Aston University Business School and global technology leader Capgemini have officially launched the Aston-Capgemini Centre of Excellence for Enterprise AI, a pioneering initiative designed to solve the “last mile” challenges of artificial intelligence adoption in business.

While many institutions focus on the technical development of AI models, this new Centre is distinct in its “socio-technical” approach. Located within Aston Business School’s City of London campus, it addresses the critical organisational barriers that prevent businesses from realising value: talent pipeline, governance, ethics, trust and strategy.

A shared leadership model for impact

The Centre represents a flagship example of Aston University’s 2030 Strategy for transformative industry engagement. The Centre is led by a joint executive team, ensuring total alignment between academic rigour and industrial reality.

“This is not just a research centre; it is an engine for enterprise transformation”, says Professor Alexeis Garcia Perez, Academic Director of the Centre. “We are moving beyond theoretical discussions to deliver tangible frameworks for trustworthy AI”.

This vision is shared by the Industry Co-Chairs from Capgemini.

“The gap between the potential of AI and enterprise reality is often found in execution” adds Gareth Wilson, Executive Vice President at Capgemini and Industry Co-Chair. “By combining Aston’s deep research capabilities with Capgemini’s global domain expertise, we are building a unique ecosystem where businesses can move rapidly from experimentation to measurable outcomes”.

Sudhir Pai, Capgemini’s Global CTIO for Financial Services and Industry Co-Chair, emphasises the focus on scalability: “Our ‘Explore, Experiment, Execute’ model is designed to solve the hardest challenge in AI: enterprise deployment at scale. We are not just prototyping; we are creating the foundation required to deploy AI safely across an organisation”.

Strategic momentum

Since its launch in September, the Centre has moved rapidly into execution:

• Trustworthy AI: The Centre has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with TÜV SÜD, a global leader in safety and certification, to contribute to the development of standards for AI validation.
• National alignment: The Centre is actively contributing to the UK’s AI ecosystem through collaborations with the Manufacturing Technology Centre, the West Midlands Growth Company, and the West Midlands Combined Authority, and through participation in groups such as the West Midlands AI Special Interest Group and the Agentic AI Advanced Manufacturing Expert Group.
• Industry pipeline: Major projects are underway with partners in financial services and manufacturing, demonstrating the cross-sector relevance of the Centre.

By preparing the next generation of AI-ready graduates and providing the industry with the “playbook” for responsible adoption, Aston University and Capgemini are setting a new standard for university-industry collaboration.

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