It is a known fact that when competing in business it is extremely important to incorporate changes in technology.  This is one of the reasons contractors provide such a vital role in industry.  Permanent staff members can lead to stagnant internal procedures which can prevent development.
This interest in development does not only apply at a business level, but is recognised worldwide by governments in order to stay competitive and expand on industrial and technological strengths.
With this goal in mind The European Union Horizon 2020 programme to study advanced computing has awarded The University of St Andrews €3.5 million.  This funding is being allocated to a project whereby software is being developed to increase performance whilst significantly reducing cost and energy usage.  This project which started in April 2015 and is expected to run for three years brings together eight of the leading academic minds and industry partners from the UK, Austria, Italy, Spain, Hungary and Israel, including American multinational technology and consulting corporation IBM.
This is only the latest installment of EU funding following on from a previous successful project whereby it was already awarded €4.2 million and firmly establishes the university status as being at the forefront of software technology.
The increasing complexity of modern computers has created a need for not only enhanced software, but also the expertise in which to introduce this technology into established businesses.  This need will mean that contractors in the field of IT will have an exciting, constantly developing role in international industries across the board for some time to come.