techUK launches landmark report on the future of the UK’s digital twin ecosystem

25 Feb 2021 02:30 PM

As the UK looks to respond, adapt, and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, urgent, sustained, and collective action will be needed to reignite different layers of our economy and society.

Digital twins have a potentially powerful role in helping us do so. Yet there is confusion over what a digital twin is, how one can be used, and how one can be commissioned and designed.

Yesterday, techUK published a landmark report: ‘Unlocking Value Across the UK’s Digital Twin Ecosystem’ (click here to access the report PDF or reach out to the team: Tom.Henderson@techUK.org, or Lucas.Banach@techUK.org).  

This report- which has been developed via techUK’s interdisciplinary Digital Twins Working Group (DTWG)- outlines how digital twins can be adopted effectively, and why the accelerated adoption of digital twins is essential for the future success of our people, economy, society, and planet.

Recognising the need for a broader programme of investment that would also enhance the UK’s research, skills, infrastructure, and core engineering capabilities, techUK advocates the following steps to establish the UK as a global digital twin superpower:

1. Develop a cross-cutting, interdisciplinary coordinating body to drive forward digital twin adoption and diffusion in the UK
2. Demonstrate value from (and explore barriers to) the adoption and diffusion of digital twins via a series of strategic demonstrators
3. Trigger the adoption of digital twins across the UK by exploring the development of an online digital twin procurement portal
4. Work with industry to identify talent pipeline requirements and anticipate levels of future demand for skills across the UK’s digital twin ecosystem
5. Fund a net zero 2050 digital twin demonstrator to establish the UK as a global leader in leveraging digital twins for decarbonisation

Get in touch with the team (Tom.Henderson@techUK.org) today if you would like to learn more about the work we are doing to drive forward sustainable digital twin development, adoption, and diffusion!

Susanne Baker, techUK Associate Director for Climate, Environment and Sustainability, techUK:

“Digital twins have the potential to support the UK to deliver on Net Zero 2050 objectives, support the reduction of social inequalities and drive R&D-led growth. However, the lack of consensus around how digital twins can be leveraged and why digital twins can drive better outcomes - for our people, economy, society and planet - means that the full benefits of this technology are yet to be realised. 

“This report aims to set out strategic recommendations for industry and Government as to how the UK’s digital twin ecosystem can progress and evolve long-term, so that we can see and support this technological innovation to its full capacity.”

* Adoption/ innovation (using current and near to market tech) key. But there’ll also be a need for broader research/ skills development + core engineering capabilities to trigger disruption and enable the UK to reach potential and develop a globally leading ecosystem.