Information Technology
The development of the energy industry in Aberdeen has led the business community to adopt the role of technology innovator from an early age. The international Energy industry is one of the most demanding and challenging of industries to 
serve, and with the UK Continental Shelf now regarded as being in a mature phase of development, the need for new technology innovation has never been so great. This competitiveness and innovation has created a high level skills base, with a concentration of knowledge workers and technical engineers in the city.
Aberdeen is one of Europe’s most ‘wired’ cities with extensive broadband connections, LAN networks, links to the ‘SuperJanet’ academic network, links to Scottish Enterprise’s ATLAS programme, city wide information kiosks and proposals for one of the UK’s first city-wide, public information wireless networks.
A combination of innovative practice, entrepreneurial activity and communications infrastructure is enabling Aberdeen’s software development sector to achieve growth at around 15% per year. These conditions have led international IT companies to establish a major presence in Aberdeen, servicing clients both locally and globally.
However in Aberdeen, technology and innovation is not just the domain of the larger players. Many SMEs are born into the sector, often after working in the oil industry and recognising the need for new innovation.
The Universities, further education institutes and research establishments in the city also contribute to this trend of technical innovation. They have a pedigree of working closely with business and industry to effectively manage, assist and benefit from advances in this sector.
For instance, Aberdeen University is internationally recognised for its work on knowledge and information management, and has a long-standing reputation in artificial intelligence and databases. Its research and consultancy experience has been built up over more than a decade through programmes funded by various organisations such as the Defence Research Agency (Malvern), Satellite Communications Centre (DRA Defford), Intelsat, the European Space Agency and the British National Space Centre.
The Robert Gordon University (RGU) also offers a BSc Honours course in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, which enables graduates to design the next generation of advanced technology – thinking machines and intelligent robots.
Their Applied Optoelectronics Research Centre undertakes research and development projects with extensive experience of designing and building systems for deployment in the North Sea. The Centre’s largest area of activity is the development of laser/optical based sensors, which are currently being developed for physical, biomedical and chemical applications.
The Robert Gordon University also received a £748k grant to develop a SmartWeb Technology Centre to examine future ways to interface with web technologies. RGU was also one of the first UK Universities to launch a Virtual Campus in 1999 for distance learning, and won a national prize for excellence for an Intranet developed to enhance student learning.
So with the support of the city’s infrastructure, a commitment to innovation, a high level skills and knowledge base and a world-wide reputation for excellence, Aberdeen continues to set standards in information communications technology.
