Data analytics for business and logistics specialist Zizo has entered a long-term partnership with the School of Computing at The University of Buckingham, becoming an Academic Partner as part of the school’s Knowledge Exchange Partnership Programme.
The aim of the partnership is to bring mutual benefits for the school, staff, students and the data analytics industry as a whole, by combining the academic credentials and qualifications from the University of Buckingham with Zizo’s complementary expertise and focus on solving business problems in the data space.
The partnership will involve the research and development of AI-based systems for big data analysis, allowing for the application of academic research to support real-life business challenges that Zizo is working on, with impactful industry outcomes. These opportunities will also enable students to gain from insightful, hands-on work experience in the field, guided by experts from the Zizo team.
Dr Harin Sellahewa, Dean of Computing at the University of Buckingham comments: “Collaborative partnerships with industry provide unique opportunities for students to benefit from experiential learning. Our aim is to work with Zizo to expose students and postgraduates from the University of Buckingham to the forces that are thriving us as an industry, with business challenges to solve, so that they can go back into the academic environment, and on to future employment, understanding what the hurdles are and how they can be overcome. The partnership exemplifies the School’s commitment to deepen collaborative relationships with businesses in the UK and overseas. The partnership is closely aligned with the National and Local Industrial Strategies and UK’s vision to secure its status as a pioneering nation.”
Offering undergraduate internships and projects, as well as involving postgraduates on a longer-term basis to delve into complex technical issues, Zizo says it aims to offer interesting, innovative challenges and new opportunities for the students across the university programme.
With pioneering research in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, IoT and more led by the University’s School of Computing, Zizo says it will also be able to build upon the strides made in academia and apply industry analysis to strengthen its AI and Machine Learning business propositions further.
Zizo has already been involved with the students this year in reviewing student projects and providing feedback about the potential business applications of their ideas.
Peter Ruffley, CEO of Zizo, added: “Our partnership with the University, underpinned by its industry-leading research and expertise, will enable us to present our innovative solutions with more authority on cutting edge problems and further push the boundaries of what is possible in the space. It also offers an ideal opportunity to work with students to experiment and build prototype concepts before embarking on a full-scale project. It’s refreshing to mentor undergraduates and postgraduates at university who are motivated and passionate to investigate solutions for tangible business challenges. And with the University’s ground-breaking Computing and AI Centre set to be completed in 2021, we’re excited to see how our partnership can develop even further.
“We want to support the students in being able to realise their potential and prepare for their future careers. We are at the forefront of an industry that is advancing at a rapid pace and this partnership will not only help us to advance our offering as a business, but also work in collaboration with some of the brightest minds to solve unprecedented business challenges.”
As well as hands-on work with the students, Zizo is additionally sponsoring the award for ‘The Best Final Year Project’ at the University of Buckingham’s End of Year Awards, with Tom Longshaw, Director of Research and Development at Zizo, on the judging panel.
