INNOVATING THROUGH DATASolving problems. Delivering insight. Creating value.

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WELCOME TO NICD

"We work with your organisation to enable you to innovate through data. We do this by exploring your business problems and working with your people to transfer data science skills into your organisation, using your platforms, your technologies and, of course, your data".

STEVE CAUGHEY, NICD Director BARRY HODGSON, NICD Deputy Director

Our aim is for the National Innovation Centre for Data (NICD) to transform how

companies are doing business across the globe by utilising their data in ways they have never explored before.

A beacon for data scienceNICD builds on the world-leading expertise in data science and its application developed within Newcastle University over the past decade. We are very grateful to our funders (£15m BEIS funding managed through EPSRC and £15m matched by Newcastle University) and our collaborators (The National Innovation Centre for Ageing) for working with us to create The Catalyst building – our new ground breaking facility designed to encourage and create a vibrant ecosystem around data science.

We’ve already attracted global leaders in Red Hat and AkzoNobel and are looking forward to filling the building with interesting innovators in data science.

Let the data answer your questionsAt NICD, we enable you to consider the data expertise required by your organisation and to ‘grow your own’! We act as a 'critical friend', rather than as a consultant, to enable the staff in your organisation to explore your data and achieve your goals.

As you will see from our case studies, the key to success is to consider the business questions that your data can help you answer. You supply the domain knowledge and we explore the data with you.

Realise your data potentialWhy not read our case studies, consider the network and ecosystem we are building and ask yourself – can your organisation afford not to get involved? If not… give us a call.

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As a region we’re incredibly lucky to have NICD as a major asset, playing a vital part in the development of the local, national and global digital economy. As well as turbo-charging the North East’s data science skills and cutting-edge data analytics capacity, NICD is already recognised by businesses of all shapes and sizes as a hub for digital transformation and data-led business growth.

The centre and its networks offer a huge opportunity for long-term collaborations that will make an impactful difference to the local economy and it’s great to have it as a key partner.

LAURA PARTRIDGEDigital Programme Lead North East Local Enterprise Partnership

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Procter & Gamble (P&G) was founded in 1837 and owns numerous world-renowned personal care, health and hygiene brands, such as Pampers, Herbal Essences, Olay, Ariel and Gillette.

P&G wanted to move towards ‘measured behaviour’ – learning about customers' habits through direct observation, which can offer more accurate predictions on what people think about their products.

After struggling to find systems that enabled us to collect data effectively through direct observation, P&G decided to develop a

machine learning platform in-house, but we needed a steer on how to bring it to life and equip employees with the skills to do so. This is where NICD stepped in.

NICD worked with us to create new predictive systems for capturing and processing customer insights, and to better understand the skills needed to develop such systems in-house. This project has changed the way we think about approaching the development of new data models. What we’ve learned from NICD is that our principle-based approach is a welcome step up and we’re now applying that knowledge to a number of projects.

IMPROVING PRODUCTSWITH MACHINE LEARNING

ANDY PATTON Head of Digital Innovation and R&D for fabric and homecare

Procter & Gamble

"Data enables companies to know themselves and their industry better." Stephen Dowsland NICD Data Engineering

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KEY RESULTS

• Implemented a measured behaviour system, which uses machine learning to make informed decisions about what consumers think about products, and product improvement. • NICD was a ‘critical friend’ during the project to help challenge the feasibility of the machine learning platform P&G required.• Learned how to develop similar systems in the future, and the skills required to do so.

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LKQ is a global leader in alternative and specialty auto-parts.

Formed in 1998, it has expanded through the acquisition of more than 220 suppliers and manufacturers globally. Each of its operations retains data, including stockists, manufacturers and self-service retail businesses.

We knew that LKQ’s data could add value to the business as a whole, from increasing revenues to streamlining supply chains. The key to improving our business and maintaining our position as a dominant player in the industry was there all the time – within our data.

The next step was to explore how strategic data analytics could impact the way the company operates, challenge longstanding assumptions, and reveal new opportunities. We also wanted to make vital investment

and growth decisions based on the best information, which starts with data.

Our team co-located with NICD experts at Newcastle Helix to help take us out of our normal day-to-day mindset and into a data-led one. The NICD team worked alongside us to ‘clean’ and validate our data, which was vital to the success of the project.

Together we took a properly structured approach to working with the data, and built trust within the company in using our new method. NICD brought skillsets to the team that were beyond our ability at that stage.

The solution we developed in the UK was rolled out to subsidiary companies across 22 European countries. The project was shortlisted for Outstanding Big Data Industry Project at Computing’s 2018 Big Data Excellence Awards.

TRANSFORMING DATA QUALITY TO CREATE SOLUTIONS COMPANY WIDE

MARCIN LISOWSKI Head of Data Analytics LKQ Europe Limited

“Data supports companies' decision making and creates confidence in their systems. The more they use data in this way, the more they feel comfortable with it.” Peter MichalákNICD Real-time Streaming

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KEY RESULTS

• Gained insights on how to transform data quality across the company.• Encouraged management to invest in a dedicated data analytics unit. • Identified substantial potential savings and sources of additional revenue. • Shifted company ethos towards a more data-led mindset.

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We are leaders in the field of paint and coatings, and active in a variety of industries including aerospace, oil and gas, mining, power and the marine shipping sector. For instance, we sell anti-corrosive coatings, which help to protect hulls from everything from saltwater damage to barnacles. We have extensive insight into the factors that cause corrosion and a range of data sets to go with it, including the global positioning of more than 80,000 vessels, taken every 15 minutes for the last 11 years. We needed a solution that would allow customers to predict the condition of their underwater hulls, without having to wait for a docking or carry out a dive inspection.

We realised this was a much larger project than just building predictive models, this was about data engineering – bringing data from multiple places, understanding the cloud aspect of the project and scaling the computing.

By collaborating with NICD, we created an online predictive tool that helps AkzoNobel customers make better decisions about how to maintain and protect their fleet. This allows us to provide Vessel Operators with data insight into their vessels. At AkzoNobel, we’re not just providing paint or coatings; we’re selling data that makes performance more understandable.

HARNESSING DATA TO CREATE PRODUCTS FOR THE FUTURE

RICHIE RAMSDEN Section leader functional services Data Insight Team, AkzoNobel

"We took information about when a ship would need painting and augmented it with additional data, such as where ships have travelled, and the chemical content of the water they travelled on." John BrennanNICD Machine Learning

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KEY RESULTS

• Cleaned and analysed data from different locations, and in different formats.• Developed a Minimum Viable Product that could offer real value to customers. • Learned a variety of skills in predictive modelling and machine learning. • Encouraged other AkzoNobel staff to consider how they could develop their own ideas.

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JACK PATTULO Product Analysis and Planning Manager, Newcastle Building Society

Newcastle Building Society is the largest building society in the North East of England with more branches than any other society in the region.

A core element of its purpose is helping people own their own home. We wanted to understand how customer behaviour and characteristics impacted their decision to stay or leave a lender.

Working with NICD presented an opportunity to use their experience and expertise in data to approach this challenge from a different perspective using skills, thought processes and software not held within the society.

The project approached the challenge from a different starting point when compared to our standard approach. The early phase of the project focused on data cleansing techniques, whilst building a single customer view to analyse and understand customer behaviour.

Due to the way the project worked, we have received intensive and focused training resulting in our data analysis skills being significantly improved. This means we now have the skills to apply to future business challenges.

The model that we developed is now live in the business and is being used to make business decisions.

BUILDING LONG LASTING RELATIONSHIPS AT THE NORTH EAST'S LARGEST BUILDING SOCIETY

“They had no coding experience whatsoever, now they’re driving the questions they want to ask from their data and exploring new ways to run their business.” Matt EdwardsNICD Predictive Modelling

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KEY RESULTS

• We have not only developed key technical skills in learning the R programming language, but also analytical skills to interrogate our data and drive the questions we should be asking about our business. • The skills we have learnt will create efficiencies, reduce workloads and enable us to confidently start data projects of our own. • The tool we have developed is live and assisting business decisions designed to extend borrowers' relationship with the society.

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Connected Energy specialises in technology systems for grid decarbonisation through the design of energy storage systems that utilise second-life EV batteries.

We wanted to know how to use data from second-life EV batteries to predict their future capacities and monitor the battery systems to optimise their outputs.

It was enlightening for us to see where we were missing data, understand what data we

had, and produce ways for external people to interact with our data.

NICD helped us to validate data from battery systems and get our data into the format we needed. They also made sure we had the right data skills in place to make these methods a part of our future work.

The project helped us gain a clear picture of our data to understand what was missing and develop accurate predictions for planned maintenance and warranties.

CREATE CONFIDENCE IN WARRANTIES FOR INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

FRAZER WAGG Energy Storage Analyst Connected Energy

"Our job with Connected Energy is to understand how reliable second-life EV batteries actually are, and how they’re degrading, so they can advise their clients." Jonny LawNICD Time Series Data

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KEY RESULTS

• More accurate monitoring ensured that our batteries are used equally and that outputs are accurate. • Gives confidence in offering customers warranties on second-life battery systems.

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The NHS Business Authority is a Special Health Authority and arm's length body of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).We provide a range of critical health services to patients, members of the public, NHS organisations and NHS employees, and have large volumes of NHS data that we wanted to derive value from. This included primary care prescriptions, NHS Pensions and job applications, European Health Insurance Cards, and Help with Health Costs applications.

We worked with NICD on two business problems based on primary care prescriptions data. One project aimed to assess whether a particular policy was achieving the intended outcomes, another project built a model to report on variation in behaviour across a range of metrics. NICD taught our staff a range of approaches, from collaborative coding and discussion, to challenge and demonstration.

USING DATA TO CREATE SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE NHS

NADINE MORRISROE Data Scientist NHS Business Services Authority

“There’s huge change in how you can make use of a programming language to automate or semi-automate processes. It’s incredible how efficient that can be.” Jacek CalaNICD Scalable Computing

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KEY RESULTS

• Learned new programming skills, analytical approaches, when and how to use those approaches, and how to interpret the results. • We anticipate that the projects with NICD will lead to improved ways of working, behaviour change and savings for the NHS.

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Prospect Path is a web platform that connects software vendors with buyers. Our company Converted Media designed the platform to qualify sales leads for our software vendor customers, which are recorded every time a contact enters their details and downloads a website resource.

Our challenge was how to use that data to predict which customers would respond to a sales phone call. With thousands of leads to go on, it can be tricky to contact the right lead at the right time. We asked – ‘is there a better more data-driven solution to our problem?’

Converted Media worked with ARROW, Newcastle University’s £3.4m innovation programme, set up to accelerate and enhance North East economic impact. ARROW brings together the University’s research, knowledge and innovation projects with the needs of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).

ARROW matched our challenge to experts in NICD, and they helped us to fine tune our data based on tens of thousands of calls, so our project could work with a new model that was within reach of the company’s expertise.

CONNECTING WITH THE RIGHT SALES LEADS AT THE RIGHT TIME

GABRIEL RUBINSTEIN Sales Manager Converted Media

"We helped to make the sales process less random, so they could better reach customers interested in their products." Saleh MohamadARROW Data Scientist

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KEY RESULTS

• Tuned data parameters to fit software used by the company.• Equipped us with the knowledge and skills to question why particular statistical approaches may not work.

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Photo: Graeme Peacock

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JEN HARTLEY DirectorInvest Newcastle

The team at Invest Newcastle work very closely with NICD to help drive investment and jobs into the city. The activity of NICD plays a fundamental part of the inward investment proposition to highlight the strengths and opportunities of locating a business in Newcastle, and working with the centre to understand the importance of data.

This has been of significant interest, not just for traditional tech companies, but also companies across other key sectors including financial and corporate services, offshore and renewable energy, and health and life sciences. The teams often work together to identify and attract projects and host them in the city.

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HOW TO WORK WITH US

1. We have an informal chat to discuss your data-related problems.

2. We invite you to a FREE Discovery Workshop where you will meet our technical team of data scientists to better understand your domain-related issues and data sets.

3. If a project is feasible, you define the business question; we agree the scope, duration and cost and sign a formal contract.

4. We run a collaborative project led by your team. Our core technical team work with your people, using your data and your technology.

5. We aim for meaningful business outcomes. Immediate ROI through actionable insights, including operational efficiencies, new products and services and most importantly new data skills.

"Whether you are based in the UK or abroad our technical team is here to help you begin your journey in data innovation."Georgia Carr NICD Operations Manager

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Get in touchnicd@newcastle.ac.ukncl.ac.uk/nicd @NICDATA

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Adobe Stock, Ben Clarkson (cover image), Graeme Peacock, and Alan Wallace

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