Queen Mary’s new Digital Environment Research Institute (DERI) recently hosted their first industry-focused event with leading London financial technology companies.
The invite-only event, which took place on 15 June 2021, aimed to explore potential collaborations between innovative financial technology (FinTech) companies and Queen Mary.
In total, 13 FinTech companies signed up for the event which aimed to showcase some of the exciting research in financial technology taking place across Queen Mary’s schools of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Mathematical Sciences, Economics and Finance, Business and Management, and Law.
London is well-known the leading city for FinTech in Europe, and this shows no sign of slowing down despite the pandemic or Brexit. Sitting in close proximity to East London’s Tech City, the City, and Canary Wharf, Queen Mary is ideally placed for engagement with nearby businesses looking to expand their product offerings and research in collaboration with academia.
Commenting on the event, Director of DERI Professor Greg Slabaugh, said: “We’re really pleased with the success of our first FinTech event, which has helped to kickstart some collaborative ideas between Queen Mary and London FinTech companies breaking new ground in the financial technology sector. We’re now working hard to turn these ideas into action and begin setting up these promising projects.”
“This is just the start of DERI’s work to establish innovative multi-disciplinary research collaborations with local industry, and we’re hoping to hold another larger event next year - so watch this space.”
Attendees ranged from newly formed FinTech companies to more established “unicorns” with large valuations. The agenda included company presentations by Wise and IMMO highlighting data science challenges and opportunities.
Professor Andrew Livingston, Vice-Principal (Research and Innovation) at Queen Mary kicked off the event, introducing different dimensions of FinTech, discussing the findings of the Khalifa Review released earlier this year, which highlights the importance of academia and industry to work together for innovation and growth, and finally providing some insights into the future of FinTech.
Queen Mary’s Business Development Team also supported the event and shared the different ways companies can collaborate with Queen Mary, including consultancy, knowledge transfer partnerships (KTPs), and Innovate UK grants.
The event showcased some of the latest methods in a wide variety of FinTech-related topics through talks from leading researchers across Queen Mary, including:
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