The KTN is a central component in creating of an effective innovation culture for the benefit of industry and society.

The Technology Strategy Board has created Innovation Platforms to address major societal challenges in Intelligent Transport Systems and Services, Network Security, Low Carbon Vehicles, Assisted Living and Low Impact Building. In each of these areas the KTN aims to improve the transfer of knowledge between industry, government and the science base in mathematics. As a direct result of KTN activity in 2007, new data driven models for the reliable real-time prediction of journey times are being incorporated into improved intelligent transport systems and services.

The future growth of high-value services will draw heavily on leading-edge developments in the mathematical sciences. Retailers and service providers in telecommunications, healthcare, media and finance are facing increasing consumer complexity arising from the fragmentation of markets, individualisation of needs and an empowered and digitally connected consumer. In some sectors, there are also rapidly changing regulatory and market environments, for example in insurance, where there is increasing need for rigorously quantitative approaches to the management of risk. The KTN is working with the Technology Strategy Board and Research Councils to stimulate new ways of meeting these key business challenges.

Emerging Areas

As a joint initiative with the London Mathematical Society, a series of Knowledge Transfer reports highlight areas where mathematics and computing have come together to provide significant new capability that is on the cusp of wide scale industrial uptake. The first paper, "Managing risk in the modern world - Applications of Bayesian networks", was published in November 2007. The reports are written for a mixed audience in business and government to raise awareness of new tools and techniques, potential collaborators and suppliers.