News in brief, 28 January 2020

Published: 27 January 2020

A round-up of news across the University

How Scotland becomes a leading global centre for tech start-ups

18th February, 4-6pm. Lecture Theatre 466, Main Building.

Scotland was once – temporarily – labelled “The Silicon Glen”. But this was a fragile economy, with few indigenous start-ups to compensate when the large tech companies pulled out. But now, with hundreds of early-stage start-ups active in Scotland, and with Scottish businesses like Skyscanner breaking through to large-scale success, the environment is changing. How can Scotland dramatically strengthen and accelerate this fledgling tech start-up economy to create a true Silicon Valley in Scotland? In this inaugural lecture for his Visiting Professorship in the school of Computing Science, Mark Logan will propose achievable steps to bringing about this goal and argue that the University of Glasgow has a major role in making it happen.Mark Logan 650 

A drinks reception will be served after the lecture.

Professor Mark Logan was appointed as Professor of Practice in the School of Computing Science, University of Glasgow, in September 2019. Mark's appointment is supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering's Visiting Professors Scheme for a three-year term. Mark is an active advisor to and investor in startups and scale-ups across Scotland and beyond. He was formerly the Chief Operating Officer of Skyscanner, a Scottish tech-startup success story that was recently acquired for £1.4 billion. As part of his visiting professorship, he will be creating a new course within the School on Growth Startup Engineering.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-scotland-becomes-a-leading-global-centre-for-tech-start-ups-tickets-91347156805

Annual University Service

All members of the University are invited to attend the Annual University Service in Glasgow Cathedral on Sunday 8 March 2020 at 11.00am.

Those wishing to join the academic procession are requested to assemble in the Sacristy by 10.45am. Academic Dress (gown and hood plus white bow-tie for men) will be worn on this occasion.

It is important that all wishing to join the academic procession should email Ceremonial Events (ceremonial-events@glasgow.ac.uk) by Monday 2 March 2020 in order that an appropriate number of seats can be reserved.

Copyright law, cultural diversity and the Digital Single Market

A team of researchers from CREATe, the UK Copyright and Creative Economy Centre based in the University of Glasgow, have received a major new award. As part of a 10-institution consortium funded with over €3 million by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, they will conduct the project entitled reCreating Europe: Rethinking digital copyright law for a culturally diverse, accessible, creative Europe. This project will engage closely with stakeholders in the creative industries to develop an integrated policy approach to copyright in the EU digital single market.

The CREATe team – led by Dr Marta Iljadica, Prof. Martin Kretschmer, Dr Thomas Margoni and Bartolomeo Meletti – are a key partner, together with the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, and the Institute for Information Law at the University of Amsterdam. They will engage with a broad array of actors in the creative industries including documentary filmmakers, micro companies working in innovative ways, and companies adopting new business models. The research will enable new codes of best practice relevant to specific creative sectors, and a series of reports to inform policy at local and national levels. The CREATe team will also develop a new platform providing accessible guidance on EU copyright. This draws on their pioneering work creating the leading UK copyright information portal: www.CopyrightUser.org

UK Universities continue to participate fully in EU research projects awarded before the end of Brexit implementation period. The annual series of public lectures by the CREATe Centre (www.create.ac.uk) continues tomorrow (Wednesday 29 January 2020, 5.30pm), with a lecture by the historian Aileen Fyfe from the University of St Andrews. Professor Fyfe will speak on “The production, circulation and consumption and ownership of scientific knowledge”.

Booking details: https://www.create.ac.uk/create-public-lecture-series-2019-2020/

Further lectures in the series include:

Wednesday 5 February 2020, 5.30pm
Dr Christian Peukert (Católica Lisbon & ETH Zürich)
Digital Disintermediation and Efficiency in the Market for Ideas

Wednesday 12 February 2020, 5.30pm
Prof. Lionel Bently (University of Cambridge)
Quotation under Copyright Law and the textual paradigm

Wednesday 4 March 2020, 5.30pm
Prof. Dev Gangjee (University of Oxford)
Timeless Signs or Signs of the Times? Reconciling Innovation and Tradition for Geographical Indications

For further details and to book: 

https://www.create.ac.uk/create-public-lecture-series-2019-2020/

New Director for Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research

Dr Alistair Fraser is tol take over as the new Director of the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research.Alistair Fraser 650

He will replace Professor Sarah Armstrong who has led the Centre for the last three years.

Dr Fraser, who is a senior lecturer in criminology, based at the University of Glasgow, said he was looking forward to taking on the role while paying tribute to the considerable work carried out by his predecessor.

He said: “I am honoured, if a little intimidated, to step into the shoes of Director of SCCJR. Over the last three and a half years they have been filled by a great colleague and mentor, Professor Sarah Armstrong.

“Leading by example both inside and outside of the Centre, Sarah has walked tall, agitating for change and addressing inequalities wherever they occur. The leather on her shoes has been worn thin, be it pacing the corridors of Holyrood, rallying at a picket, or animating discussion at a prison reading group.

“As well as this public work, it is important to recognise the generosity, humility and kindness she has embodied in her day-to-day dealings with the students and staff that are the Centre’s lifeblood. Running an interdisciplinary research centre composed of four different institutions is an incredibly complex and demanding task, but Sarah has managed it with grace, dynamism and all important good humour.“

He added: “I first heard of SCCJR back in 2005, as a Masters student and budding criminologist, and thought instantly ‘that’s for me’. Now fifteen years later, the same is still true. There is incredible richness, generosity, and intellectual energy generated by the many and varied people that compose the Centre.

“Over the coming months, I look forward to wearing in these new shoes by walking alongside friends and colleagues both in and out of SCCJR, looking for ways to harness that energy and allow it to grow in new directions.”

Professor Armstrong said: “I have really enjoyed my time in the Directorship getting to know so many people in the Centre and about their work – and still feel there is so much more to learn. It has been hard but rewarding work to lead this Centre, made all the more worthwhile by working alongside all our Associate Directors and ably supported by our HQ team of Rachelle Cobain and Diane McGrattan.”


First published: 27 January 2020