We connect businesses with a rich pool of data and AI talent

National strategies, including the UK Government’s focus on AI and automation, have led to a rising demand for skills in areas such as data analysis, cybersecurity, and data engineering. In Scotland, organisations across all regions are seeking skilled data and AI professionals to stay competitive in their respective markets. The World Economic Forum predicts that roles such as Big Data Specialists and AI Engineers will be among the fastest-growing by 2030.

The Data Lab’s placement programme works to place data and AI students studying Masters degrees at universities across Scotland on short data projects in industry.

The Data Lab [student placement] programme is a phenomenal resource, especially for smaller organisations like ours which need to use data but don’t have the knowledge or know-how internally.

Dr Katherine Gunderson
CEO and Founder, Grand Bequest

In good company

We work with organisations of all sizes, and across all sectors – from communication and information providers to hospitality and food and beverage suppliers. 
 
Over 1,000 companies have engaged with us and directly benefited from the connections we’ve helped them establish within the vibrant data and AI ecosystem. 

Vast range of expertise

We can support a huge range of projects as part of the placement programme, including:

• dashboards and data visualisation,
• predictive models, anomaly detection, and forecasting,
• computer vision, NLP, and deep learning.

“We are delighted with both our placements who have delivered significant cutting-edge data science solutions for us.”

Duncan Heart
Deepminer

Data and AI student placements in Scotland 

Our MSc placement programme through The Data Lab Masters Scholarship Programme provides access to Scotland’s brightest data and AI students. The programme is open to any Scottish organisation seeking to incorporate cutting-edge data or AI knowledge into its operations. Our students are keen for work experience to use their technical skills in the real world. Typically, projects take place over the summer and last about 3 months.

We work with you on what is most important and scope a project that aligns to your organisational priorities.

Timeline for project matching

There are two application rounds for 2025/26, each with their own deadline for project submission. We recommend aiming for the earliest round possible, as students will be matched to projects as we progress through the rounds

Submission Round 1

• 23rd January 2026: Project submission deadline
• 2nd February 2026: Application deadline for students
• 9th-27th February 2026: Tentative interview dates

Submission Round 2

• 27th February 2026: Project submission deadline
• 9th March 2026: Application deadline for students
• 16th-30th March 2026: Tentative interview dates

We are extremely impressed at the calibre of The Data Lab MSc graduate students we’ve met so far and participating in the programme has exceeded our expectations.

Regina Berengolts
Director of Research, Analytics and Data, Innovid

Strategic insight and practical guidance to thrive in the data and AI economy

Working with businesses to upskill workers in roles that are changing or are at risk of redundancy, we supported local employers by developing a Data and AI Skills Framework. This framework identified key skills gaps at each level of data literacy and mapped training to them, helping learners find the right training for their needs. We recently updated our framework and launched our whitepaper Data and AI Skills in Scotland: Closing the Gap for a Promising Economic Future, which outlines our research findings and recommendations for closing the skills gap.

Connect, collaborate and learn with The Data Lab Community

Our online platform enables data and AI professionals, academics, students and other enthusiasts from over 90 countries to connect, collaborate, and learn. As a premium member or partner, you can showcase your job openings on our jobs board to a network of over 7500 talented individuals from around the world.

Upskill your team with data and AI