The frontier AI landscape – Workshop Series

Frontier AI refers to the leading edge of artificial intelligence (AI) development where rapidly advancing capabilities are expected to have profound implications for productivity, competitiveness, and economic growth in the UK.

Digital Catapult is working with Innovate UK to prime the UK market for frontier AI. The goal is to foster new industry partnerships and applications for future commercial AI development grant opportunities and increase ambition of technology and organisations as well as the UK new and novel AI capability. 

In partnership with Innovate UK, Digital Catapult is running a series of in-person workshops helping to inform and shape future UK funding opportunities to support the development of models, data and AI infrastructure. 

The workshops will focus on areas of strategic importance where there are strong opportunities to build new AI capabilities, and will be delivered in partnership with fellow Catapults, industry experts, research organisations, and academics. The themes are:

• Fundamental AI research

• AI for biosciences and health

• AI for materials

• AI-aided design for semiconductors

• AI for defence and national security

Who should attend

This series of workshops are looking for organisations who could develop and scale their own AI tools and datasets, rather than those adopting open AI tools (for example, ChatGPT). In particular: 

• UK companies of all sizes already researching or developing state-of-the-art frontier AI models and solutions 

• UK companies of all sizes that see the potential of novel AI to accelerate their business strategies, for example by leveraging existing data 

• Academic and research organisations interested in building connections leading to consortia R&D bids 

These workshops will develop a shared view on priority areas, relevant frontier AI technologies, and the case for collaborative approaches, including potential consortia and future funding or support pathways. 

Due to limitations on space, only selected applications will be able to join the workshop/s.

Wednesday 04 March 2026 |10:00 – 16:30 | Digital Catapult HQ, London

Delivered by Digital Catapult, this workshop will delve into some of the most cutting–edge themes shaping the future of fundamental AI research, examining the next wave of architectures, capabilities, and scientific approaches at the frontier of the field. We will explore edge themes shaping the future of fundamental AI research, analysing which breakthroughs could create competitive advantage for locally developed AI capability.

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Tuesday 10 March 2026 |10:00 – 16:30 | Digital Catapult HQ, London

The bioscience and health sector is entering a period of profound change with advances in AI, high-performance computing, sensing technologies, multiomics data infrastructure and predictive modelling – all of which are increasingly converging to reshape research and clinical innovation. This workshop will feature facilitators from Digital Catapult, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, and Medicines Discovery Catapult.

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Wednesday 11 March 2026 | 10.00 – 16.30 | Digital Catapult HQ, London

The field of materials innovation is undergoing major transformation as advances in AI, high performance computing, sensing, characterisation, data infrastructure and modelling increasingly come together to redefine scientific practices. Delivered by Digital Catapult in partnership with the Henry Royce Institute, the workshop will explore AI-based materials research as well as how to leverage experimental materials data to create new models for material property prediction.

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Thursday 19 March 2026 | 10.00 – 16.30 | Digital Catapult HQ, London

Semiconductors are the key hardware enablers for today’s critical technologies and will power future technological development. Delivered by Digital Catapult in partnership with Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult, the workshop will explore AI aided chip and system design, AI optimised accelerators and domain specific hardware, neuromorphic and brain inspired architectures, photonic or optical interconnects and backplanes, as well as co-design of hardware and AI models.

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Tuesday 31 March 2026 | 10.00 – 16.30 | Bristol

The UK’s National Security Strategy identifies AI and leading-edge AI as a key capability underpinning sovereignty, secure data ecosystems, and defence independence. Frontier AI is becoming strategically essential for the defence and national security sector because it is transforming both the opportunities and the threat landscape at unprecedented speed. Delivered by Digital Catapult, this workshop will explore where advanced AI approaches could add value in areas such as: AI in real time and near real time systems, distributed and decentralised AI systems, quality and reliability of decision making, predictions, reasoning, as well as specialised models for critical infrastructure management and cybersecurity.

Register your interest to be part of the conversation