The Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities (DARIAH-EU) is happy to announce it has signed a new Cooperating Partnership agreement with the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom.
DARIAH is a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) whose mission is to empower research communities with digital methods to create, connect and share knowledge about culture and society. In addition to having 22 Member states, DARIAH has also established a network of cooperating partners in non-member countries.
The University of Edinburgh is a global leader in research and education with a rich tradition of academic excellence and innovation across many disciplines. It boasts significant research strengths in informatics, creative tech, ethical approaches to Artificial Intelligence, natural language processing, digital cultural heritage, digitisation and digital collections, and mapping and geographic information processing. Through Edinburgh Futures Institute, the University is focused on developing new co-creative and data-rich approaches to address the increasingly complex challenges of our time.
“We are very excited to welcome Edinburgh to DARIAH,” said Edward Gray, DARIAH’s Officer for National Coordination. “Edinburgh has a proven track record in digital humanities, and the Centre for Data, Culture & Society supports work at the forefront of issues relevant to society, such as responsible AI and how digital scholars can understand the climatic impact of their research. They are a valuable addition to our community.”
Work in the Digital Humanities
The University of Edinburgh is home to the Edinburgh International Data Facility, hosts the UK’s national high performance computing clusters and has recently been announced as the future home of the UK’s first exascale supercomputer. In this context, Edinburgh Futures Institute provides a unique environment for arts and humanities research, supporting collaboration, skills development, cross-disciplinary exchange and access to a world-class data and computing infrastructure.
Current digital humanities aligned research initiatives include: Creative Informatics which stimulates data-led research partnerships between creative industries and the tech sector; XR Network+ Virtual Production in the Digital Economy which supports researchers working with virtual production technologies; the Gaelic Algorithmic Research Group, an international research group devoted to developing modern technologies for Gaelic and utilising them both to strengthen and better understand the language and its associated culture; and the BRAID programme, which works to integrate Arts, Humanities and Social Science research more fully into the Responsible AI ecosystem.
The Centre for Data, Culture & Society, a specialist hub within the Edinburgh Futures Institute empowers researchers in the arts and humanities to engage with data-rich and digital methods. The Centre offers training on computational research methods, prototyping, seed funding and technical guidance, as well as hosting a wide range of research events. The Centre also plays a role in supporting national and international projects and initiatives such as hosting TEI-by-Example, collaboratively leading the Digital Humanities Climate Coalition, a community interest group aligned with the UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Association, and providing training for the UK’s Digital Humanities Research Software Engineering community in collaboration with King’s College London, Cambridge University and the Turing Institute.
The Centre’s Director, Dr Lisa Otty, who will act as scientific coordinator for the partnership comments: “Building capacity for digital humanities research is a core element of our mission, which aligns perfectly with the DARIAH membership. We’re excited about the collaborative opportunities that joining DARIAH will open up, and at the prospect of working more closely with other digital research hubs and centres of expertise across the UK and Europe. With our focus on training and skills development, we also look forward to contributing to DARIAH-Campus and to a range of related working groups and initiatives in the coming years, and we welcome contact from other DARIAH members with shared interests.”
Founding Director of CDCS, and current Director of Creative Informatics, Professor Melissa Terras said “Success in the data-led approaches to the arts and humanities depends on developing communities, best practice approaches, and shared infrastructure. We are delighted to become members of DARIAH, formally connecting with many of our valued colleagues across Europe in the digital research hub space. We hope the large-scale data innovation projects currently underway at Edinburgh will also contribute expertise to this joint endeavour.”
The University of Edinburgh is delighted to join DARIAH and be part of the growing network of UK Cooperating Partners. Building on existing networks and relationships, the Centre for Data, Culture and Society will work in close collaboration with these partners to strengthen the integration of the UK’s digital humanities community within the DARIAH community.
“Beyond welcoming a world-class institution, it is really important for us to obtain a diverse geographic spread amongst institutions in the United Kingdom as we look to build a vibrant DARIAH-UK consortium,” said Gray.
For more information on the Cooperating Partners membership in DARIAH, their role, tasks and benefits, have a look at our detailed post here.
* Banner picture: The MacEwan Hall, with Edinburgh Castle in the Background. Photo credit: Tricia Malley & Ross Gillespie
