Prof Yanqing Duan and Prof Ram Ramanathan from the University’s Business and Management Research Institute (BMRI) ran workshops and visits to raise awareness among SMEs managers and to provide tailored advice based on individual company’s specific needs.

Big Data describes any voluminous amount of structured, semi-structured and unstructured data that has the potential to be mined for information.

The visits enabled the project team to gain insight into the current situations, challenges and opportunities around Big Data in SMEs. The team introduced business owners to Big Data enabling technologies and their applications, demonstrated the benefits and opportunities using relevant case studies, and offered advice on how to adopt Big Data effectively to improve business operations and performance.

Over 30 SMEs from a wide range of sectors attended the workshops and visits, with one business owner commented: “The workshop helped us to appreciate the advantages of Big Data and learn how to embrace the technology through collaboration with external experts and support.”

Prof Duan said: “We are very excited with the opportunities working with researchers in China and India, and to be able to help these SMEs. We will continue working with the companies participating in the project and follow their journey as they transform their business practice with the power of Big Data.”