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Scotland launches Centre of Excellence for Digital Trust

Scotland has taken a significant step towards becoming a global leader in digital trust innovation with the launch of a

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Scotland has taken a significant step towards becoming a global leader in digital trust innovation with the launch of a new Centre of Excellence. The Scottish Centre of Excellence for Digital Trust and Distributed Ledger Technology, hosted by Edinburgh Napier University, aims to make the digital world safer and more resilient.

The Centre, launched in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, and Fintech Scotland, will address real-world challenges in digital trust and distributed ledger technologies.

With initial funding from Scottish Enterprise, it seeks to deliver immediate benefits to the financial services sector and beyond.

Professor Bill Buchanan from Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment, and director of the Centre, emphasised the opportunity for Scotland to lead in digital trust technology.

He stated, “We have digitised a great deal of our work, but many aspects of privacy, security and resilience still need to be fully understood.”

The Centre’s initial two-year focus will be on delivering innovation, actionable research, and skills training to support industry-led research in areas such as digital payments, digital assets, and digital identity.

This initiative comes at a crucial time, as cybersecurity has emerged as the top priority for IT leaders in 2025, with 52% identifying it as their primary focus for the coming year.

Nanik Ramchandani, CEO of the Centre, highlighted the significance of this development, saying, “This is a significant step forward in Scotland, and will help build a solid foundation towards enhancing digital trust.”

He emphasised the importance of continued innovation in privacy-preserving technologies, especially in an era where AI is making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between real and fake.

The launch of this Centre aligns with the growing recognition of technology as a cornerstone for driving productivity and fuelling business growth.

It also addresses the increasing reliance on external IT service providers, with 76% of organisations now partnering with such providers for some or all of their IT needs.

As Scotland positions itself at the forefront of digital trust innovation, this new Centre of Excellence is poised to play a crucial role in shaping the future of digital security and resilience across various industries.

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