EDINBURGH University has confirmed that it is entering a groundbreaking deal with Stanford University to exploit research into communication and voice recognition technology, a deal which is set to help Scottish academics "bottle the secret sauce of Silicon Valley".
The partnership has been backed with nearly (pounds) 6 million of Scottish Enterprise funding to help develop the transatlantic link. The announcement brings to a successful conclusion secret negotiations which were first revealed by the Sunday Herald last July.
Edinburgh's Human Communication Research Centre (HCRC) specialises in bringing together specialists in diverse areas including artificial intelligence, psychology, philosophy and even music to research the way people communicate.
Its work has the potential to develop computers which can communicate with people in more complex and natural ways, using both spoken and written language. One project, which has already generated a commercial spin-out company, is exploring how computers can adapt their "conversations" to the character, background knowledge or interests of the user. Other spin-out companies are attempting to exploit markets for text analysis, translation and voice synthesis.
Meanwhile, blue sky research at HCRC aims to unlock the secrets which make it extraordinarily difficult for computers and humans to have "natural" dialogues - such as the layers of meaning, context and values in the average human conversation which enable people to communicate much more than they actually say.
The field is thought to have huge scientific and commercial potential, and the connection with Stanford will enable scientists from the HCRC to collaborate with researchers at the Californian university's Centre for the Study of Language and Information (CSLI).
The partnership is the equivalent of a royal wedding in the world of academia. HCRC is part of Edinburgh's department of informatics, which was recently awarded a highest-possible five-star A rating in the UK research assessment exercise. Stanford is also a world- leading university in fields such as speech recognition, while its record in commercialising research is powerful, with many graduates having gone on to set up multi-billion dollar corporations.
Professor Johanna Moore, director of the HCRC, said the arrangement would help Edinburgh recreate the success of Silicon Valley. "There will be lessons we in Edinburgh can learn from the entrepreneurial culture in the US."
Minister for Enterprise Wendy Alexander said: "This is a groundbreaking initiative which will strengthen the advanced computing work in areas where Edinburgh is already recognised as a world-leader, but it will also benefit Scotland by giving Scottish companies a competitive edge."
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company.
