Introducing...The Data Lab Community!

At The Data Lab we love data, but we are motivated by more than numbers.?

Fundamentally, we are inspired to change lives and make Scotland a better place.?

Our focus is to collaborate across Scotland and the world, to create a more productive economy, a better society and tackle the climate challenge.?To do this we focus on creating pioneering collaborations, enabling:

• Students to learn new skills and start successful careers in Scotland and around the world through The Data Lab Masters programme, a collaboration with 12 Scottish Universities, 150+ placement organisations and suppliers such as MBN.
• Women to develop hands-on practical skills in data science through collaborating with Equate and CodeClan to deliver Women in Data Science and Data Science for Neuro Diverse Women.
• Businesses such as Ecometrica to collaborate with research expertise at Scottish universities to develop new products. In this case, Ecometrica collaborated with the University of Edinburgh to create a water footprint application that enables organisations to determine their potential sustainability impacts.
• Public Sector healthcare to collaborate with SMEs to improve health outcomes for citizens through the Cancer Innovation Challenge.
• Businesses such as Insight Futures who are building data products to tackle climate change, to move forward on their data journey and connect with the suppliers who can accelerate their success with data as showcased in this case study.
• Data to be used responsibly to improve outcomes for every child through the launch of the Data for Children Collaborative with UNICEF.

As we continue to navigate the twists and turns of the pandemic there is significant opportunity to scale the opportunity and benefit of responsible data and AI.?On one side, there are thousands of businesses who have started their digital journey during the past 18 months. There are also many people reskilling in tech and data, pivoting their careers to the opportunities of the future.?On the other side, we know there are hundreds of people in tech and data who want to give back by helping others be successful, evidenced by those who have personally reached out to us asking for opportunities to help and those who have been shaping early versions of our online community. We also know there is a rich supportive tech, data & innovation ecosystem in Scotland that can provide support.

What is The Data Lab Community?

The Data Lab Community is a digital hub that connects a rich set of expertise, tools and wider Scottish & global ecosystems, that will accelerate positive outcomes from data and AI for individuals and their organisations. The Data Lab operates primarily on a one-to-many basis; the team will work directly with partners to deliver a service or collaboration. Through The Data Lab Community, we can create many-to-many relationships, amplifying the scale and impact of data and AI innovation to Scotland and beyond.

Who is it for?

Every one of us is on a learning journey.?

Anchored in The Data Lab’s values of innovation, growth, support and respect, the community enables connections across peer groups, sectors, supporting ecosystem and those curious, or starting out on their data journey.?For example:

• Business leaders wanting to understand how data can help their business and connect to others who can share their experience and remove friction from their journey.
• ?Data Leaders to connect with peers and others to help them lead successful data initiatives whilst also being able to connect with talent.
• Data Practitioners to connect with peers and share experience and challenges
• Students/Learners/Early career: to connect with others to develop their careers and find the role that is best for them.
• Data curious – those thinking about developing their skills, connection with others who can share experience on best place to start, how to be successful and things to avoid.

We're committed to making the community a space where everyone feels welcome, heard, and supported, and are currently working with partners in the ecosystem on our equality, diversity and inclusion strategy. We want to ensure that this is embedded from the beginning of the community, and will be setting goals for representation and engagement that we will share and be held accountable for.

Key Features

Following our pilot phase and our full launch yesterday, we already have 400+ members signed up, the majority from Scotland but with representation from 15 countries across all continents (except Antartica!)?Our role at The Data Lab is to catalyse and support the community and in our pilot phase we developed a framework of monthly themes, events and content for all members.?There are peer groups, forums and events to connect and engage with specific segments of the community such as data leaders, data practitioners, students, data curious, women in data and business leaders. We also have a job board, weekly and monthly roundups and will be launching a mentoring programme and a number of other exciting elements during the year.

How do I join?

Joining The Data Lab Community is simple (and free!) - just follow this link to the community, press “Request an Invitation” and fill out the short form (2 mins).?After joining we will provide support to ensure you get up to speed with welcome events, guides, weekly activity summaries and more. You can also follow us on social media - we’re on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

We’re super excited about what we’re creating together in The Data Lab Community, and we'd love to see you there!

If you share our vision and values and would like to discuss partnership opportunities, we’d be delighted to chat - contact us at [email protected]