External Partners for Student Projects

Do you have an interesting research question or challenge that you do not currently have specialist expertise, resources or funding available to support? Why not apply to become a partner on one of our University of Edinburgh MSc projects. We look for projects from a range of different disciplines around data science and AI. Projects are open to companies, organisations, charities and government departments.

There are many benefits to becoming an external partner for our students:

  • It's a great opportunity to research questions and problems that will accelerate your research and development
  • Our talented and enthusiastic students will bring fresh perspectives and ideas into your organisation
  • You can start to develop a relationship with the University of Edinburgh 
  • Many companies have used this as a very successful recruitment tool
  • Some have also extended projects into longer research projects with academic groups

We do not ask for a financial contribution to the project but we do expect that you can dedicate your time for supervision and provide data as required.

If you would like to submit a project proposal, please complete this online form.

Online form

Our application for project proposals is open throughout the year, although please note that typically MSc projects take place in the Summer, with applications due in Autumn to Winter.

Our Bayes Centre Team will work with you to identify the best place for your research project. Completion of the form and submission of a project topic does not guarantee that the project will go ahead. If your project is suitable, we will match your project to the most appropriate course and school, and support you to identify a co-supervisor from the research community at the University of Edinburgh.

MSc programmes are run by different schools across the University of Edinburgh with varying lengths of projects from 5 weeks to 12 weeks. For inspiration on topics covered by our various MSc programmes, please take a look at our current programmes.

Case Studies

Read our case studies from our partners who have worked with University of Edinburgh MSc students on data-driven projects or challenges.

OnGen MSc Project

Machine learning techniques for aerial mapping of renewables.

Police Scotland MSc Project

Data analysis of knife crime incidents with Police Scotland.

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