Both of Issue 19's headline events have now run: the University of Southampton's geospatial AI summer school and the FAIR-to-AI-Ready data workshop wrapped up mid-July. The picture ahead is quieter through most of August, then builds into a genuinely busy September and October. Applications for Future Worlds' AIR26 AI startup bootcamp close Sunday 17 August, ahead of the in-person bootcamp itself at the Winchester campus in early September. Developer South Coast returns from its summer break on 17 September with two talks, including one on driving real Copilot adoption. The British Science Festival's confirmed programme runs 16–20 September across Southampton, with Dame Wendy Hall - newly appointed President of the British Science Association - delivering a Presidential Address on the future of AI. And in a change from what we reported last issue: the Microsoft Cloud South Coast User Group has wrapped its regular monthly meetups for the year and is instead launching its first-ever two-day flagship event at the Utilita Bowl on 22–23 October, with AI policy and adoption featuring in past sessions. Hampshire AI and PyData Southampton both have no confirmed next date yet - worth checking their pages if you're waiting on either.
Top Picks
Sun 17 Aug (Application Deadline)
Tue-Wed, 2-3 Sep · University of Southampton, Winchester campus
AIR26 AI Startup Bootcamp
Free two-day, in-person bootcamp for researchers building AI startups, run by Future Worlds with Responsible AI UK and UCL's Centre for Digital Innovation; applications close 17 August, ending with a pitch for a funded accelerator place.
InfoThu, 17 Sep · Concourse, Avenue St Andrew's URC, Southampton
Developer South Coast
Two talks on Copilot user adoption and SEO tips, kindly hosted with free pizza; a good read on practical Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout lessons.
RSVPWed-Sun, 16-20 Sep · University of Southampton campuses & city venues, Southampton
British Science Festival 2026
Five days, 80+ free events including Dame Wendy Hall's Presidential Address on the future of AI in conversation with the BBC's Zoe Kleinman, and an award lecture on AI's trustworthiness.
Info
Full Event Listings (Summer 2026)
Date & Time | Event (Host) | Venue / City | Type | Cost | RSVP / Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sun 17 Aug (application deadline) | AIR26 Bootcamp applications close | N/A | Deadline | Free | |
Tue-Wed 2-3 Sep, 10:00-18:00 & 09:00-16:00 | AIR26 AI Startup Bootcamp (Future Worlds / Responsible AI UK / UCL CDI) | University of Southampton, Winchester | Bootcamp | Free | |
Thu 17 Sep, 19:00-21:00 | Developer South Coast - Copilot User Adoption & SEO Tips | Concourse, Avenue St Andrew's URC, Southampton | Meetup / Talks | Free | |
Wed-Sun, 16-20 Sep | British Science Festival 2026 (incl. "AI: Friend or Fraud?" lecture & Presidential Address) | University of Southampton campuses & city venues, Southampton | Festival / Lectures | Free |
📰 Hampshire AI in the News
Dame Wendy Hall to open British Science Festival with address on the future of AI
The University of Southampton's Regius Professor of Computer Science has been announced as the British Science Association's new President for 2026-27, a role that coincides with the Festival landing in her home city. She will deliver her Presidential Address as a conversation with BBC Technology Editor Zoe Kleinman about the future of AI, with a companion book on AI aimed at non-technical readers also due this year - a strong marker of how central AI now is to the region's biggest public science event.
Read MoreFuture Worlds spinout shows AI cutting NHS prosthetics wait times
Radii Devices, a Future Worlds Cohort 19 startup working with the University of Southampton, has developed a new data-driven method for fitting prosthetic legs, with NHS trial results showing prosthetics designed this way were, on average, as comfortable as those made by highly skilled prosthetists, but with more consistent results and an instantly generated basic design. A useful real-world example of applied AI delivering measurable public sector and healthcare impact from Hampshire's own startup pipeline.
Read MoreBritish Science Festival 2026 programme confirmed, AI running through the lineup
The British Science Association published the full programme for its 195th festival on Thursday 2 July, confirming the 16–20 September dates in Southampton. The lineup includes Dame Wendy Hall's Presidential Address on the future of AI with the BBC's Zoe Kleinman, an award lecture titled "AI: friend or fraud?", and Generate: Creative Responses to AI Research, an evening of AI-inspired performance at Mayflower Studios.
Read More
Citations & Sources
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