Professor Vania Sena speaking at the launch event in Whitehall

A new data research centre, headed by Professor Vania Sena of Essex Business School, has been officially launched at a special event in Whitehall.

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Business and Local Government Data Research Centre forms a key part of the second phase of the ESRC’s Big Data Network and will offer smart data insights to local government and local businesses.

The Centre will analyse smart data to provide better knowledge to benefit society and empower business.

As a consortium of the Universities of Essex, Kent, and East Anglia (Eastern ARC) and London School of Economics, the Business and Local Government Data Research Centre joins a wider network of specialist university research centres for smart data.

As part of Essex Business School, the Centre will bring value to organisations by providing unique insights into operations and customer and supplier behaviours.

Supported by a team of specialist researchers from across the consortium, the centre’s original and substantive research programme will analyse big data to focus on smart specialisation to enable local authorities and businesses to achieve sustainable economic growth, design smarter social care policies and map and access green infrastructures.

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For more information contact Kirsti Badcock 01206 372 857 or email: kbadcock@essex.ac.uk.