’Shea, principal of the university, said the new lab would provide researchers with the opportunity to apply their expertise to “large-scale, real-world challenges” in an exciting category. The partnership follows a long-term collaboration between database experts at the university and Huawei.

China-based Huawei, which has its UK headquarters in Basingstoke, works with more than 100 universities around the world. Ken Hu, its chief executive, said: "Huawei is a long-term advocate of open innovation and the joint lab we are launching with the University of Edinburgh will go a long way in helping the ICT industry further its research into data science and enable digital transformation.

“The links between industrial and academic communities are strong here, so Europe is an excellent place for collaboration between business and academia.”