TLDR: Loughborough University academics, Professor Tom Jackson and Professor Ian Hodgkinson, have been instrumental in developing a seminal Ethics Framework for the UK Government’s National Digital Twin Programme (NDTP). This framework, now accepted by the NDTP and shared across government departments, aims to ensure that all digital twins are safe, secure, trustworthy, ethical, sustainable, adaptable, and interoperable, laying the groundwork for widespread digital twin adoption and market growth in the UK.
Loughborough University has made a significant contribution to the future of digital technologies in the UK, with its academics playing a leading role in shaping the ethical landscape for the Government’s ambitious digital twinning plans. Professor Tom Jackson and Professor Ian Hodgkinson from Loughborough Business School were key members of the Technical Working Group for Ethics, part of the National Digital Twin Programme (NDTP).
The NDTP is a government-led initiative committed to scaling digital twinning technologies and processes across the UK. Its primary goal is to establish a robust foundation for a functioning market in digital twins and to foster economic growth. The Technical Working Group for Ethics, through a collaborative and co-creative process, developed a landmark NDTP Ethics Framework.
This comprehensive framework outlines crucial ethical principles and considerations that guided the final NDTP programme report. Its core objective is to ensure that all digital twins, both individually and when interconnected, adhere to high standards of safety, security, trustworthiness, ethics, sustainability, adaptability, and interoperability. The Ethics Framework has been officially released and accepted by the NDTP, in conjunction with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), and is currently being disseminated across various UK Government departments.
Loughborough University’s involvement in the NDTP has been pivotal, working alongside other key organizations such as the RAF Rapid Capabilities Office, Dstl, MoD Cyber Defence and Risk, Imperial College London, and several industry partners. Professor Tom Jackson, Chair of the Technical Working Group, expressed his satisfaction with the outcome, stating, ‘Helping to shape practices and policies is at the heart of Loughborough Business School’s Progress with Purpose strategy, so I am delighted that the output of the Technical Working Group has been recognised across UK Government. The collaboration and co-creation with our working group members has been key to this success.’
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Professor Patrick J Baker Dstl/RAF, Chair of the NDTP Technical Committee, further commended the effort, adding, ‘The outstanding effort of all involved within this work have given a clear and unambiguous steer to enable the United Kingdom NDTP towards undoubted success.’ This initiative marks a crucial step in ensuring responsible and ethical development and deployment of digital twin technologies across the nation.
