• Aston University and Capgemini have launched a Centre of Excellence for Enterprise AI
• It will help businesses harness AI to their advantage
• The centre was officially opened at the University’s London campus.

Aston University and Capgemini have launched a new Centre of Excellence for Enterprise AI to help businesses harness AI to their advantage.

The new collaboration will build on the University’s strengths in innovation, and the business and technology consultancy’s experience in transforming organisations. Launched through a collaboration between Aston University and Capgemini, the Centre of Excellence for Enterprise AI leverages world-class academic research and global industry leadership.

The centre was officially opened on Thursday 25 September at Aston’s London campus on Aldersgate Street, near St Paul’s, in front of an audience of senior leaders from the finance, manufacturing and health sectors and key figures from West Midlands and national government.

The opening talks were given by the centre’s co-chairs, Professor Aleks Subic, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Aston University, and Sudhir Pai, chief technology and innovation officer for financial services, Capgemini.

Professor Subic said: “Artificial intelligence is transforming business and society at an unprecedented speed. For enterprises, it is critical that they harness the power of AI and generative AI to remain competitive and to drive future growth.

“Our vision is to build a collaborative AI ecosystem to bring together businesses, researchers and policymakers to collaborate on creating and deploying responsible AI solutions that benefit both enterprise and society. We will develop future-ready AI talent through advanced training, executive education programmes and targeted upskilling opportunities.

“Finally, we will accelerate enterprise AI impact to enhance productivity, gain competitive advantage and achieve measurable business outcomes, accelerating industry transformation.”

A Capgemini Research Institute report, “Navigating uncertainty with confidence: Investment priorities for 2025” found the commitment to invest is clear with nearly three-quarters (74%) of business leaders ranking AI and Generative AI among their top three technology investment priorities for 2025. However, successfully navigating the transformation and realising tangible value remains a significant hurdle for many organisations.

Steven Webb, UK chief technology and innovation office, Capgemini, said: “The UK has one of the strongest AI economies, but to we need to work together to nurture talent, develop the skills essential for driving future growth, and create favourable conditions for innovators and businesses. Collaborations between academia, the private sector and government will be the key to solidifying the UK as a global AI superpower. Capgemini is proud to be spearheading this through the new Centre of Excellence with Aston University, ensuring AI delivers true impact for businesses and their people, both locally and globally.”
Sudhir Pai, chief technology and innovation officer for Capgemini financial services, said: “AI’s success hinges not only on cutting-edge technology, but on the strength and reliability of the ecosystem that enables it. As the gap between AI innovation and industry adoption widens, Capgemini’s collaboration with Aston to establish the global Centre of Excellence for Enterprise AI is a pivotal step in scaling AI with a human-centric, enterprise-ready approach.”

The opening remarks were followed by a keynote address from Professor Rob Hornby, co-chief executive officer of AlixPartners. An expert panel discussion was chaired by Dr Gareth Wilson, global banking industry lead at Capgemini, with panellists from Microsoft, Capgemini, The Alan Turing Institute and SWIFT.

Professor Alexeis Garcia Perez of Aston Business School is director of the centre which will be collaborating with companies Bendi, Blüm Health, Crediflow, Digital4Health, Intercity Technology, The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), Metal Assemblies, Raiven, SuperTech and TechWM.
Aston University opened its new London hub at an official launch event on 24 June and welcomed its first cohort of students in July. It offers degree programmes that teach skills in in innovation and enterprise, digital innovation, data science and artificial intelligence, cyber security management, global business and management and business analytics.