Microsoft has announced an AI for Good Open Call, a program that will award USD 5 million in grants and the opportunity to collaborate with Microsoft's AI scientists. "Organisations are invited to leverage the power of artificial intelligence to address pressing social and scientific challenges in Washington state," Microsoft announced on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
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Targeted Areas for Proposals
The initiative invites nonprofits, researchers, startups, academic institutions, and businesses based in or benefiting Washington to propose projects tackling issues in sustainability, public health, education, and human rights. Successful applicants will receive funding and access to Microsoft's AI experts and Azure resources.
"As we look toward Microsoft's 51st year, our AI for Good Lab will globally provide extensive opportunities for collaborative research projects leveraging Azure compute resources. This is a focused opportunity for our home state of Washington, and we're confident it will harness innovative solutions to complex questions," said Juan Lavista Ferres, corporate vice president and chief data scientist of the AI for Good Lab at Microsoft.
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Make an Impact
"Successful grant applicants will show potential for their concept and data to result in a unique and scalable solution to a major scientific or societal challenge. Strong applicants will have clean, accurate and unbiased high-quality data," Microsoft said, adding, "Organisations based in Washington or benefiting residents of Washington are invited to submit their online applications."
Microsoft announced that it "created this program as a goodwill gift to Washington" in celebration of its 50th anniversary.