Digital Planning joins Loughborough University’s 2026 Doctoral Innovation Consultants (DInC) programme to accelerate the development and commercialisation of Metis.
Metis is Digital Planning’s AI engine for complex planning. It orchestrates people, assets and other resources, using AI decision intelligence to support dynamic, real‑time operational decisions.
Digital Planning is one of nine industry partners in this year’s cohort. The programme combines academic insight with frontline industry context to test assumptions, identify priority customer segments and stress‑test product strategy.
Over 16 weeks, the consultants will work one day a week on the brief with Digital Planning’s team of experts to explore how Metis can create measurable value for complex and regulated organisations
Chief Science Officer Ben Hutchings and Operations Officer Will Darkes presented the Metis project brief at Holywell Park during the DInC induction.
They outlined the opportunity to transform how organisations schedule people, time and constrained resources.
Co-founder Mark Underwood said: “Partnering with Loughborough University gives us direct access to research talent who can challenge our assumptions and help us move faster.
“It’s a key part of how we stay ahead of the curve on AI and keep delivering a stronger, evidence‑led platform for our clients.”
The project runs across three connected workstreams:
- Customer discovery and vertical analysis
- Market and competitive positioning
- Implementation and growth strategy
Working with Digital Planning’s team, the doctoral consultants will refine where Metis delivers the strongest impact and how it should be positioned against existing planning and scheduling tools.
This project is part of Digital Planning’s wider R&D with universities and innovation partners across healthcare, manufacturing and professional services.
By connecting industry and academia, Digital Planning stays ahead of fast‑moving AI and brings a stronger, evidence‑led platform to its clients.
