By Dr Yashar Moshfeghi
On Monday, 19 May 2025, SICSA hosted a vibrant and forward-looking Research Away Day at the Stirling Court Hotel. Surrounded by the scenic beauty of central Scotland, the venue provided the perfect setting for a day of strategic reflection, collaboration, and future planning for the Scottish computer science research community.
The event brought together the SICSA Directorate/Executive Team and Research Theme Leads, marking a key milestone as the network prepares for the development of SICSA 4.0 following the end of the current funding cycle in 2026.
Opening the Conversation on Vision and Strategy
The day began with welcoming remarks from Dr Tim Storer and Dr Yashar Moshfeghi, who outlined the main goals of the event. These included evaluating SICSA’s current activities, exploring opportunities for deeper collaboration, and beginning to shape a sustainable and high-impact vision for the future. With funding conditions expected to become more constrained after 2026, there was a shared understanding that focus, creativity, and adaptability will be essential.
Strengthening Researcher Training Across Scotland
A key focus of the day was how SICSA could better coordinate and enhance research training across its member institutions. Participants discussed the diverse and evolving needs of research students, including skills in experimental design, trustworthy artificial intelligence, academic writing, and professional development. The aim was to explore how SICSA could lead a more unified and inclusive training offering that supports researchers at all stages.
Breakout discussions generated a rich set of proposals. These included organising cross-institutional summer schools and structured reading groups to encourage collaboration and peer learning, and offering alumni talks and mentoring sessions for early-career researchers. There was strong support for generative AI training aimed at students outside core AI disciplines, as well as the introduction of certification schemes to formally recognise skills development. Closer collaboration with doctoral training centres and industry partners was also proposed to ensure training remains relevant and future focused.
Shaping the Future of Research Infrastructure
The group also responded to the EPSRC’s recent call for Statements of Need in research infrastructure, which offers a key opportunity to influence long-term investment priorities across the UK. Participants discussed several bold ideas to strengthen research capacity in Scotland. These included establishing a national testbed for artificial intelligence and cyber-physical systems to support innovation and experimentation, as well as developing trusted data environments with secure protocols to enable responsible and high-impact research. Participants proposed creating Human Computer Interaction laboratories to better understand user experience in real-world scenarios, and called for shared infrastructure to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and stronger engagement with industry.
Planning for SICSA 4.0
In the afternoon, discussions turned to the priorities for research theme activities through 2025 and into the next SICSA funding period. Theme leads outlined a range of flagship initiatives designed to maintain momentum and expand impact.
Ideas included hosting pre-conference events to foster early-stage collaboration, delivering fellowship proposal workshops to support competitive applications, and organising international summer schools and seasonal academies to enhance global engagement. Participants also proposed appointing SICSA champions within each member institution to support local coordination. Aligning activities with key national and international funding opportunities was identified as a crucial step in strengthening SICSA’s strategic positioning.
Looking Ahead as a Community
The SICSA Research Away Day reaffirmed the network’s essential role in connecting and supporting Scotland’s computer science research community. As the day drew to a close, a strong sense of shared purpose was evident, rooted in collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to shaping a successful and inclusive future.
The SICSA Directors extend their sincere thanks to all attendees for their insight, energy, and contributions. Together, we are building the foundation for a renewed and impactful SICSA that will continue to drive research excellence across Scotland and beyond.
Further updates will follow as planning for SICSA 4.0 progresses. As always, we welcome ideas and input from across the community.