The United Kingdom is getting serious about big data. George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Second Lord of the Treasury, has announced that the government will establish a fund to ensure Britain leads the way in big data and algorithm research.

The new research center, the Alan Turing Institute, will be funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and will report to the science minister. The institute will focus on ways to collect, organize and analyze large sets of data.

Just who was Alan Turing? He was a brilliant scientist well-known for his codebreaking work during WWII, including being the person to help break Germany’s “Enigma” codes; it is said that his work shortened the duration of the war by at least two years. His mathematical theories also formalized the concept of algorithms that are the foundation of today’s computer science. But his achievements were overshadowed by a sexual indecency conviction in 1952 which caused him to lose security clearance. He committed suicide in 1954.

His conviction would be considered unjust and discriminatory today (he was gay). After a number of public campaigns, including an e-petition that garnered over 37,000 signatures, he was finally given a royal pardon in December 2013.
Naming the institute in his honor is a small recognition for his enormous contributions to modern computers and today’s explosion of interest in big data. But it’s a start.