University of Edinburgh has joined forces with corporate-run incubator Wayra UK to start an artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain accelerator that will accept 20 local businesses a year from September 2018.

The Edinburgh program will be Wayra’s first in Scotland and will receive assistance from state-owned economic development agency Scottish Enterprise. It will be open to spinouts and startups, and is expected to generate up to 400 jobs.

Wayra UK, started by telecoms firm Telefónica in 2012, currently consists…