SOME of the UK's leading scientists will be joining forces with major industrial companies in a multi-million pound project to develop computer methods and software for the management and manipulation of knowledge in the information age.

The University of Southampton is the lead partner in a research collaboration to be awarded major funding by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The project, known as AKT - Advanced Knowledge Technologies - will involve the universities at South-ampton, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Sheffield and the Open University. Its director is Professor Nigel Shadbolt of Southampton University's department of electronics and computer science.

Researchers in the consortium include specialists in computer science, artificial intelligence, psychology, linguistics, multimedia and Internet technology.

"Knowledge is clearly the most creative force in the modern economy. Its exploitation has revolutionised communications, services, industries - everything, from the food we eat, to the medicine we take,'' said Professor Shadbolt. "With developments in telecommunications and the Internet, we have faster and better access to more and more of it.

"Despite the importance of knowledge, one of the problems we face is that well-known 21st century malady 'information overload.' Information is piled upon us, in databases, on the world wide web, and getting the right knowledge-useful type of information applied to solve a specific problem is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"If knowledge is to be an asset in the knowledge economy, it has to be managed efficiently. The ability to use this knowledge successfully will be the chief source of the UK's competitive advantage in a global economy.''

The consortium will use its funds to undertake fundamental research to investigate the knowledge "life-cycle", and develop cutting-edge technology to support it. Professor Wendy Hall from Southampton University will also be part of the team.

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