Thread by @idrisayobello

Highlight of my week was visiting @UWEBristol, and seeing leading-edge applied research into Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Health Technologies involving lots of brilliant Nigerian scientists! idrisbello.com/2019/10/04/afr…

@UWEBristol Was at the Big Data Enterprise and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (Big-DEAL) founded in 2016 by an old classmate @GreatIfe, Professor Lukumon Oyedele, who is also the Assistant Vice-Chancellor of @UWEBristol and Director of the Lab. . idrisbello.com/2019/10/04/afr…

@UWEBristol @GREATIFE The BIG-DEAL lab is 100% externally funded with 33 researchers and has supported the growth of many businesses and generated more than £18 million in project funding. Very interesting work being done around Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning, etc idrisbello.com/2019/10/04/afr…

@UWEBristol @GREATIFE Did i mention i ran into @andela alum at the @UWEBristol Big Deal Lab doing interesting research? Yeah, we are everywhere! idrisbello.com/2019/10/04/afr…

@UWEBristol @GREATIFE @Andela At the @UWEBristol Health Tech Hub & Robotics Lab where @ReachRobotics was incubated, I ran into more Nigerians, including @AuwalMusamuhd a brilliant PhD researcher from UDUS, Sokoto, who is working on new advances in polymer engineering. idrisbello.com/2019/10/04/afr…

@UWEBristol @GREATIFE @Andela @ReachRobotics @AuwalMusamuhd BIG-Deal lab @UWEBristol aims;
To develop (a) a world-leading cross-disciplinary research lab that leverages novel digital technologies to address current needs & future challenges (b)commercially sound digital solutions that drive up commercial competitiveness and productivity

@UWEBristol @GREATIFE @Andela @ReachRobotics @AuwalMusamuhd I wish our Nigerian universities and research centers will learn to focus too, rather than being jack of all trades and mastering none. At Bristol, I came across a few of my @greatIfe lecturers leading and overseeing a research budget probably more than OAUIfe has for research!

@UWEBristol @GREATIFE @Andela @ReachRobotics @AuwalMusamuhd The exciting thing is that it is all applied, market-facing research that is sponsored by government and industry, and carried out in collaboration with top UK companies and SMEs. Every project has a requirement that it must have an industry partner. idrisbello.com/2019/10/04/afr…

@UWEBristol @GREATIFE @Andela @ReachRobotics @AuwalMusamuhd I found the work they are doing around advanced Natural Language Processing and conversational AI for enabling on-site frontline workers to verbally communicate with BIM systems applicable to @TORAAfrica 's work with semi-educated artisans.

@UWEBristol @GREATIFE @Andela @ReachRobotics @AuwalMusamuhd @TORAAfrica If artisans can ask questions/get trained about their field by interacting with machines/tools/processes in their natural, local languages,rather than being limited to foreign manuals, you can speed up on the job training, improve productivity,and reduce mistakes on the frontline

@UWEBristol @GREATIFE @Andela @ReachRobotics @AuwalMusamuhd @TORAAfrica And thanks to @otukogbe , I was able to tour the The Enterprise Zone which is @UWEBristol business 'hatchery', incubation and grow on space for businesses specializing in robotics, biosciences, biomedicine and other high tech areas.

@UWEBristol @GREATIFE @Andela @ReachRobotics @AuwalMusamuhd @TORAAfrica @otukogbe The idea is to promote university-business collaboration, space for new businesses,access to specialist facilities/ expertise,and biz support. The £16.5m project is supported by £4m from the govt with match-funding from the Local Enterprise Partnership, business and @UWEBristol

@UWEBristol @GREATIFE @Andela @ReachRobotics @AuwalMusamuhd @TORAAfrica @otukogbe Met another @GreatIfeAlumni in the genomic laboratory where companies can develop technologies for personalized medicine, and next-generation diagnostic wearable biochemical sensors able to detect diseases and monitor patients’ long-term health conditions.

@UWEBristol @GREATIFE @Andela @ReachRobotics @AuwalMusamuhd @TORAAfrica @otukogbe @GreatIfeAlumni Ended the tour/discussions at the office of the Pro-Vice Chancellor ＆ Executive Dean, Faculty of Environment and Technology (FET), Prof Paul Olomolaiye, who, wait for it, is a 1981 @GreatIfeAlumni ! The Faculty spans Architecture, Engineering,Computer Science and the Environment

@UWEBristol @GREATIFE @Andela @ReachRobotics @AuwalMusamuhd @TORAAfrica @otukogbe @GreatIfeAlumni As the Dean explained how the Launchpad & Enterprise Center were deeply embedded in the student experience such that students graduated with not just their degrees,but fully launched startups,it reminded me of the TENT program @ParadigmHQ and @gbengasesan started a while back.