26 July 2018

A Digi-Addition to Cambridge

On 19th July 2018, the UK Government announced the establishment of a new Cambridge-based task force: the Digital Framework Task Group (DFTG), a team focused on harnessing the power of digital technologies to help UK industry plan for future construction needs.

Officially launched by Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Robert Jenrick, and run by the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB), the task force will bring the expertise of industry, academia and government together and advise the Treasury on how data, artificial intelligence and machine learning can help predict and meet the needs of the UK.

With extensive experience in the digital field, Cambridge alumnus and Mathys & Squire Partner, James Pitchford, is delighted by the news of this digi-development:

Cambridge is the perfect location for the DFTG, as it will enable the Group to tap in to the city’s wealth of experience in the digital field, across both academia and industry, that has been built-up over many decades.

The University and the city are both world-renowned for digital innovation, and it will be fascinating to see what new developments will arise from the DFTG, and how these will be applied to real-world projects that will benefit people’s lives.

For instance, 5G telecommunications and IoT sensors are now just around the corner, and these, combined with large-scale data processing and advanced analytical techniques, have great potential in monitoring the use of urban infrastructure and enabling future infrastructure to be planned, built and managed more effectively.

Mathys & Squire has been actively involved in the Cambridge digital community since opening its doors in Cambridge almost ten years ago.

From artificial intelligence to encryption, image recognition to distributed data processing; the Mathys & Squire team are actively working and engaging with the local technological community, alongside governments and corporates, helping to protect innovation in the digital and manufacturing fields for the greater good of clients and the UK economy.

The team look forward to learning more about the DFTG and hope to see them around Cambridge soon. 

For further conversation regarding Cambridge innovation and intellectual property, please email James Pitchford on [email protected]

 James obtained an MA honours degree in natural sciences (physics and materials science) and a PhD in materials science, both from the University of Cambridge. He entered the patent profession in 2000, and qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 2005 and a Chartered Patent Attorney in 2006. James also holds a certificate in intellectual property law from the University of London. He has given lectures on intellectual property at the University of Cambridge, seminars on European patent law and practice at the Japan Patent Attorneys Association in Tokyo, and a presentation on EPO examination policy at the Korean Intellectual Property Office.