C3.ai, Microsoft Corporation, the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; the University of
California, Berkeley; Princeton University; the University of Chicago;
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Carnegie Mellon
University form the new C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute
First call for proposals published – AI Techniques to Mitigate Pandemic
Institute
to accelerate AI innovation among scientific communities to bring
greater advocacy, invention, collaboration, and academic rigor to
scaling digital transformation
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. & REDMOND, Wash. & URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Ill. & BERKELEY, Calif.-Monday 30 March 2020 [ AETOS Wire ]
(BUSINESS WIRE)--
C3.ai, Microsoft Corporation, the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), the University of California, Berkeley,
Princeton University, the University of Chicago, the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, and the National
Center for Supercomputing Applications at UIUC announced two major
initiatives:
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- C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute (C3.ai DTI), a research consortium dedicated to accelerating the application of artificial intelligence to speed the pace of digital transformation in business, government, and society. Jointly managed by UC Berkeley and UIUC, C3.ai DTI will sponsor and fund world-leading scientists in a coordinated effort to advance the digital transformation of business, government, and society.
- C3.ai DTI First Call for Research Proposals: C3.ai DTI invites scholars, developers, and researchers to embrace the challenge of abating COVID-19 and advance the knowledge, science, and technologies for mitigating future pandemics using AI. This is the first in what will be a series of bi-annual calls for Digital Transformation research proposals.
“The
C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute is a consortium of leading
scientists, researchers, innovators, and executives from academia and
industry, joining forces to accelerate the social and economic benefits
of digital transformation,” said Thomas M. Siebel, CEO of C3.ai. “We
have the opportunity through public-private partnership to change the
course of a global pandemic,” Siebel continued. “I cannot imagine a more
important use of AI.”
Immediate Call for Proposals: AI Techniques to Mitigate Pandemic
Topics for Research Awards may include but are not limited to the following:
- Applying machine learning and other AI methods to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Genome-specific COVID-19 medical protocols, including precision medicine of host responses
- Biomedical informatics methods for drug design and repurposing
- Design and sharing of clinical trials for collecting data on medications, therapies, and interventions
- Modeling, simulation, and prediction for understanding COVID-19 propagation and efficacy of interventions
- Logistics and optimization analysis for design of public health strategies and interventions
- Rigorous approaches to designing sampling and testing strategies
- Data analytics for COVID-19 research harnessing private and sensitive data
- Improving societal resilience in response to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Broader efforts in biomedicine, infectious disease modeling, response logistics and optimization, public health efforts, tools, and methodologies around the containment of rising infectious diseases and response to pandemics, so as to be better prepared for future infectious diseases
The
first call for proposals is open now, with a deadline of May 1, 2020.
Researchers are invited to learn more about C3.ai DTI and how to submit
their proposals for consideration at C3DTI.ai. Selected proposals will be announced by June 1, 2020.
Up
to $5.8 million in awards will be funded from this first call, ranging
from $100,000 to $500,000 each. In addition to cash awards, C3.ai DTI
recipients will be provided with significant cloud computing,
supercomputing, data access, and AI software resources and technical
support provided by Microsoft and C3.ai. This will include unlimited use
of the C3 AI Suite and access to the Microsoft Azure cloud platform and
access to the Blue Waters supercomputer at the National Center for
Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at UIUC.
“We
are collecting a massive amount of data about MERS, SARS, and now
COVID-19,” said Condoleezza Rice, former US Secretary of State. “We have
a unique opportunity before us to apply the new sciences of AI and
digital transformation to learn from these data how we can better manage
these phenomena and avert the worst outcomes for humanity,” Rice
continued. “I can think of no work more important and no response more
cogent and timely than this important public-private partnership.”
“We’re
excited about the C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute and are happy
to join on a shared mission to accelerate research at these eminent
research institutions,” said Eric Horvitz, Chief Scientist at Microsoft
and C3.ai DTI Advisory Board Member. “As we launch this exciting
private-public partnership, we’re enthusiastic about aiming the broader
goals of the Institute at urgent challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic,
as well as on longer-term research that could help to minimize future
pandemics.”
"At
UC Berkeley, we are thrilled to help co-lead this important endeavor to
establish and advance the science of digital transformation at the
nexus of machine learning, IoT, and cloud computing,” said Carol Christ,
Chancellor, UC Berkeley. “We believe this Institute has the potential
to make tremendous contributions by including ethics, new business
models, and public policy to the technologies for transforming societal
scale systems globally."
“The
C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute, with its vision of
cross-institutional and multi-disciplinary collaboration, represents an
exciting model to help accelerate innovation in this important new field
of study,” said Robert J. Jones, Chancellor of the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “At this time of a global health crisis,
the Institute’s initial research focus will be on applying AI to
mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and to learn from it how to protect the
world from future pandemics. C3.ai DTI is an important addition to the
world’s fight against this disease and a powerful new resource in
developing solutions to all societal challenges.”
“Together
with the other C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute partners, we look
forward to creating a powerful ecosystem of scholars and educators
committed to applying 21st century technologies to the
benefit of all,” said Chris Eisgruber, President of Princeton
University. “This public-private partnership with innovators like C3.ai
and Microsoft, providing support to world-class researchers across a
range of disciplines, promises to bring rapid innovation to an exciting
new frontier.”
“By
strongly supporting multidisciplinary research and multi-institution
projects, the C3.ai DTI represents a new avenue to develop breakthrough
scientific results with a positive impact on society at a time of great
need,” said Robert Zimmer, President of the University of Chicago. “I’m
very pleased that the University of Chicago is part of this formidable
collaboration between academia and industry to lead crucial innovation
with great purpose and urgency.”
“The
vision of C3.ai DTI is driven by the recognition of digital
transformation as both a science as well as a scientific imperative for
this pivotal time, applicable to every sector of our economy across the
public and private sectors, including in healthcare, education, and
public health,” said Farnam Jahanian, President of Carnegie Mellon
University. “We are excited to participate in building out the
Institute’s structure, program and further alliances. This is just the
beginning of an ambitious journey that can have enormous positive impact
on the world.”
"At
MIT, we share the commitment of C3.ai DTI to advancing the frontiers of
AI, cybersecurity and related fields while building into every inquiry a
deep concern for ethics, privacy, equity and the public interest,” said
Rafael Reif, President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“At this moment of national emergency, we are proud to be part of this
intensive effort to apply these sophisticated tools to better analyze
the COVID-19 epidemic and devise effective ways to stop it. We look
forward to accelerating this work both by collaborating with the
companies and institutions in the initiative, and by drawing on the
frontline experience and clinical data of our colleagues in Boston's
world-class hospitals."
Building Community
At
the heart of C3.ai DTI will be the constant flow of new ideas and
expertise provided by ongoing research, visiting professors and research
scholars, and faculty and scholars in residence, many of whom will come
from beyond the member institutions. This rich ecosystem will form the
foundational structure of a new Science of Digital Transformation.
“This
is about global innovation based on multinational collaboration to
accelerate the positive impact of AI by providing researchers access to
real world data and to massive resources,” said Jim Snabe, Chairman,
Siemens. “This is exactly the kind of multinational public-private
partnership that is required to address this critical issue.”
“I
could not be more proud of our association with C3.ai and Microsoft,”
said Lorenzo Simonelli, CEO of Baker Hughes. “This is exactly the kind
of leadership that is required to bring together the best of us to
address this critical need.”
“We
are at war and we must win it! Using all means,” said Jacques Attali,
French statesman. “This great project will organize global scientific
collaboration for accelerating the social impact of AI, and help to win
this war, using new weapons, for the best of mankind.”
“In
these difficult times, we need – now more than ever – to join our
forces with scholars, innovators, and industry experts to propose
solutions to complex problems. I am convinced that digital, data science
and AI are a key answer,” said Gwenaëlle Avice-Huet, Executive Vice
President of ENGIE. “The C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute is a
perfect example of what we can do together to make the world better.”
Establishing the New Science of Digital Transformation
C3.ai
DTI will focus its research on AI, Machine Learning, IoT, Big Data
Analytics, human factors, organizational behavior, ethics, and public
policy. The Institute will support the development of ML algorithms,
data security, and cybersecurity techniques. C3.ai DTI research will
analyze new business operation models, develop methods of implementing
organizational change management and protecting privacy, and amplify the
dialogue around the ethics and public policy of AI.
C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute is a Research Initiative that Includes:
- Research Awards: Up to 26 cash awards annually, ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 each
- Computing Resources: Access to free Azure Cloud and C3 AI Suite resources
- Visiting Professors & Research Scientists: $750,000 per year to support C3.ai DTI Visiting Scholars
- Curriculum Development: Annual awards to faculty at member institutions to develop curricula that teach the emerging field of Digital Transformation Science
- Data Analytics Platform: C3.ai DTI will host an elastic cloud, big data, development, and operating platform, including the C3 AI Suite hosted on Microsoft Azure for the purpose of supporting C3.ai DTI research, curriculum development, and teaching.
- Educational Program: $750,000 a year to support an annual conference, annual report, newsletters, published research, and website
- Industry Alignment: C3.ai DTI Industry Partners will be established to assure the institute’s operations are aligned to the needs of the private sector.
- Open Source: C3.ai DTI will strongly favor proposals that promise to publish their research in the public domain.
To
support the Institute, C3.ai will provide C3.ai DTI $57,250,000 in cash
contributions over the first five years of operation. C3.ai and
Microsoft will contribute an additional $310 million in-kind, including
use of the C3 AI Suite and Microsoft Azure computing, storage, and
technical resources to support C3.ai DTI research.
To learn more about C3.ai DTI’s program, award opportunities, and call for proposals, please visit C3DTI.ai.
About C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute
C3.ai
Digital Transformation Institute represents an innovative vision to
take AI, ML, IoT, and big data research in a consortium model to a level
that cannot be achieved at any one institution alone. Jointly managed
and hosted by the University of California, Berkeley and the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, C3.ai DTI will attract the world’s
leading scientists to join in a coordinated and innovative effort to
advance the digital transformation of business, government, and society,
and establish the new Science of the Digital Transformation of Societal
Systems.
About C3.ai
C3.ai
is a leading AI software provider for accelerating digital
transformation. C3.ai delivers the C3 AI Suite for developing,
deploying, and operating large-scale AI, predictive analytics, and IoT
applications in addition to an increasingly broad portfolio of turn-key
AI applications. The core of the C3.ai offering is a revolutionary,
model-driven AI architecture that dramatically enhances data science and
application development. Learn more at: www.c3.ai.
About Microsoft
Microsoft
(Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era
of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to
empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve
more.
About University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public land-grant
research university founded in 1867 and dedicated to building upon a
tradition of excellence in education, research, public engagement and
economic development. The university pioneers innovative research that
tackles global problems and expands the human experience. Illinois
faculty, staff and alumni have been leading the way in digital
transformation from the invention of the transistor to the birth of the
graphical internet browser to high performance computing to the new
revolution in data sciences and analytics.
About University of California, Berkeley
UC
Berkeley is the world’s premier public university with a mission to
excel in teaching, research and public service. This longstanding
mission has led to the university's distinguished record of Nobel-level
scholarship, constant innovation, a concern for the betterment of our
world, and consistently high rankings of its schools and departments.
The campus offers superior, high-value education for extraordinarily
talented students from all walks of life, operational excellence, and a
commitment to the competitiveness and prosperity of California and the
nation.
About Princeton University
Princeton
University is a vibrant community of teaching and research that stands
in the nation's service and the service of humanity. Chartered in 1746,
Princeton is the fourth-oldest college in the United States. Princeton
is an independent, coeducational, nondenominational institution that
provides undergraduate and graduate instruction in the arts and
humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering.
About University of Chicago
The
University of Chicago is a leading academic and research institution
that has driven new ways of thinking since its founding in 1890. As an
intellectual destination, the University draws scholars and students
from around the world to its campuses and centers around the globe. The
University provides a distinctive educational experience and research
environment, empowering individuals to challenge conventional thinking
and pursue field-defining research that produces new understanding and
breakthroughs with global impact.
About Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is dedicated to advancing
knowledge and educating students in science, technology, and other areas
of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the
21st century. The Institute has more than 1,000 faculty members and over
11,500 undergraduate and graduate students. MIT's commitment to
innovation has led to a host of scientific breakthroughs and
technological advances, in fields ranging from aeronautics to computing
to cancer research.
About Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie
Mellon (cmu.edu) is a private, internationally ranked research
university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and
business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than
14,000 students in the university’s seven schools and colleges benefit
from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by
its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems,
interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation.
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Contacts
C3.ai Contact:
April Marks
Director of Public Relations
917-574-5512
pr@c3.ai
Microsoft Contact:
Microsoft Media Relations
WE Communications for Microsoft
(425) 638-7777
rrt@we-worldwide.com
UIUC Contact:
Robin Kaler
Associate Chancellor for Public Affairs
rkaler@illinois.edu
217-333-5050
University of California, Berkeley Contact:
Sarah Yang
Assistant Dean, Marketing & Communications
Berkeley Engineering
scyang@berkeley.edu
Princeton University Contact:
Ben Chang
Deputy Vice President, Communications
mediarelations@princeton.edu
University of Chicago Contact:
Rob Mitchum
Associate Director of Communications for Data Science and Computing
rmitchum@uchicago.edu
773-484-9890
MIT Contact:
Anne Stuart
Communications Officer in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
astuart@mit.edu
Carnegie Mellon University Contact:
Jason Maderer
Sr. Director, Media Relations
412.268.1151
maderer@cmu.edu
