Safe Digital Twins for the Built Environment

This is a 2025 CoSeC Fellowship project that examines how digital twins are being developed and used across the conservation, construction, and infrastructure sectors. As these technologies become increasingly embedded in decision-making, new questions are emerging around accuracy, reliability, security, and long-term safety. SafeDT aims to identify these risks and consider how digital twins can be adopted responsibly and with appropriate safeguards.

To support this work, the project will host an Idea Factory Event in collaboration with the University of Bath's Institute for Policy Research (IPR). The event will bring together researchers, industry partners, and policymakers to explore shared concerns and priorities. By collaborating closely with the Department for Business and Trade, SafeDT will also ensure alignment with wider UK digital policy.

The insights from the event will inform a White Paper outlining key challenges and recommendations for safe and effective digital twin deployment in the built environment. SafeDT ultimately seeks to encourage a broader national conversation about responsibility, uncertainty, and care as digital technologies increasingly shape how we manage and protect both historic and modern assets.