Citizens Advice Taps UoP Expertise for Service Boost
In the current economic climate, with many being affected by the cost of living crisis, hundreds of householders are turning to the Citizens Advice for guidance on how to save money on their energy bills.
With £236,000 funding through Innovate UK’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme, Arun and Chichester Citizens Advice has partnered with the University of Portsmouth to develop a solution that will enable the community based service to meet the increasing demand for advice, potentially doubling the number of people who they can support.
The project, which could be rolled out nationwide, is being led by Dr Rinat Khusainov, Associate Head of Research and Innovation and Dr Ella Haig, Associate Professor of Artificial Intelligence from the University’s School of Computing and the Portsmouth AI and Data Science (PAIDS) research centre.
Dr Khusainov said: “We aim to employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to develop a system that will mean essential administrative and back office tasks can be automated – which are essential for effective and reliable service delivery. Importantly, it will mean that this will free up Arun & Chichester Citizens Advice advisers so that they will have more time to devote to providing face-to-face advice, either in-person or virtually, to those in critical need of their guidance.
Dr Haig added: “A key aspect of this KTP is its focus on responsible innovation in the charity and voluntary sector. We’re committed to maintaining the highest standards of data security and ethical technology use in sensitive contexts such as this, preserving the trusted relationship between advisers and clients.
“We’re really pleased to have the opportunity to develop a practical application that has the potential to make a real difference in the community.”
Luca Badioli, CEO of Arun & Chichester Citizens Advice, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with the University of Portsmouth on this project. The opportunity to create new technologies together, with the goal of providing advice and help to more people while maintaining our high standards of quality and care, is incredibly exciting. This initiative represents a significant step forward in our mission to offer more comprehensive support to those in need.”
Dr Shona Campbell, Knowledge Transfer Adviser, Innovate UK Business Connect said: “Arun & Chichester Citizens Advice stands out as a visionary third sector organisation. They have identified the potential of AI to expand service delivery and enable staff and volunteers to focus on added value services. The expert academic team from the University of Portsmouth share ACCA’s values and are perfectly placed to support this impactful innovation.”
A UK wide, government initiative, the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships programme has been helping businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity, for the past 50 years, through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills to identify innovative solutions to help that business grow.
The University of Portsmouth has a proven track record and over 20 years of experience with KTPs across a wide range of academic disciplines and business needs.
Over the past two decades, the University has delivered more than 100 partnerships, which have been awarded a cumulative £9.2m in grants and £4.9m in matched funding from businesses.
Image credit: Arun &Chichester Citizens Advice
https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/news/citizens-advice-enlists-university-of-portsmouth-expertise-to-improve-its-service